The Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe kicks off in Portimão with exciting races in the rain

• Wouter Boerekamps wins the first race of the season

• Joel Monegro dominates the Club Division winning both races

The Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe travelled to Portimão, in Portugal’s Algarve region, for the opening rounds of the season. Rainy conditions ensured thrilling racing across all four races, with strategic decisions playing a key role in the on-track action. The result was a highly entertaining spectacle, not only for those at the circuit, but also for fans watching live on YouTube. 

For the first round of the Sport Division, everyone started on wet tyres since the track remained damp. After the formation lap had started, Wouter Boerekamps (Team GP Elite) made the bold call to return to the pits for a change to slick tyres. After a fast pit stop, Boerekamps rejoined the race from the pit lane. It quickly became clear that the decision was the right one, as he charged through the field to take victory ahead of Marco Giltrap (Team 75 Motorsport) and Tio Ellinas (EST1 Racing), who kept fans on the edge of their seats right up to the chequered flag.  

Joep Muller (PG Motorsport) crossed the finish line in sixth place, securing victory in the Rookie class ahead of Levin Gelf (SEEBACH Motorsport), with Jesse Polderdijk (RedAnt Racing) completing the Rookie podium. 

The second round of the Sport Division proved just as thrilling as the first. Drivers headed out to the starting grid on slick tyres, but the weather quickly turned, sending raindrops across the track. Teams faced a critical choice: stick with slicks or switch to wet tyres. At the five-minute signal, the sound of wheel guns filled the starting grid as crews carried out rapid tyre changes, before taking the start and tackle the wet conditions. This time, Marco Giltrap proved fastest in the rain, finishing ahead of Wouter Boerekamps and Nick Ho (Team GP Elite). 

Not only the races in the Sport Division, but also the Club Division delivered exciting racing action. With a rolling start, the Club Division got underway. Joel Monegro (Track Experience by Manthey) dominated the race from pole position, finishing 45 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. The podium was completed by Javier Ripoll Jr (EST1 Racing) and Ihsan Levent Türkman (MDM Motorsport), who was initially only in Portimão for testing—achieving impressive results. Daniel Lewis (Race Car Consultants), the only GT4 car in the field, battled inside the top five but just missed out, finishing P6 and delivering great racing. 

Due to the heavy rain, the second race started behind the safety car for extra safety. Once the safety car came in, the racing began. Once again, Joel Monegro proved to be the fastest in the Michelin Cup class, this time with his teammate Eric Santos joining him on the second step of the podium. Türkman ended up on the podium in both races, finishing third. Daniel Lewis once again battled inside the top five, this time securing the position. 

The championship now travels to Estoril, where the third and fourth rounds will take place on January 31st. All qualifying sessions and races will be streamed live on YouTube.