The Iberian Historic Endurance had its second race of the season in Spain at the Circuito de Madrid Jarama - RACE. The usual Madrid event in June is a hit with the public, and this time, with sunshine all three days, 22,000 spectators gathered at the oldest permanent circuit on the Iberian Peninsula.
RACE ONE - VICTORY FOR A FORD GT40
The first day of the Jarama Classic was highlighted by the first race of the Iberian Historic Endurance. The picturesque grid of forty cars, evoking the golden age of motorsport, provided a top-tier spectacle, featuring drivers from eight different countries.
Paulo Lima had often come close to being the first to see the checkered flag, but had never quite managed to do so for various reasons. This time, he showed his strength right from the practice sessions, securing pole position in qualifying. The Portuguese driver was followed by two Porsche 911 3.0 RS, driven by Portugal's Bruno Santos and Spain's Eduardo Davila.
The start was the most anticipated moment of Saturday, where all the cars respected each other and completed the first lap without incidents. Paulo Lima immediately stood out from the numerous pack, gaining a small advantage over Bruno Santos. Behind the leading pair was a chasing pack with Eduardo D’Avila and two Shelby Cobra Daytonas, the first driven by the Belgians Olivier Muytiens / Grégoire Audi and the second by Miguel Lobo.
While the race remained stable at the front, there were many battles throughout the nearly 40-car field, with a variety of colors, sounds, ages, and classes entertaining the large crowd in the circuit's stands.
However, during the pit stops, Bruno Duarte, with a more efficient stop, overtook Paulo Lima. Nonetheless, Paulo Lima, determined to finish first, regained the lead a few laps later and held onto it until the end of the race. Bruno Duarte, meanwhile, didn't need to take any risks chasing the Ford GT40 as he had the H-1976 class victory secured.
Eduardo Davila finished third overall and second in the H-1976 category, despite losing two positions in the second half of the race, which he subsequently regained. Claudio Vieira made a significant comeback from eighth place to finish third in H-1976, just 0.7 seconds behind Eduardo Davila, who also regained his position from Miguel Lobo, the fifth fastest car on the track.
In the H-1965 category, which had 11 entrants, the victory went to Laurent Jasper in the elegant Jaguar E-Type, despite strong opposition from the Belgian Shelby Cobra Daytona (Muytiens / Audi), which finished just two seconds behind. Swedish driver Per-Ake Forsvall, driving a nimble coupé designed by Colin Chapman, completed the category's podium.
Among the H-1971 cars, Piero Dal Maso's trusty Porsche 911 S/T won the race, followed by the sleek Alfa Romeo GTAm driven by Roberto Dias Rincon, who invited his friend Jorge Santos to share the wheel after Santos's GTAm encountered problems during private practice. The podium was completed by Madrid's Manuel de la Torre, who celebrated his podium finish at his home circuit.
In the Gentlemen Driver Spirit (GDS) category, Nuno Nunes took an uncontested victory in his Porsche 911 SWB, prepared by Garagem João Gomes. Continuing his streak of good results, French driver Vincent Tourneur secured a fantastic second place, and the podium was rounded out by the BMW 1800 TISA of Alberto and Tomás Velez Grilo.
RACE TWO – PAULO LIMA DOUBLES UP
With even more spectators in the stands and paddock, the second race, held on Sunday, was once again won by Paulo Lima in the Ford GT40. The imposing car from the blue oval brand took the lead in the first few meters of the race and never relinquished it, securing a double victory in an event where everything went right for Paulo Lima.
Behind the GT40, Bruno Santos stayed close, waiting for the Detroit-made car to make a mistake, but as in the first race, the winner didn't falter and comfortably triumphed. Thus, the audience and television broadcast's interest shifted to the following battle among the Porsche cars of Eduardo D’Avila and Claudio Vieira, joined by Jasper's Jaguar E-Type and the Cobra Daytonas of Muytiens/Audi and Lobo. The Belgian drivers were increasingly comfortable with the curves of the former Spanish Grand Prix circuit.
A bit further back, Swiss driver Ralf Huber led a pack with his Bizarrini, a car with a unique history—this model was the only Bizarrini imported to Spain during its era. The impressive Italian car defended against the Elan of Sweden’s Per-Ake Forsvall, Manuel de la Torre's 914/6, and Paul Daniels's 911 2.8 RSR.
Despite many battles and excitement at the race's start, this was an endurance race, where driver swaps, error-free driving, and reliability are always crucial.
Thus, behind the wheel of a spectacular AC Cobra, Max Huber climbed from the last position to win the H-1965 category, ahead of Jasper's Jaguar, which had a great race but suffered a drive-through penalty for not complying with the pit stop handicap. Completing this podium was the Cobra Daytona of Audi/Lafont, who finished the weekend with two podium finishes.
In the H-1971 class, it was the Porsche S/T from Garagem João Gomes, driven this time by José Carvalhosa, that took the victory, followed by another Porsche 911 S/T of the Madrid-based Antonio Castro/Angel Lanchares and the Alfa Romeo GTAm of Diaz Rincon/Santos, who also secured two podium finishes in an excellent weekend for the Iberian duo.
In the GDS category, Nuno Nunes once again led the race from start to finish, followed by Vincent Tourneur, and this time with the Lotus Elite of Argentine Martin Aubert and Englishman Adam Bruzas, who had yet another reason to celebrate this weekend.
INDEX OF PERFORMANCE: VICTORY FOR AN ELITE
As part of tradition, the first race of the weekend also revealed the winner of the Index of Performance classification. By winning this classification, which typically rewards older or lower-displacement vehicles, Martin Aubert and Adam Bruzas took home an exclusive timepiece from the Swiss watch brand with a Latin soul, Cuervo y Sobrinos. The second position was secured by Brazilian driver Fabiano Vivacqua, who made his Historic Endurance debut driving a Porsche 356, followed by Per-Ake Forsvall in his Lotus Elan.
The Historic Endurance now enters a long summer break, returning only to compete in the Estoril Classics from October 4-6, one of the largest classic car events in Europe.