Chloe Grant claims overall podium and class win, Flame Airikkala enjoys productive weekend with Ladies Cup victories in Jerez
Chloe Grant and Flame Airikkala both enjoyed strong performances at Jerez during the fourth round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Ibérica, as Grant bounced back from a technical issue to secure an overall podium and a class win, while Airikkala producing a convincing weekend in her first solo entry.
Chloe Grant and Flame Airikkala both enjoyed strong performances at Jerez during the fourth round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Ibérica, as Grant bounced back from a technical issue to secure an overall podium and a class win, while Airikkala producing a convincing weekend in her first solo entry.
The Finnish driver took victories in the Ladies Cup in the first two races, adding a fourth-place overall finish and a Silver Class podium in Race 1 before following it with seventh overall in Race 2, while Grant recovered from an opening-lap retirement caused by a clutch issue to claim third overall and victory in the Ladies Cup in Race 3. Francisca “Kika” Queiroz also scored points throughout the weekend and ended the final race with fifth overall and her first Ladies Cup victory of the weekend.
The fourth round brought a change to AF Motorsport’s line-up, with Scottish driver Grant welcoming Dutchman Tomas Slootweg as her new teammate in the Portuguese team's Porsche 992 GT3 Cup. Grant joined the Porsche Sprint Challenge Ibérica in 2025 after progressing through karting and single-seaters. She contested two seasons of GB4 and took part in the inaugural F1 Academy season in 2023, switching to GT racing in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Ibérica in 2025 before moving to AF Motorsport for the 2026 campaign.
That move has allowed Grant to continue developing her experience in GT machinery. The first half of the season had also demonstrated a clear progression, with Grant increasingly moving beyond simply fighting for the leading positions in the Ladies Cup and regularly challenging for strong results in the overall classification. That progress was particularly evident at Valencia, where she finished second and third overall during a weekend made especially demanding by high temperatures.
Jerez also marked an important change for Airikkala, who had shared the AF Motorsport Porsche during the opening half of the season but was now entered as the sole driver of the #67 car. Francisca Queiroz also entered solo in LOB Motorsport's #95 Porsche as she continued to defend her Ladies Cup title.
Grant made a strong start to the weekend in Qualifying 1, setting a 1:47.244 to take fourth overall and the fastest time among the female drivers. Airikkala was only a few positions behind, qualifying fifth overall with a 1:48.408, while Queiroz placed seventh overall with a 1:49.582.
Airikkala also took part in the second qualifying session in the #67 Porsche; the Finn improved to a 1:49.210, good enough for fourth overall and the leading female driver. Grant's new teammate Slootweg qualified fifth with a 1:49.535, while Queiroz was seventh with a 1:51.056 before a red flag with six minutes remaining brought the session to an early conclusion.
Grant's promising weekend took an immediate turn for the worse in Race 1 when a clutch problem struck at the start, forcing the Scottish driver to retire on the opening lap. Having entered the race from fourth overall and as the fastest female qualifier, the retirement was particularly frustrating after her strong pace throughout practice and qualifying had placed her among the leading overall contenders.
Airikkala, however, produced a strong performance, as the Finnish driver controlled the Ladies Cup throughout the race and took an excellent fourth place overall. She also secured third place in the Silver Class, finishing behind only Manuel Alves and Borja García.
Queiroz also enjoyed a productive opening race, finishing second in the Ladies Cup and collecting important points for her championship campaign.
Airikkala started Race 2 from ninth overall, with Queiroz lining up seventh. Slootweg took over the #22 Porsche for the second race, giving Grant's new teammate his first opportunity to compete during the weekend.
Airikkala immediately moved forward, gaining one position to seventh, while Queiroz dropped to tenth during the opening phase. The Finnish driver then began applying sustained pressure to Van Zoest for sixth, remaining extremely close to the #3 Porsche and setting a 1:50.499 lap as she looked for an opportunity to move ahead.
When Carrascal came to a stop, Airikkala was promoted to seventh overall and Queiroz moved back up to ninth. Airikkala continued to remain within half a second of the car ahead for much of the race, maintaining the pressure without giving up her position.
She ultimately crossed the finish line seventh overall, with Queiroz ninth, and once again claimed the Ladies Cup victory.
Grant returned to the front of the field for Race 3, starting third overall, while Queiroz lined up fifth and Airikkala sixth. Airikkala made an excellent start and immediately moved into fourth, overtaking Queiroz in the process, while Grant retained third place.
Grant showed strong pace throughout the opening stages, circulating in the 1:50s and gaining more than a second per lap on Airikkala. The Scottish driver was initially able to maintain contact with the leaders and even briefly moved ahead of Manuel Alves in the opening battle before the Portuguese driver regained the position.
Behind the leading pair, Grant continued to extend her advantage over Airikkala, eventually building an eight-second margin, although she was unable to maintain the pace of the two cars fighting at the front. Airikkala, meanwhile, held fourth place and maintained a gap of around three seconds to Macedo, who was gradually closing.
Queiroz was passed by Macedo for fifth, while Grant continued to run third until the finish. She secured her first overall podium of the weekend and bounced back immediately from her Race 1 retirement with victory in the Ladies Cup. Airikkala followed closely in fourth overall, while Queiroz completed the race in sixth.
Slootweg started the final race from fifth overall, with Queiroz sixth and Airikkala ninth. Airikkala remained in ninth during the early stages as she attempted to fight her way further forward, while Queiroz moved into fifth after Slootweg made a small mistake and ended up in the gravel, triggering the Safety Car.
Airikkala also capitalised on the incident, moving up to eighth under the neutralisation. Another incident involving Bajo further affected the order, leaving Queiroz fifth and Airikkala seventh as the race progressed.
Queiroz maintained her position to the finish and secured an excellent fifth-place overall result, finally taking the Ladies Cup victory that had eluded her earlier in the weekend. Airikkala completed another strong race in seventh overall, bringing an end to a particularly successful weekend in which she had demonstrated her competitiveness across all four races.
With the fourth round complete, the Porsche Sprint Challenge Ibérica now heads to Circuito de Navarra for the fifth and penultimate round of the season.
