Historic Endurance Lights Up the Algarve Classic Festival
- Race Ready
- há 12 horas
- 6 min de leitura
With a record entry list of 76 cars, the Iberian Historic Endurance divided its field into two grids for the 2025 edition of the rejuvenated Algarve Classic Festival at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal.
On the rollercoaster layout of Portimão, the Iberian Historic Endurance 1 grid brought together the Gentleman Driver Spirit (GDS), H-1965, and GTP & Sportscar (GTP & SC up to 1965) classes, while the Iberian Historic Endurance 2 grid featured cars from the H-1971 and H-1976 categories.
It proved to be a wise decision, with the weekend delivering four lively races, each with its own dynamic and different winners.
IHE1 – Race 1
A Cobra Dances in the Wet
The Iberian Historic Endurance 1 field was first out on track on the Friday for its single qualifying session. Paulo Lima, partnered this time by Ricardo Pereira in the Ford GT40, set the pace among the forty-strong grid in a tight battle for pole position, edging out Carlos Barbot and Pedro Bastos Rezende (Merlyn MK4) and the Franco-Belgian pairing of Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau (Ford GT40).
On Saturday morning, as the beautiful cars of the 1960s lined up on the grid, heavy rain began to fall from the nearby Serra de Monchique. The sudden shower completely changed the complexion of the race for the 40-plus cars built before 1965. The Dutch duo of Chris Chiles Jr and Bas Jansen, driving an AC Cobra, adapted best to the tricky conditions and stormed to a commanding victory — both overall and in the H-1965 class.
Lima and Pereira led the opening three laps but were unable to hold off the flying Cobra. Even while negotiating traffic in the wet, Chiles Jr and Jansen never faltered, setting an impressive rhythm to control the race to the chequered flag.
The RP Motorsport pairing of Lima and Pereira also had reason to celebrate, taking top honours in the GTP & SC class. For Lima it was another trophy to add to his growing collection, while for Pereira it was a first win at the wheel of the GT40 — and on debut, making it all the more special.
The British duo Richard McAlpine and Nigel Greensall (Ford Falcon Sprint) completed the H-1965 podium, ahead of the AC Cobras of Ian Stinton/Tony Wood and Damien Kohler/José da Rocha’s Shelby Cobra. The best of the Iberian contingent was Carlos Cruz, who brought his Jaguar E-Type home in eighth place after a consistent drive.
In the GTP & SC class, João Mira Gomes and Nuno Afoito secured second in their Lotus Seven, while the delighted Englishman Alex Collins rounded out the podium in his Ford GT40 — only his second ever race appearance.
The GDS class saw total British domination. Jeff Smith, at the wheel of an Austin Mini Cooper S, carried his qualifying form into the race to win convincingly. Smith’s pace came as no surprise to those who know his pedigree — six BTCC seasons and podiums in the British GT Championship. George Grant and Nick Rutter (MGB) finished second, while Daniel Wheeler completed the podium in another Mini Cooper S.
IHE1 – Index of Performance
Lotus Cortina Tops the Table
João and Rui Macedo Silva, driving a Ford Cortina Lotus, were the top Iberian pair in the GDS class, finishing sixth overall. However, their performance in the Index of Performance was enough to claim victory — repeating their success from the Algarve Iberian Racing Festival earlier in the year.
As the Cuervo y Sobrinos watch cannot be awarded twice in the same season to the same team, the coveted timepiece went instead to the runners-up, Rui Bevilacqua and Nuno Veiga, in an Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti. Luís Sousa Ribeiro, himself a former Index of Performance winner and proud owner of a Cuervo y Sobrinos watch, finished third in his Ford Cortina Lotus.
IHE1 – Race 2
GT40 Confirms Its Favouritism
The Iberian Historic Endurance 1 programme continued on Saturday afternoon. With dry asphalt and a large crowd at the FIA Grade 1 venue, Paulo Lima and Ricardo Pereira made no mistake from the front row, leading every lap to claim another overall and class victory.
The H-1965 battle provided plenty of excitement, with intense fights throughout the big field and two Safety-Car periods. Chiles Jr and Jansen again faced strong opposition from Ian Stinton and Tony Wood, but ultimately the Dutch pair prevailed, crossing the line four seconds clear of the Shelby Cobra of Damien Kohler and José da Rocha. They were followed by another Cobra (Armand Adriaans) and the Jaguar E-Type of Laurens Jaspers, who also shone at the Estoril Classics.
Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau, who had retired in Race 1, bounced back to finish third overall and second in GTP & SC, on a day when they contested four different races. The podium was completed by Alex Collins (Ford GT40, Martin Stretton Racing), who managed to stay ahead of João Mira Gomes/Nuno Afoito and Carlos Barbot/Pedro Bastos Rezende — the latter making his debut in the small British prototype.
In the GDS class, Jeff Smith doubled up, placing his Austin Mini Cooper S 16th overall — ahead of far more powerful machinery. Daniel Wheeler (Mini Cooper S) took second this time, while Hugh Lafferty and Rob Cull — fresh from victory in the Carrera 80 — completed the podium in an MGB Roadster. Michael Boyle (MGB) and Luís Sousa Ribeiro rounded out the top five.
IHE2 – Race 1
Drama to the Very End
Friday’s qualifying session for Iberian Historic Endurance 2 saw the Chevrolet Corvette L88 of Pedro Bethencourt and the experienced Mário Silva take pole position. Behind them were the Porsche 911 3.0 RS of Carlos Brízido/João Pina Cardoso, the Porsche 911 3.0 RS of Bruno Duarte/Filipe Jesus, and the Porsche 911 2.5 ST of Piero and Guilhermo dal Maso with José Carvalhosa — the best of the H-1971s.
On Saturday afternoon, under bright skies and in front of packed grandstands, the twenty-car field roared away. The Aurora Motorsport Corvette led early on but was hampered by the need to refuel during its mandatory stop, losing valuable time to its rivals.
By lap eight, the Mr Auto-prepared Porsche of Brízido and Pina Cardoso had taken control. Temporary leaders Rafael and Eduardo Sánchez (Porsche 911 3.0 RS, Garagem Aurora) briefly hit the front during pit stops, but once the order settled, Brízido and Pina Cardoso were back ahead — only for their race to end prematurely on lap 13.
That opened the door for Bruno Duarte and Filipe Jesus to inherit the lead. They pulled away steadily to claim their second win of the season at Portimão.
With a clean run, Britain’s Robin Ellis brought his Porsche 911 2.8 RS, run by JWA Racing — a team with FIA WEC experience — to second in H-1976. Third went to newcomers Pedro Melo and Carlos Graça in a Ford Escort RS2000.
In a race full of twists, Filipe Nogueira crossed the line third overall and first in H-1971, securing his maiden Historic Endurance victory. The son of Portuguese racing great Joaquim Filipe Nogueira, Filipe proudly revived the family name in style. His win only came in the closing minutes, when long-time leader Manuel Domingues saw his Ford Escort RS1600 stop on track with less than three minutes remaining.
The battle for second in H-1971 was fierce until the end, with Germans Björn Ebsen and Volker Hichert (Alfa Romeo GTAm) narrowly beating father-and-son José and Pablo Rueda (Ford Capri 2600 RS) by just 0.06 seconds.
IHE2 – Race 2
A Different Winner
At the start of Sunday’s final Iberian Historic Endurance race, the Ford Capri 2600 RS of José and Pablo Rueda jumped the start — a false start later penalised — to briefly lead the opening lap. On lap two, the Porsche 911 2.8 RSR of Jean-Jacques Renaut took over, before the thunderous V8 of the Corvette of Bethencourt and Silva surged through to the front after seventeen overtakes in just over two laps. The lively mid-pack battles were then neutralised by a short Safety-Car period.
After the pit stops, Renaut’s Porsche 911 2.8 RSR regained the lead and never looked back, securing his first Historic Endurance victory and the H-1976 class win.
Duarte and Jesus couldn’t repeat their Saturday success but still finished an excellent second, with Robin Ellis again completing the podium.
In H-1971, Björn Ebsen and Volker Hichert led for much of the race in their Alfa Romeo GTAm, but a drive-through penalty for a pit-stop infraction dropped them out of contention. Rafael Cerveira Pinto and Carlos Dias Pedro, also in an Alfa Romeo GTAm, seized the opportunity to take a deserved win.
Second place in H-1971 went to Piero, Guilhermo, and José Carvalhosa (Porsche 911 2.5 ST), consolidating their lead in the “1000 km Trophy”, while third went to Bethencourt and Silva — rounding off a strong weekend for their spectacular Corvette.
The Historic Endurance will return at the Estoril Endurance Festival for the season finale — the traditional 250 km of Estoril — on 29–30 November at the Autódromo do Estoril. A full grid is once again expected for this classic endurance race, which traditionally closes the Iberian racing season.