Iberian Supercars: Nerea Martí maximises potential in challenging Jerez weekend, secures top 5

With a top five in the GT4 Pro class, the BMW Spain Motorsport duo of Nerea Martí and José de los Milagros came away from Jerez with good points and another solid showing in Iberian Supercars despite a challenging weekend for the BMW package.

Photo credits: Iberian Supercars

The fifth and penultimate round of the Iberian Supercars championship took place at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, with almost 40 entries across the GT4 and GTX categories, marking one of the most competitive rounds of the season. Among the standout names on the grid was Nerea Martí, BMW Spain Motorsport’s official driver, who has transitioned successfully from single-seaters to GT competitions and has been one of the top contenders in the GT4 Pro class over the last few years.

The Valencian driver arrived at Jerez off a particularly successful last round: after taking a commanding victory at her home race in Valencia in September, where she overcame a difficult qualifying to charge through the field and win Race 2 alongside teammate José de los Milagros — Martí returned also to single-seater machinery for the second ever FIA Formula E Women’s Test at Jarama. Driving again for the Andretti Formula E Team, she was eighth fastest in the combined times and again gained valuable experience at the top level of electric motorsport before heading directly to Jerez for the penultimate round of her GT4 campaign.

The GT4 field took to the track for two 15-minute qualifying sessions under clear skies. In Q1, Nerea Martí was back behind the wheel of the #81 BMW M4 GT4, immediately finding rhythm despite the unfavorable BoP adjustments that affected BMW pace compared to Valencia. After her first representative lap of 1:52.2, she improved to a 1:51.780, placing her 15th overall and seventh among the Pro class entrants.

In Q2, José de los Milagros took over driving duties and set a strong 1:51.146, narrowly missing out on the overall top ten and ranking sixth in the Pro class.

Lining up 17th overall and seventh in GT4 Pro, Martí prepared for a demanding 50-minute opening race. At lights out, she made an excellent start and immediately began carving through the midfield. By the end of the first lap, she had gained four positions to run 13th overall, keeping close to the #79 NM Motorsport Mercedes while holding off Aso’s #36 Mercedes a second behind.

As the race settled, Martí maintained a consistent rhythm, running in the 1:52–1:53 range and consolidating her position. When the pit window approached, she extended her stint to lap 12, moving up to sixth overall and third in class before handing over to de los Milagros.

Moments after Martí’s stop, a heavy crash for the #58 Toyota Supra brought out the Safety Car, neutralising the field and limiting de los Milagros’ driving time under green flag conditions.

Racing resumed with 11 minutes remaining, and de los Milagros restarted from 18th overall, having served a pit handicap. He immediately began recovering positions, passing two cars on the opening laps of the restart. Several competitors ahead still had to complete their mandatory stops, allowing the BMW to climb back into contention. Running competitive 1:53.4 laps, de los Milagros joined a four-car battle for the overall top ten and managed a decisive overtake on Ksatelic’s Mercedes on the final lap to finish 11th overall and seventh in GT4 Pro.

Despite the heavy pit handicap alongside the BoP, it was a solid recovery drive for the BMW Spain Motorsport pairing, who looked forward to a stronger Race 2.

Photo credits: Iberian Supercars

For the second 50-minute contest, de los Milagros took the start from 15th on the grid, determined to fight back through the field. A clean launch saw him gain several places in the opening laps, climbing to 12th overall and sixth in GT4 Pro. He soon closed in on the #888 Veloso Motorsport Porsche, overtaking it for 11th while lapping consistently in the 1:52.9 range.

Settling into a rhythm, de los Milagros maintained position but was unable to close the gap to the leading group, with the #6 Speedy Motorsport Porsche ahead setting a similar pace. With around 32 minutes remaining, a crash for the #19 BMW M4 GT4 saw the race staying green. As the pit window opened, several front-runners dived into the pits, while de los Milagros extended his stint and briefly cycled up to second overall and the GT4 Pro class lead before handing over to Nerea Martí.

Martí rejoined in tenth overall and sixth in GT4 Pro, finding herself three seconds behind the #6 Porsche and with a similar gap to the #16 Toyota Supra behind. As the race entered its second half, she found herself in a close group of four cars battling for positions inside the top ten. Martí ran a string of consistent 1:54.0 laps, gradually closing the gap to the cars ahead.

With ten minutes to go, the Safety Car was deployed after the #79 Racar Aston Martin went off into the gravel, bunching up the field for a dramatic finish: at the time of the caution, Martí was putting pressure on Aso’s #36 Mercedes — and at the restart, with four minutes remaining, she immediately seized her chance.

On the first lap after the restart, Martí made a clean move past Aso for ninth overall and went on the attack for more. Ahead, Abreu made an overambitious move for the overall lead, overshooting the chicane and colliding with Pires, who dropped down the order — allowing Martí to move up to eighth overall and fifth in GT4 Pro.

In the closing laps, Martí continued her charge, catching Pires’ #119 Mercedes and finishing just one-tenth of a second behind after an intense duel to the line. It was a strong recovery and another consistent performance that maximised the car’s potential under difficult conditions.

With seventh and fifth-place finishes in GT4 Pro, the BMW Spain Motorsport duo of Nerea Martí and José de los Milagros came away from Jerez with good points and another solid showing of despite a challenging weekend for the BMW package. Martí will now turn her focus to the final round of the Iberian Supercars championship, set to take place at Estoril in Portugal on 29–30 November, where she aims to conclude her season on a high with BMW Spain Motorsport.