Tio Ellinas opened his 2026 programme with Quanloop EST1 Racing by putting Cyprus on the podium in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe at Portimão, taking third in Race 1 and backing it up with fourth in Race 2 as heavy rain and strong winds disrupted running across the weekend.
Ellinas arrived in Portugal for his first race weekend with the Barcelona-based, Estonian-licensed team and qualified fifth in the Sport Division field in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992). That starting position proved important in a weekend where track conditions swung repeatedly, with wet and low-grip surfaces on Sunday and gusting winds around the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
Race 1 developed into a fluid contest at the front, with the lead changing hands through the opening laps. Timing data shows Ellinas briefly led early before settling into the group fighting for the podium. He finished third after 17 laps.
Race 2 followed later on Sunday and again ran in difficult conditions. Ellinas finished fourth, 24.112 seconds from the winner.
Ellinas was the only Cypriot entrant in the Sport Division field at Portimão, and his Race 1 result marked an early milestone for the team’s new two-car line-up for 2026.
Alexander Reimann was unable to start after an accident in free practice in heavy rain left his car too damaged to race. He was unhurt.
“It’s a good way to start the programme,” Ellinas said. “We qualified inside the top five and we were in the fight straight away, even with the conditions moving around all weekend. The Race 1 podium matters — and putting the Cyprus flag on the podium here is something I’m proud of.”
Team Principal Raimo Kulli said the weekend had shown the underlying pace from the first session. “For Tio it was a debut weekend with the team and the baseline was strong from qualifying onwards. Portimão was messy for everyone with the weather, but we came away with a podium and another top-four. Alex’s accident in free practice was a big hit because it ended his weekend before it started, but the important part is that he’s fine.”
Reimann added: “The conditions in free practice were difficult and the accident took the car out of the weekend. I’m disappointed to miss the racing, but I’m unhurt and we’ll reset for the next event.”
Results — Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe (Sport Division), Portimão
- Qualifying: P5 — 2:02.930
- Race 1: P3 — 34:03.309
- Race 2: P4 — 33:40.562
