The GR Cup Spain, the one-make series organized by the Motor & Sport Institute (MSi) and Toyota España, held its second round of the 2026 season this weekend at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo race weekend in Valencia, following the opening round at the Circuito de Madrid Jarama-RACE round.
The Valencian event also featured several grid changes: 14-year-old Lucas Mariconda, coming directly from karting; the return of Daniel Casas, who already competed in 2025; and the presence of Marta García, a single-seater driver and the first-ever F1 Academy champion, as a guest driver for Toyota España in the GR Cup Spain at Valencia.
Race 1 (Saturday): Marco Aguilera stages comeback win on the final lap
Marcos de Diego claimed his first pole position of the season in Saturday qualifying, ahead of Marco Aguilera and Joan Vinyes Dabad.
At the start of the race, De Diego got away well, and from the early stages there was intense action and close racing. Aguilera and Vinyes remained at the front, with Antonio Albacete also in contention, as positions changed constantly in a thrilling battle.
With just over 13 minutes remaining, De Diego and Aguilera, fighting for the lead, made contact in a corner, resulting in De Diego’s retirement. At that point, Albacete moved into the lead and controlled much of the race, with Vinyes in second and Aguilera dropping to third.
However, Aguilera recovered and, in the closing stages, moved back into first place. Vinyes overtook Albacete, and the three leaders delivered a spectacular fight to the end. Aguilera ultimately won on the final lap, with Vinyes second and Albacete third.
Luis Álvarez and Sandro Pérez initially completed the leading group in Saturday’s first race, although Álvarez dropped to seventh after a five-second track limits penalty, promoting Daniel Casas.
Race 2 (Sunday): Marcos De Diego wins a wet-weather thriller
On Sunday, in wet conditions, qualifying produced a strong pole position for Sandro Pérez in the rain.
With the race declared wet, teams faced a difficult tyre choice between wet and slick tyres due to light but persistent rain, which was not heavy enough to fully justify wet tyres.
In the final moments, Pérez opted for wet tyres, unlike most of his main rivals, a decision also taken by Santiago Castilla and Alejandro Sánchez. This became a major disadvantage, as the light rain meant wet tyres were not optimal, and Pérez gradually lost positions.
After an early battle, the lead was taken over by Albacete. Mid-race, Marcos de Diego moved into first place, with Albacete holding second.
With six minutes remaining, a safety car was deployed following an incident between Joan Vinyes Dabad and Luis Álvarez.
With just one lap left after the restart, De Diego managed to hold on to the lead and secured victory, with Albacete second. Miguel Ángel Romero completed the podium after overtaking Aguilera, who finished fourth. Álvarez ended fifth and Vinyes sixth.
GR Cup Spain: from Valencia to Aragon
The GR Cup Spain now enters a key phase of the season and heads to its next major challenge at MotorLand Aragón from 19–21 June, the third round of the year and another venue where the close competition will continue to test the title contenders.
The championship standings after Valencia are as follows: Marco Aguilera leads with 84 points, followed by Antonio Albacete just four points behind. Sandro Pérez, Marcos de Diego, and Miguel Ángel Romero remain in a tight group, setting up an open and exciting battle for the upcoming rounds.