For the 7th and 8th rounds of the South European GT4 championship in Portimao, Team Virage aligned only Aston Martin Vantage GT4, “Vesper Lynd”.
The team presented an all British driver line-up for this event : C.O.Jones, who competed in the opening round in Jarama, was joined by 1976 Formula 1 World Champion’s son Freddie Hunt, making his debut on the car.
The free practice saw both drivers scoring the 4th fastest laptime, just a few tenth away from P1. A fight for the pole position was on from the start of the first qualifying session, including Veloso and Bullitt’s Mercedeses and Virage’s Aston Martin. A very good performance from Hunt placed him in 3rd place overall, also meaning a pole position in the AM Category. During the second qualifying, C.O.Jones scored the 5th fastest time.
The start of Race 1 was taken by Hunt, who found the right pace from the early stages of the race. Fighting for a podium spot, the Briton unfortunately was handed a drive-through penalty for track limits shortly before handing the car to C.O.Jones. With half an hour to go, Jones fought for the top 5 against Moore’s Ginetta G55, eventually crossing the finish line in 6th general position. Both drivers were handed the win in the AM Category.
A penalty was handed to the team for Race 2, the #94 having to start from pitlane for completing an engine change. A good early pace from C.O.Jones saw him climbing back in the field, despite the numerous safety-cars which animated the first half hour of the race. Back in the lead from the 23rd position due to the early pitstops of the other competitors, Jones handed the car to Hunt who had to finish the job. Restarting just out of the top 10, Hunt managed to drive back to the 6th position, on which he finished the race. As in race 1, both drivers were handed the victory trophy in the AM Category.
