The Algarve International Racetrack (AIA) is preparing to host the second round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) between April 14 and 16.
The 6 Hours of Portimão race is the follow-up to the championship’s season opening round 1000 Miles in Sebring in the USA and will be followed by the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, the last round before the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Among the confirmed racers for the Algarve event is Portugal’s own António Félix da Costa, the WEC LMP2 champion who was not able to race in front of home fans when the previous WEC round in Portimão was held in June 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.
It will be a special event for Félix da Costa, who will race for one last time in the Hertz Team JOTA LMP2 car with Will Stevens and David Beckmann before moving over to the Porsche 963 with Yifei Ye and Stevens for the 6 Hours of Spa at the end of April.
“I have lots of mixed feelings going into Portimão because it is the end of one story with another about to begin,” da Costa told FIAWEC.com this week, stressing, however, that he will be able to race in front of his friends and family.
“The last time there were no fans allowed (…) not even my family came to that race, so now it will be full with family and loads of friends, and I think there will be loads of fans for me to meet too. It’s awesome to be able to race at home because a lot of my friends and a lot of the people that follow me don’t get to come to many races,” he said.
Tickets are still available, with a single day ticket costing €20 while weekend ticket prices range from €25 to €150. Admission is free for under 11s, with a 50% discount for children aged 11 to 14.