Iberian Supercars: Alba Vazquez takes back to back podiums in Jerez
Alba Vazquez secured back-to-back podium finishes in the GTX class of the Iberian Supercars Championship at Jerez, adding two more strong results to her 2026 campaign with the #22 Petrogold Ligier JS2R.
Alba Vazquez secured back-to-back podium finishes in the GTX class of the Iberian Supercars Championship at Jerez, adding two more strong results to her 2026 campaign with the #22 Petrogold Ligier JS2R. Sharing the car with Himar Acosta, the Spanish driver and her teammate finished on the podium in both 50-minute races, with Vazquez completing Sunday's second contest in third place after a late charge through the field.
Vazquez arrived at Jerez following another competitive weekend at Valencia's Circuit Ricardo Tormo, where she secured a third-place GTX finish in Sunday's second race. In her first season with the Ligier machinery, the Spanish driver had steadily improved towards the leading contenders in the category, building on a promising debut at Portimão before enjoying one of her strongest weekends at Jarama, where she scored podium finishes in both races and demonstrated race-winning pace. The Valencia result further confirmed that progress to challenge towards the front of the GTX field.
Vazquez took the wheel for the first qualifying session at Jerez and quickly moved into third place, improving to a best time of 1:55.677. A red flag interrupted the session with four minutes remaining, and she eventually finished eighth overall and sixth in the GTX class. Acosta took over for Q2, setting a 1:54.548 to secure second in class and fourth overall, putting the #22 Ligier in a strong position for the opening race.
Race 1 got underway on Saturday with Vazquez settling into fifth place in the GTX class. She soon began closing the gap to Almeida, who was also chasing the Porsche Cup car of Lanchares, while maintaining a comfortable margin over the cars behind. As the battle intensified, Vazquez continued to put pressure on Almeida, with Santos also joining the fight for the leading positions in GTX.
Almeida moved into third place on lap nine, with Vazquez looking to follow him through. She then began closing in on Santos, who was running just ahead, as the three drivers remained closely matched. The race entered its pit-stop phase with Sebastian Villadary's Porsche stranded on track, prompting several competitors to make early stops in anticipation of a possible Safety Car.
Vazquez came into the pits from fifth in class, handing over to Acosta, who rejoined in fourth. Her teammate soon moved up to third, continuing the #22 Ligier's progress through the field during the second half of the race. Acosta maintained his position to the finish, crossing the line third overall and completing a GTX podium alongside Cacoilo and Moore. The result gave Vazquez and Acosta their first podium of the Jerez weekend.
Acosta took the start of Sunday's second race, with the opening exchanges proving chaotic. He emerged in second place in the GTX class and immediately set about chasing Moore for the lead, while both drivers also looked to close on Alvaro Vela, who was running second overall and leading the Cup class. Acosta initially maintained his position but was eventually passed by Alejandro Iribas in the #133 Petrogold Ligier, dropping to third in class as Moore remained around two seconds further up the road.
The pit window opened with 30 minutes remaining, but the strategy phase was interrupted when the #125 Tockwith Ginetta of Jemma Moore slowed and came to a halt on track. Iribas was leading Acosta in GTX when the Safety Car was deployed, prompting race control to temporarily close the pit window and extend it following the neutralisation.
Racing resumed on lap 16, with Vazquez taking over the #22 Ligier from Acosta in fourth overall and second in the GTX class. She immediately came under pressure from Cacoilo and Marreiros, who were close behind. Cacoilo managed to pass the Spanish driver on lap 18, dropping her to third in class, before Marreiros also moved ahead to leave Vazquez fourth with 10 minutes remaining.
Vazquez nevertheless continued to push, keeping herself within reach of the podium positions. With three minutes to go, Marreiros was forced to pull off the track with a technical problem, promoting the #22 Ligier back into third place. Vazquez then turned her attention to Santos ahead, closing the gap by around two seconds on lap 23 and reducing the margin to three seconds.
The Spanish driver completed the charge to secure third place in the GTX class, giving her and Acosta a second consecutive podium finish and completing another successful weekend for the Petrogold pairing.
The double podium at Jerez adds to Vazquez's growing collection of strong results in her first season with the Ligier JS2R.
