Gracie Mitchell returns to the podium on first visit to Vila Real street circuit
- RACERS
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
Gracie Mitchell impressed on her street circuit debut at Vila Real with two competitive and mature stints that earned her and teammate Luca Staccini a second and third place in the GTX class in the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade.
Gracie Mitchell, in her first full season in the Iberian Supercars Endurance Championship, stood on the podium at the historic and demanding Vila Real street circuit, climbing the GTX class podium in both races.
The Tockwith Motorsport driver, sharing the #128 Ginetta G55 with Italian teammate Luca Staccini, claimed a second and third place finish in class in two eventful races held as part of the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade, showcasing consistency and maturity throughout the weekend.
After making her debut in the series at Estoril at the end of 2024 — where she impressively won her class on debut — Mitchell returned in 2025 for a full campaign alongside Staccini. The duo started their season at Portimão with a fifth and fourth place in GTX, before impressing again in Jarama, where Mitchell secured second in class and 11th overall with a strong opening stint.
The third round brought the competitors to Northern Portugal, to the fast and unforgiving Vila Real street circuit — a unique venue that also hosted the TCR World Tour and considered one of the most iconic circuits in the country. Mitchell faced the new challenge of a street track for the first time, but adapted quickly over the practice sessions.
The Tockwith pairing posted the third-fastest times in both FP1 and FP2, ending the day with a 2:13.835 — over 1.5 seconds faster than their sister #125 Tockwith Ginetta of Simon Moore and Thomas Roche.
In qualifying, Staccini took Q1 and set a solid 2:09.270, placing the #128 second in GTX class. Mitchell improved steadily across Q2 and clocked a 2:11.926, placing fourth in class as the duo secured competitive starting positions for the two races.
Saturday’s opening race was held in treacherous conditions, with heavy rain, standing water, and even thunder and lightning causing problems for several cars even before the start. The race was declared to begin behind the safety car, with Staccini starting second in class and 12th overall.
Racing finally got underway with 38 minutes remaining, but chaos ensued almost immediately as Henrique Oliveira’s #78 Aston Martin was sent into the barriers following contact with the NM Racing Mercedes of Ricardo Costa. A safety car was deployed, followed by a red flag as barrier repairs became necessary.
Meanwhile, the track began to dry quickly under clearing skies, and the race resumed behind the safety car with 25 minutes to go. Staccini, who had survived the opening melee, restarted in second in class and climbed to eighth overall. As the pit window opened, he continued to pressure class leader Simoes in the #2 Speedy Motorsport Porsche before pitting on lap 8 to hand over to Mitchell.
The British driver rejoined third in class but moved up to second when the #47 BMW made its stop.
Mitchell pushed hard to chase down Carmelo Duarte in the Speedy Motorsport Porsche, and although she initially couldn’t match his pace, she began to chip away at the gap. She dropped her lap times progressively — clocking a 2:14.0 by lap 13 and then dipping below the 2:14 barrier as she slashed the gap to three seconds with six minutes to go.
Continuing to improve, Mitchell set her personal best under the 2:11 mark and brought the gap down to just one second with one lap remaining. Despite the valiant effort, Mitchell couldn’t quite find a way past and crossed the line in second place in GTX class and 12th overall after a storming drive in her first ever street circuit race.
“A hectic Race 1 resulted perfectly, coming away with second on my first ever street circuit experience! After an unpredictable shower of rain, thunder and lightning, Luca was set to start the race. After many laps under safety car and a red flag in between — after Luca’s awesome stint, it was my turn to hop in as the track dried out and take the Tockwith Motorsport Ginetta to the chequered flag,” Mitchell commented. “A big shoutout to the Tockwith Motorsport team for their long, hard work across the whole weekend.”
The second race on Sunday afternoon brought sunny and dry conditions. This time it was Mitchell who took the start, lining up fourth in GTX class. At lights out, she got away cleanly and slotted into P17 overall, maintaining her class position.
Gracie immediately went on the attack, chasing down Ruben Silva’s #47 BMW M4 GT4 for the final podium spot, with the Porsche of Duarte just one second further ahead. However, the presence of the #430 Protech Motorsport Porsche Cup car complicated matters, as it intermingled with the GTX battle, on the narrow street circuit where passing is notoriously difficult.
Despite the traffic, Mitchell improved her lap times and clocked a 2:13.5 by lap 5. She continued to close in on Silva and further lowered her best to a 2:13.2, but was still unable to make a move past. With 31 minutes to go, the safety car was deployed when the #707 Aston Martin hit the barriers at the second sector chicane, dislodging a concrete barrier.
The race resumed with 20 minutes left on the clock, with the pit window about to open. As the field shuffled for position, the #125 Tockwith Ginetta — which had been leading the class — was hit by the #73 Porsche Cup car, sending Thomas Roche around. He avoided the barriers but dropped down the order.
On lap 13, Mitchell pitted from fourth in class and handed over to Staccini, who rejoined in third, just ahead of the sister car now driven by Moore. Shortly after, a major incident involving Nuno Afonso’s Toyota Supra GT4 brought the race to another halt. Afonso’s car spun, hit the wall, and stopped in the middle of the track — but Staccini avoided the incident moments before the safety car was deployed.
Unfortunately, with seven minutes remaining, the #128 Ginetta also hit trouble as Staccini’s car slowed and came to a stop. With recovery underway and time running out, the red flag was shown, and the race did not resume.
Despite the setback, Mitchell and Staccini were classified third in GTX class and 15th overall, securing a second podium of the weekend.
Mitchell’s performances throughout the weekend were marked by consistency, steady improvement, and clean driving — particularly commendable given her limited experience on street circuits.
The Iberian Supercars Endurance Championship now enters a summer break before returning for the fourth round of the season at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia on 13–14 September.
