Pérez de Lara and Zanella take the first wins in GTM Pro 1 at the 2026 Roshfrans Super Cup

The Súper Copa Roshfrans opened its 2026 season at the Emerson Fittipaldi Autodrome in Progreso with a Sunday of two GTM Pro 1 races that distributed victories between Pablo Pérez de Lara and Franco Zanella, and left defending champion Emiliano Richards off the podium in both events, in a first round that also started without Salvador de Alba, five-time category champion.

Race 1

Pérez de Lara started from pole with 1:35.447 and never gave up the first position, arriving with a 2.304-second advantage over Gerardo Nieto, who had started third on the grid. "Starting the year like this is very good because it encourages you to keep fighting for important points," said Pérez de Lara, who is already aiming for Chiapas with the same intentions.

In 2020 Nieto had been disqualified at that same track for supposedly running over some cones, the team appealed, the video showed that wasn't the case and they returned the first place to him, making him the first winner at Emerson Fittipaldi, the circuit where he returned to the podium this Sunday. Mario Domínguez, who had qualified second, couldn't sustain that position in the race and finished eighth. José Arellano finished third after recovering from contact that had relegated him in the early stages.

Photo By Súper Copa

Race 2

Richards had set the best qualifying time for the second heat with 1:35.014, ahead of Jourdain and Pérez de Lara, and last year he won the championship on the last lap of the last race in Monterrey with a pass on De Alba that decided the title by 8.5 points. What happened on track was something else. Richards finished 15th, behind drivers who had started up to nine positions further back on the grid.

Franco Zanella started fourth and found his moment in a braking zone where he caught up to a slower GTM Light, put his car through the space that opened between that competitor and Paul Jourdain, who had led several laps alongside Nieto, took the first position and never gave it up. "I'm happy because I took advantage of what I had to do to keep the first victory in GTM Pro 1, apart from my sponsors and family, especially my father who is back in motorsports," he said after getting out of the car.

Jourdain finished second and Arellano third, his second podium of the day after recovering from contact that had relegated him in the early stages of both races. "These are two motivating podiums, but now we have to focus on Tuxtla, we have less than a week to be back on track and the mission will be to improve on what we've already done in this start," said Arellano.

Photo By Súper Copa

De Alba's absence

The Yucatán grid did not include Salvador de Alba, who in recent years alternated his activity between Súper Copa and IndyNXT simultaneously. For 2026, De Alba will compete with HMD Motorsports, which casts doubt on his presence in the Mexican series during this season. In 2025 he won 13 races and lost the title by 8.5 points on the last lap of the year. Without him on track, Richards starts his crown defense without the rival who pushed him to the limit last season.

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GTM Light

Carlos Novelo won both GTM Light heats at his hometown track, receiving the trophy for the first race from the governor of Yucatán, Joaquín Díaz Mena, with Rafael Villazón second and Otto Stege third. By the end of the day, Novelo has accumulated four wins at Emerson Fittipaldi counting previous editions. "There's nothing like winning in my own land, I thank the governor for his words and I leave Emerson Fittipaldi happy," he said.

In Tractocamiones, Eduardo Alquicira won with Héctor Aguirre second and Paul Jourdain third. The Súper Copa Roshfrans returns on March 1 at the Súper Óvalo Chiapas in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Race 1 GTM Results — Súper Copa Roshfrans Yucatán 2026

Race 2 GTM Results — Súper Copa Roshfrans Yucatán 2026

Tractocamiones Results — Súper Copa Roshfrans Yucatán 2026