Borja García and Álvaro Bajo secured commanding victories on a day dominated by the Spanish team.
The Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia hosted an intense and action-packed first competitive day of Round 3 of the 2026 Porsche Sprint Challenge Ibérica, a day clearly dominated by GT Corse.
Borja García and Álvaro Bajo share the pole positions The day began with the two qualifying sessions. In Qualifying 1, local hero Borja García once again demonstrated why he is one of the benchmark drivers of the season. The GT Corse driver set a lap of 1:13.989 in the #14 Porsche, comfortably securing pole position for Race 1. Portuguese driver Patrick Cunha (Veloso Motorsport) was second fastest, albeit almost one second behind the Valencian driver. Qualifying 2 saw Álvaro Bajo take centre stage. The driver of the #88 GT Corse Porsche posted the fastest lap of 1:15.021, beating teammate Alejandro Barambio Perea by just 52 thousandths of a second to secure pole position for Race 2.
Borja García controls Race 1 while Francisca Queiroz inherits a podium finish
Race 1 produced little suspense regarding the winner. Starting from pole position, Borja García immediately took the lead and steadily increased his advantage, crossing the finish line after 17 laps with more than six seconds in hand over Patrick Cunha. The GT Corse driver claimed victory in the Silver class, while Cunha secured second overall and the Bronze class win for Veloso Motorsport.
The battle for the final podium position proved far more entertaining. For much of the race, Diego Carrascal Vega (GT Corse), Miguel Lobo (RGB Racing Team) and Henrique Cruz (LOB Motorsport) were locked in an intense and relentless fight for third place. Miguel Lobo managed to gain a position under heavy braking, but a slight slide on corner exit cost him momentum and allowed Carrascal Vega to immediately reclaim the position. At that moment, Henrique Cruz launched an attack on the RGB Racing Team Porsche, making contact with the Portuguese driver under braking. The incident spun Lobo around, dropping him to ninth place and compromising his podium hopes.
Despite the setback, Lobo produced a remarkable recovery drive, climbing back through the field and crossing the finish line in an impressive fifth overall. However, he was later handed a 25-second penalty for failing to comply with a previously issued drive-through penalty, dropping two positions in the final classification. Meanwhile, Cruz launched another attack on Carrascal Vega. He briefly moved ahead but lost control of his Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, leaving the track and hitting the barriers. Despite the incident, he managed to finish eighth.
The classification changed after the chequered flag. Diego Carrascal Vega was disqualified following post-race scrutineering, promoting Francisca “Kika” Queiroz to third overall. The LOB Motorsport driver therefore secured a valuable overall podium finish, continuing her impressive season. Queiroz also claimed victory in the Ladies Cup ahead of Finland's Flame Airikkala (AF Motorsport), who finished an excellent fifth overall.
Álvaro Bajo dominates Race 2 from start to finish
If Borja García dominated Race 1, teammate Álvaro Bajo responded in almost identical fashion in Race 2. The GT Corse driver led from lights to flag, displaying a pace that no rival could match and finishing more than 15 seconds clear of the competition. In the opening stages, Alejandro Barambio Perea and Jorge Rodrigues appeared capable of challenging the leader, but both were forced to serve drive-through penalties early in the race, dropping to the back of the field. From there, both mounted impressive recoveries.
Barambio Perea fought back to finish third, while Jorge Rodrigues recovered to fourth. Chloe Grant once again impressed with a mature, consistent and highly competitive drive. The young British AF Motorsport driver delivered another mature, consistent and fast performance, securing a brilliant second overall position that sparked celebrations within the Portuguese team.
Grant also won the Ladies Cup, while Francisca Queiroz once again featured among the frontrunners by finishing fifth overall. Álvaro Bajo won the Silver class, while Alejandro Barambio Perea claimed victory in Bronze. Round 3 of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Ibérica concludes on Sunday with Races 3 and 4. Race 3 is scheduled to start at 14:15 local time, followed by Race 4 at 15:15, completing another intense programme of four Sprint Races of 20 minutes plus one lap.
Both races will be broadcast live on V+ TVI, the official Porsche Sprint Challenge Ibérica digital platforms and through the championship's international broadcasting partners: Motorvision Germany, Parc Fermé Italy and Braking Zone TV Brasil.