The pairing of Yuri Belevskiy and Nils Volland had been pace-setters all weekend in the EuroRX1 category, as the fire-breathing supercar class returned to the track in style for the first event of the 2025 season.

Often working in tandem throughout the qualifying heats, it looked a safe bet that the pairing would be battling it out in front of the packed-out Lousada crowds in the final, but a mistake for Nils in the fourth and final qualifying heat sent him spearing into the wall on the outside of turn six, damaging the car and forcing him to sit out on the rest of the day’s action.

With Volland out, it meant all three drivers from the first of the EuroRX1 semi-finals would qualify, but there was action aplenty in the second. A spin for Antonio Sousa on lap one took him out of contention, and Mika Liimatainen stormed ahead to take the win and secure the second slot for the final in his Hyundai i20 RX1. Automax Motorsport’s Damian Litwinowicz would finish just behind to line up third, with Martin Enlund taking fourth on the grid alongside.

A brace of Peugeot 208 WRX machines piloted by László Kiss and local driver José Oliveira rounded out the grid and set up an exciting final battle for the category in what has been a packed schedule of racing.

As the lights went out the cars ran side-by-side into turn one, with pole-man Belevskiy just managing to hold the lead as the cars swept around the right hander at turn one. Litwinowicz managed to slip up the inside of Liimatainen to grab second in the early running.

Two drivers opted for an early joker on lap one, with Oliveira and EuroRX1 debutant Enlund aiming for some free air to catch the cars ahead. Enlund made the call having been shuffled wide by Kiss – a move that likely ended up costing him a podium finish.

There was to be no catching Belevskiy, however, as the Swiss ace showed no signs of slowing down and built a steady gap to Litwinowicz behind. Liimatainen just managed to hold on to cross the line in third from a recovering Enlund, who has shown impressive speed during this challenging weekend on a new layout of the classic Lousada track.

Mika Liimatainen, said: “It feels great to finish on the podium at the opening round of the season. The track was quite tricky in parts, but we managed to make the most of it. I had a great team and an even better car this weekend, which really helped us secure the podium spot. I want to say thank you to all the fans who came out—it was definitely special to stand on the podium in front of such a crowd.”

Damian Litwinowicz, Automax Motorsport, said: “I’m very happy to finish in P2 today—this is my best result ever in Euro RX1! I got a good start in the final, which I made the most of to secure my spot on the podium. Throughout the weekend, we really struggled with starts, but at the last minute, I adjusted my boost and was quick off the line, which really helped us claim a podium finish.”

Yury Belevskiy, Volland Racing, said: “It feels great to finish in P1. We drove a very clean race, took no risks, and were rewarded for it. Our starts were strong, our pace was good, and the team’s spotters did a fantastic job. All of this came together to help us take the win. The team also did an excellent job with the car setup. Our start engineer helped us get the most out of our launches, and I did my job as a driver. Altogether, it was a real team effort to secure this victory.”