The engines have already roared at the Estoril Circuit, kicking off the eighth edition of the Estoril Classics, featuring a collection of cars of immense historical significance, some with more or less direct ties to Portugal.
Throughout the day, legendary machines that left an indelible mark on motorsport history over the past six decades paraded through the iconic Portuguese track.
One of the most anticipated cars was the Tyrrell P34, the only six-wheeled single-seater to officially compete in the Formula 1 World Championship, even winning a Grand Prix—Sweden—with Jody Scheckter at the wheel. This weekend, two examples of this car will hit the track at the Estoril Classics.
Other iconic vehicles also took to the track, including the Porsche 935, Ferrari 512BB LM, Ford GT40, and Bizarrini 5300 GT.
With the first races set for tomorrow, today saw some qualifying sessions, including the Classic GP.
Mark Harrison, driving a Shadow DN9B, clocked the fastest time, narrowly beating Soheil Ayari by just nine thousandths of a second, setting the stage for an exciting race tomorrow.
In the Classic Touring Challenge, John Spiers and Nigel Greensall secured the top spot with their powerful Ford Mustang 289.
Among the more modern cars, Dario Franchitti dominated the first qualifying session of the Endurance Racing Legends in his Maserati MC12 GT1. However, in the second session, it was Sebastian Glaser who took the lead in his Reynard Nasamax 2004.
In the Sixties’ Endurance, Erwin France's Cobra Daytona Coupe set the fastest time in qualifying, while Luc-Pierre Verquin took top honors in The Gentleman Challenge with his 1958 Lister Knobbly Chevrolet.
The big celebration has already begun, and tomorrow the races will commence to the delight of the large crowd. Both the three-day and Saturday tickets have sold out.
The Saleen of the Portuguese
In 2003, a group of Portuguese drivers competed in the FIA GT Championship, which at the time was the premier series dedicated to Grand Touring cars, using a Saleen S7-R from Graham Nash Motorsport.
For most of the races, former F1 driver Pedro Matos Chaves, Ni Amorim, and Miguel Ramos shared the American car, but for the Estoril race, held on the 4th, 5th, and 6th of October—almost exactly 21 years ago—António Coimbra took the place of the driver who had previously passed through Formula 1 pre-qualifications.
The trio put in a very commendable performance, finishing in an impressive eighth place.
Now, 21 years later, this Saleen returns to Estoril to compete in the Endurance Racing Legends, one of the categories featured in this year's Estoril Classics, with Steve Brooks behind the wheel.
Miguel Ramos and the Legend of the MC12
The Maserati MC12 GT1 was one of the most spectacular GT cars ever, and its results proved it was more than just a striking appearance, with numerous titles won throughout its career.
Miguel Ramos was one of the fortunate drivers to pilot this Italian machine, competing in the 2006 Italian GT Championship alongside Luca Cappelari.
The duo, representing Racing Box, secured the championship title that year. One of the Maserati MC12 GT1s present at the Estoril Classics is the very car from this successful campaign.
Debut at the Autódromo 28 Years Later
This year’s Endurance Racing Legends race features a debut: a pristine Lotus Elise GT1 from the Hezemans family, to be driven by brothers Mike and Loris.
The car is one of the former models used by the Dutch team GT1 Lotus Racing, founded by Toine Hezemans, during the 1997 FIA GT1 Championship season. This marks the first time that the car, built in England and powered by a Chevrolet V8 engine, is running at the Autódromo do Estoril—a debut that was postponed because the 1997 season was supposed to include a race in Portugal, precisely at this venue.
Thanks to the influence of Alfredo César Torres, who was then a prominent figure in Portuguese motorsport, Portugal secured a spot on the provisional calendar for 1997. However, due to the need for the Autódromo to undergo renovations to host Formula 1 again—something that ultimately did not happen—the FIA GT series went to other destinations that year.
The FIA GT did visit Portugal in 2000, but it was without this generation of spectacular GT1 cars.
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