Autódromo Internacional do Algarve

The 10th anniversary of the Algarve Classic Festival, held at the Portimao race circuit, was the perfect excuse for some of our pals to join us for the weekend.

Based at Turiscampo Campsite near Lagos, we were joined by Chris, Mike, Ronnie and Vince who flew over from the UK, and Nigel who drove across the border from Spain laden with bottles of Spanish wine!

We had 3 days of qualifying and racing to enjoy with over 300 hundred teams and 12 championship classic competitions to watch. The paddock was lined with specialised articulated car transporters cum garages that delivered some unique vehicles to participate including a £40 million Ferrari, historic Jaguars, Lotus' and AC Cobra's to name but a few. The variable weather conditions made for some challenging racing and dramatic moments such as a Lotus flipping over during the Iberian Historic Endurance race on the Saturday. Thankfully, the driver was fine.

As well as fun at the racetrack, we enjoyed evenings together at local restaurants and at the campsite where the guys were staying in one of the bungalows. It had been a while since we had last been together so we had lots of catching up to do over beers, wine and gin & tonics.

Thanks for a great weekend everyone. We were sad to say goodbye but grateful to catch up on sleep afterwards!Read more