Jemma Moore takes Iberian Supercars GTX podium in Jerez
Jemma Moore secured another podium finish in the Iberian Supercars Championship at Jerez, finishing second in the GTX class with the #125 Tockwith Racing Ginetta G55 alongside Antonio Almeida in Race 1.
Jemma Moore secured another podium finish in the Iberian Supercars Championship at Jerez, finishing second in the GTX class with the #125 Tockwith Racing Ginetta G55 alongside Antonio Almeida in Race 1. The British driver continued to demonstrate her front-running pace after making history at Valencia as the first woman to win an Iberian Supercars race outright, although a technical problem brought her second race of the weekend to an unfortunate early end.
Moore arrived at Jerez following a remarkable performance at Valencia's Circuit Ricardo Tormo, where she made history during the fourth round of the championship. Returning to the series after the season opener at Portimão, where she had already secured a GTX class podium, she converted limited preparation into a dominant outright victory in Race 1 with the #127 Tockwith Racing Ginetta G55. She then produced another impressive performance in Sunday's second contest, recovering from a pit-lane start to finish fourth overall and further establishing herself among the leading contenders in the category.
At Jerez, Moore shared the #125 Tockwith Ginetta with Antonio Almeida, with the pair showing strong qualifying pace across the two sessions. Almeida took the wheel for Q1 and delivered an impressive lap of 1:54.875 to secure fourth overall and second in the GTX class. Moore then took over for the second segment, improving to 1:54.554 to qualify fifth overall and third in class, putting the team in a strong position for the races.
Almeida started Race 1 on Saturday and initially lost one position in the overall classification, while maintaining second place in the GTX category. He soon found himself in a close battle with Vazquez, who was also chasing the Porsche Cup car of Lanchares. Santos was running third in GTX just ahead of the pair, with all three competitors fighting closely for position. Almeida moved up to third in class on lap nine, while Vazquez attempted to follow him through.
As the pit-stop phase approached, Sebastian Villadary's Porsche came to a halt, prompting several competitors to make early stops in anticipation of a possible Safety Car. Almeida eventually brought the Ginetta into the pits, handing over to Moore, who rejoined the battle in third place in the GTX class.
The British driver quickly settled into the race and began closing the gap to Cacoilo, who was leading the category and running second overall. Moore had more than 10 seconds to recover, but continued to push as the race entered its closing stages. Cacoilo, Moore and Acosta ultimately occupied the top three positions both overall and in the GTX class, with Moore crossing the finish line to secure another podium for the Tockwith Racing pairing in second.
Moore returned to the wheel for Sunday's second and final race, starting sixth overall and third in the GTX class. A chaotic opening phase provided an immediate opportunity, with the British driver moving into the GTX lead and third place overall. She then found herself under pressure from Acosta, who was also looking to close on Alvaro Vela, running second overall and leading the Cup class.
Moore defended her position successfully and gradually began to pull away from Acosta, gaining around half a second as she established a more comfortable margin. With the two drivers behind her, Iribas and Acosta, dropping further back, she found herself in a strong position to consolidate the GTX lead while also closing in on Vela for second overall.
However, just as the pit window opened with 30 minutes remaining, Moore's race came to an abrupt end. The #125 Tockwith Ginetta began slowing on track before coming to a halt, prompting the Safety Car to be deployed. The technical problem forced Moore into retirement and denied her the opportunity to fight for another strong result in the closing stages.
Despite the disappointment of Sunday's retirement, Moore leaves Jerez with a second-place finish in the GTX class, adding another podium to an increasingly impressive Iberian Supercars campaign.
