Stephanie Hobeika claims maiden Iberian Supercars podiums with double GTX runner-up finish at Vila Real
- RACERS
- 18 hours ago
- 5 min read
Stephanie Hobeika enjoyed her strongest Iberian Supercars weekend to date by securing back-to-back second-place finishes in the GTX class at the demanding Vila Real street circuit, earning her first two podiums of her GT racing career.
Stephanie Hobeika enjoyed her strongest GT racing weekend to date by securing back-to-back second-place finishes in the GTX class at the demanding Vila Real street circuit, earning her first two Iberian Supercars podiums.
Hobeika arrived at Vila Real encouraged by a positive performance at Jarama. Contesting her rookie Iberian Supercars campaign aboard the #47 TRS McLaren 570S GT4 in her first season of GT racing, the Lebanese driver had already shown promising pace on her debut at Portimão before making a significant step forward in Spain, where she recorded a fourth-place finish in the GTX class and spent much of the weekend battling for a podium.
The championship's third round brought competitors to one of the series' most daunting venues: the Vila Real street circuit in Portugal. Narrow, bumpy and lined by unforgiving concrete barriers, the fast street track represented another major learning experience for Hobeika, who was making not only her first appearance at the circuit but also her first-ever race weekend on a street course. Sharing the #47 TRS McLaren 570S GT4 with Will Hunt in the GTX class, Hobeika faced a tough challenge but aimed to continue the learning process.
The weekend started on an encouraging note. The TRS pairing set the second-fastest GTX time in free practice before ending the final practice session fourth in class, building confidence ahead of qualifying.
Will Hunt took driving duties for the first qualifying session and immediately placed the McLaren among the leading GTX contenders. A red flag interrupted the session with nine minutes remaining, limiting opportunities for further improvements, but Hunt secured fourth overall and second in the GTX class, putting the team in a strong position for Race 1.
Hobeika then climbed aboard for the second qualifying session, which was also disrupted by a red flag. Once the action resumed, the Lebanese driver steadily built confidence around the challenging circuit, first posting a 2:21.745 before improving significantly to a 2:20.339. The lap placed her second in the GTX class and eighth overall.
Race 1 featured a combined grid of GT4 and GTX machinery, with Hunt taking the start from 14th overall and second in the GTX category, surrounded by faster GT4 and Porsche Cup competitors.
Following a slight delay to the race procedure, Hunt made an excellent getaway once the lights went out. He immediately climbed to 11th overall while maintaining second in the GTX standings through the opening corners.
The British driver quickly settled into a strong rhythm, improving his lap times with every tour and opening a comfortable margin over the cars behind. Although three GT4 machines separated him from GTX leader Gabriel Caçoilo's #133 Ligier JS2R, Hunt consistently matched the pace of the cars around him.
As the race developed, GT4 traffic became increasingly influential. An early puncture for Carlos Vieira promoted Hunt temporarily before quicker GT4 machinery began applying pressure. Despite dropping to 12th overall while navigating traffic, Hunt responded by producing a 2:09.4 lap on lap five and continued to record consistent times in the low 2:10s.
When Vitor Costa struck the barriers in the #73 Porsche with 29 minutes remaining, many teams anticipated a caution and began planning their pit strategy. Although the race remained green, Hunt elected to pit at the end of lap nine, handing the McLaren over to Hobeika.
Rejoining in 16th overall and maintaining second in the GTX class, Hobeika quickly gained an overall position by overtaking a TC-class competitor before steadily improving her pace as her confidence around the circuit continued to grow.
With the third-placed GTX challenger over 40 seconds behind, Hobeika focused on maintaining her rhythm. After the leading #133 Ligier completed its driver change, Angel Santos took over the class-leading car.
The Lebanese driver continued to improve, producing a 2:17.2 lap that briefly proved around one second faster than the class leader's pace by lap 16. Santos eventually responded by increasing his speed again, but Hobeika remained comfortably in second position while avoiding mistakes around the unforgiving street circuit.
Driving a mature stint, she brought the McLaren home in 15th overall and second in the GTX class, securing her first-ever Iberian Supercars podium.
Sunday's second 50-minute race offered Hobeika another opportunity to build on Saturday's performance. Starting from 18th overall and once again second in the GTX category.
Hobeika made another clean start, holding both her overall and class positions while immediately settling into a consistent rhythm. As Frederigo Formiga's Seat Leon encountered issues and pitted, the Lebanese driver gained another overall position and soon began closing on Antonio Duarte's GTX-AM entry.
Lapping in the 2:21.7 range, Hobeika reduced the gap to less than half a second by the third lap before a major accident dramatically interrupted proceedings. Contact between Michel Fernandes' Peugeot and Vitor Costa's Porsche exiting the chicane resulted in a heavy crash that scattered debris across the circuit and required an extended safety car intervention for barrier repairs.
Following the efficient clean-up by marshals, racing resumed with 27 minutes remaining. Hobeika had moved into 16th overall while remaining second in GTX, now separated from class leader Angel Santos by just one car.
As the pit window opened, Hobeika stayed on track for an additional lap while Santos brought the leading Ligier into the pits. This briefly elevated the Lebanese driver into the GTX class lead.
She immediately capitalized on the opportunity by producing an 2:19.7 lap as she attempted to maximize the team's strategy before making her mandatory pit stop at the end of lap eight, handing over to Hunt.
After the pit cycle had concluded, Gabriel Caçoilo had returned to the class lead aboard the #133 Ligier, but Hunt emerged only 4.9 seconds behind in second place. The gap immediately began to shrink as Hunt produced a string of competitive laps in the 2:09s, reducing the deficit to under four seconds.
With eighteen minutes remaining, the battle for the GTX victory appeared very much alive. Hunt continued to close as Caçoilo was briefly delayed behind a Porsche Cup car, but once clear of traffic the Ligier driver responded by increasing his pace and gradually rebuilt the margin to around nine seconds.
A late accident for Vasco Oliveira's Aston Martin with 13 minutes remaining brought out another safety car, ultimately freezing the order for the remainder of the race.
The event finished under caution, with Hunt taking the chequered flag 11th overall and second in the GTX class, completing a second consecutive runner-up finish for the #47 TRS McLaren.
For Hobeika, the weekend marked another major step in her rapid development as a GT racer; on a technically demanding and unforgiving circuit, the Lebanese driver delivered two clean, mistake-free stints that laid the foundation for back-to-back podium finishes.
The Iberian Supercars Championship will now pause for the summer break before returning at Valencia on 25-27 September.
