Iberian Supercars: Stephanie Hobeika records new personal-best GTX result after podium fight
- RACERS
- Jun 9
- 2 min read
Stephanie Hobeika enjoyed her strongest Iberian Supercars weekend to date at Jarama, taking a major step forward in only her second GT race weekend and recording a career-best fourth-place in the GTX class after spending much of the event fighting for podium positions.
Stephanie Hobeika enjoyed her strongest Iberian Supercars weekend to date at Jarama, taking a major step forward in only her second GT race weekend and recording a career-best fourth-place in the GTX class after spending much of the event fighting for podium positions.
The Lebanese driver, contesting her first season in endurance GT racing aboard the #47 TRS McLaren 570S GT4, had already impressed at Portimão, showing good potential. At Jarama she immediately demonstrated another leap in competitiveness, qualifying sixth in GTX with a lap of 1:43.095, while teammate Ivo Prada secured an excellent second place in GTX in Q2 with a 1:40.802.
Starting Race 1 herself, Hobeika quickly showed good speed. Retaining sixth at the start, she recorded the fastest top speed of the GTX runners and soon focused on clearing the #73 Porsche. Running laps in the mid-1:45 range, she had better pace than several competitors ahead.
As Almeida spun, Hobeika moved into fifth in GTX and into the overall top ten. She then closed rapidly on Rodrigo Pires and executed a clean pass to climb into fourth. Her pace remained strong throughout the opening stint, allowing her to complete one of her best drives to date before handing over to Prada from fourth in class on lap 12.
Prada continued the charge in the second half of the race, posting a best lap of 1:44.8 and closing rapidly on the podium battle. Despite gaining nearly a second per lap at times on the car ahead, the duo ultimately finished fourth in GTX. Nevertheless, it marked Hobeika's first top-five finish and best result so far.
Race 2 offered an even greater opportunity: Prada made a superb start, taking the GTX lead while battling for the overall lead with Marcus Fothergill. Following an early safety car, he continued to control the GTX category, building a gap over the chasing pack before handing over to Hobeika during the pit window.
Hobeika emerged from the pit sequence with a realistic shot at victory. Running in the 1:50-1:51 range, she initially gained time over her pursuers and built a useful cushion. However, GTX rivals Alejandro Iribas and Antonio Almeida gradually reeled her in. Iribas eventually passed for the class lead on lap 14, while Almeida also found a way through several laps later, dropping Hobeika to third.
Even after losing those positions, Hobeika continued to battle hard and remained in podium contention throughout the race. Although Alba Vazquez eventually overtook her for third, Hobeika still secured another excellent fourth-place finish in GTX, showcasing the steady progress she has made in only her second GT race weekend.
The championship now heads to the Vila Real street circuit in Portugal for the next round on 10-12 July.
