Two new winners at Historic Endurance season opener in Portimão

The Iberian Historic Endurance pre-season race, held last weekend at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve as part of the first Algarve Iberian Racing Festival, was full of surprises, with two action-packed and unpredictable races.

Race 1: Debut win for Bruno Duarte / Filipe Jesus in their Porsche and Index of Performance victory for the Macedo e Silva family's Lotus Cortina

The 2025 Iberian Historic Endurance season officially kicked off on Saturday afternoon with a non-championship race at the Algarve International Circuit. Bruno Duarte and Filipe Jesus claimed a memorable debut victory, continuing their impressive competitive rise in recent years.

Morning qualifying set the grid, with Paulo Lima's striking Ford GT40 taking pole, joined on the front row by the surprise package — the Porsche 911 2.5 ST of Guilherme and Piero Dal Maso.

But the drama began even before lights out: the pole-sitter and two other teams were unable to leave the pits, still shaking off the pre-season rust, and had to start from the pitlane. This reshuffled the battle for the lead, now between the Dal Maso family Porsche and the Duarte/Jesus entry.

Further back, thrilling duels unfolded between the diverse and charismatic machines of the Historic Endurance grid. Notable was Carlos Brizido, partnering with Miguel Lobo, who charged up the field from last before a mechanical issue forced an extra stop on lap 7, dropping them back again.

Bruno Duarte and Filipe Jesus pushed hard and consistently to secure the overall win and top honours in the H-1976 class. Guilherme and Piero Dal Maso won the H-1971 class, finishing just two seconds adrift. Joining them on the H-1971 podium were the Alfa Romeo GTAm crews of Rafael Cerveira Pinto / Carlo Dias Pedro and Jorge Santos / Alcides Petiz.

João Mira Gomes and Nuno Afoito finished third overall and took the win in the GTP & SC class with their trusty Lotus Seven.

In the H-1965 class, Carlos Alberto Oliveira triumphed in his Lotus Elan, followed by Guillermo Velasco and Francisco Freitas in their Porsche 356.

In the Gentlemen Driver Spirit (GDS) category and the Cuervo y Sobrinos Index of Performance, victory went to João and Rui Macedo e Silva, who were awarded a watch from the official sponsor of the Iberian series. Second place went to Rui Bevilacqua and Nuno Veiga in their Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super.

Race 2: Algarve downpour shakes up the standings

After a dry race on Saturday, Sunday brought a dramatic shift in weather. Heavy rain just before the start threw strategies into disarray. Much to the delight of fans, Paulo Lima’s Ford GT40 returned to the grid after RP Motorsport resolved the previous day’s technical issue.

The race got underway without incident, but both trackside spectators and live stream viewers witnessed just how challenging the wet conditions were — and the stunning spectacle of classic cars dancing on a soaked circuit.

The Lotus Seven of Mira Gomes / Afoito got off to a strong start, quickly taking the lead and pulling away. Further back, the Macedo e Silva family’s Lotus Cortina carved through the field, catching and overtaking the Porsche 911 of Duarte / Jesus, and later taking the lead from the Lotus Seven.

Mid-pack battles remained lively, with several position changes — and the occasional spin — though all cars managed to stay on track. Pit stops brought more lead changes, with the Lotus Seven reclaiming the front spot.

As the rain intensified, Duarte and Jesus moved their Porsche 911 back into second, ahead of the Lotus Cortina. The Dal Maso family secured third with their Porsche 911. With standing water forming on the circuit, race control deployed the Safety Car, which remained on track for the final five minutes.

At the end of the Algarve downpour, victory went to João Mira Gomes and Nuno Afoito in the Lotus Seven, with Duarte / Jesus finishing second overall and taking another win in the H-1976 class. Guilherme and Piero Dal Maso crossed the line in third, securing another H-1971 class victory.

This time, the Dal Maso duo shared the H-1971 podium with Manuel de la Torre (Porsche 914/6) and Manuel Ferrão in the Porsche 911 2.3 ST, formerly driven by Américo Nunes.

Noteworthy performances included second place in H-1976 for Carlos Brízido / Miguel Lobo and another dominant H-1965 win for Guillermo Velasco and Francisco Freitas in their Porsche 356, who impressively finished eighth overall.

Diogo Ferrão, CEO of Race Ready, summed up the weekend:"This pre-season event truly reflected the spirit of camaraderie, both on and off the track. I’d like to highlight the fact that every single beautiful car that took part finished the second race, despite the tough weather conditions. Full credit to the drivers and teams, who, with limited time to get ready, still delivered a flawless performance."

Next Race: The next round of the Historic Endurance calendar takes place from 25–27 April at Spa-Francorchamps — one of the world’s most iconic circuits. The legendary 3 Hours of Spa promises another thrilling weekend in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes.