Historic Endurance: Two Great Races Thrill Valencia

The 2025 season of the Iberian Historic Endurance visited the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia this past weekend, as part of the sporting programme for the inaugural Valencia Iberian Racing Festival. Paulo Lima and Jordi Puig, behind the wheel of a Ford GT40, won the first race, while the Belgian pairing Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau, also in a Ford GT40, claimed victory in the second race during an action-packed day on the Valencian circuit.

At the end of Saturday, the Circuit Ricardo Tormo was the stage for an intense and thrilling battle in the first Historic Endurance race, where Paulo Lima and Jordi Puig prevailed in the Ford GT40 after a true titanic duel with Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau, who were making their Historic Endurance debut with their GT40. Watching a single GT40 on track is already enough to excite spectators, but seeing two GT40s fight for position is an unforgettable experience for the 5,000 fans who attended the Valencia circuit. The two legendary cars from the blue oval brand crossed the finish line separated by just 9.483 seconds, finishing in that order in the GT & Sportscar category, which also saw the French trio in the Lotus 23B—Xavier Rascagneres, Jérôme Peyrat and Didier Mantz—take their place on the podium, showcasing the versatility of British prototypes.

The 2025 season of the Iberian Historic Endurance visited the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia this past weekend, as part of the sporting programme for the inaugural Valencia Iberian Racing Festival. Paulo Lima and Jordi Puig, behind the wheel of a Ford GT40, won the first race, while the Belgian pairing Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau, also in a Ford GT40, claimed victory in the second race during an action-packed day on the Valencian circuit.

In a race full of position changes and thrilling battles, British driver Laurent Jaspers, in his Jaguar E-Type 63, demonstrated classic finesse by finishing third, just behind the GT40s, claiming the victory in the H-1965 category. Paul O'Reilly, driving a Lotus Elan S1, maintained consistency and efficiency to secure second place in the class, while Guillaume Huber brought the iconic Ford Mustang to the podium, showcasing the strength of “muscle cars” in the competition.

In the H-1971 category, Rui Maia and Pedro Maia shone in the BMW 2800 CS, finishing fifth overall and taking the category win. António Castro Ortega and Jesus Escribano, in a Porsche 911 2.5 ST, claimed second in class ahead of veteran Manuel de la Torre, who took the Porsche 914/6 to third in this highly competitive category, reflecting the quality of German automotive engineering.

The H-1976 category was dominated by Porsche, with Robin Ellis winning in his 911 2.8 RSR, finishing just outside the overall podium. Carlos Brizido and Miguel Lobo were second in class with the 911 3.0 RS, ahead of Spaniards Rafael Sanchez Alcala and Eduardo Sanchez Muñoz, who completed the Top 3.

In the GDS category, Nuno Nunes triumphed in his Porsche 911 SWB, followed by Alberto and Tomaz Velez-Grilo in their inseparable BMW 1800 TiSA, and Guillermo Velasco and Francisco Freitas, who impressed with the always reliable and robust Datsun 1200.

On Sunday, Historic Endurance once again challenged drivers and machines in a second fifty-minute race, where Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau this time imposed the Belgian team’s Ford GT40 as overall winner. Carlos Brizido and Miguel Lobo elevated their Porsche 911 3.0 RS to second overall, while Jeremy Clark, in his Lotus Elan S4 entered as a guest, managed to be third to see the chequered flag, despite his guest status due to a minor technical non-compliance.

The French-speaking duo Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau confirmed the full potential of the Ford GT40, taking the top spot in the GT & Sportscar category. In a weekend where everything went smoothly, Xavier Rascagneres, Jérôme Peyrat, and Didier Mantz delivered a consistent performance in the Lotus 23B, continuing the tradition of British prototypes among the classic elite.

The H-1965 class saw victory this time for Richard Bateman and Roger Barton, two experienced international classic racing drivers, who were the fastest in the category with their Lotus Elan. Paul O'Reilly, in the Elan S1, took second in class, while Timothy Mahapatra completed the podium in his Jaguar E-Type Lightweight.

In the ever-exciting H-1971 category, multiple battles for the lead took place. In the end, Manuel Domingues, competing in his second Historic Endurance race after debuting at the Jarama Classic, showed his pace in the Ford Escort RS 1600, finishing just three places shy of the overall podium. Rui Maia and Pedro Maia repeated their strong performance, taking second in the category with the BMW 2800 CS, followed by brothers José and Pablo Rueda Ortiz in the Ford Capri 2600 RS.

The H-1976 class remained a Porsche stronghold, with Carlos Brizido and Miguel Lobo leading in the 911 3.0 RS, finishing second overall, and at times even pressuring the winning GT40. Robin Ellis, in the efficient 911 2.8 RSR, took second in the category, while Rafael Sanchez Alcala and Eduardo Sanchez Muñoz repeated third place in front of their home crowd, who made their presence felt throughout the weekend.

Finally, in the competitive GDS category, the Datsun 1200 of Davide Marques and Rui Castro left the competition behind to claim their first Historic Endurance victory. Everything was decided in a dramatic finale, with the positions set on the last lap, when Nuno Nunes secured second place in his usual Porsche 911 SWB. António Escalante completed the podium in third, driving his Mini Cooper, in an exciting duel that highlighted the potential of touring classics closest to road-going models.

In the magic of the Valencia event, Paul O’Reilly, with his Lotus Elan S1, took home a Cuervo y Sobrinos watch after winning the always-coveted Index of Performance. The father-and-son duo Alberto and Tomaz Velez-Grilo, in their BMW, finished second, with the podium completed by the Datsun 1200 of Davide Marques and Rui Castro.

The next challenge for Historic Endurance is already scheduled for the Estoril Classics, on the first weekend of October. This round, one of the highlights of the season, promises to once again bring together a top-tier field, with iconic cars and passionate teams, in a perfect setting for endurance racing that combines history, technical skill, and excitement both on and off the track.