Jourdain Takes the Lead in GTM with Two Wins in León

A weekend with two victories put Paul Jourdain back at the top of the GTM overall standings in the Súper Copa Roshfrans, after both races of the seventh round, held at the Autódromo de León, went his way against Emiliano Richards, who had arrived as the leader. The round was held on September 19 and 20 at that track, which replaced the Autódromo de Querétaro just nine days before the event, when the championship confirmed that the facility was not available to host it.

Richards had arrived at León with 530 points to Jourdain's 525.5, a minimal gap that remained intact until the action began on track. Jourdain qualified first for both races and controlled Saturday's race from start to finish, without Richards finding a way to get close enough to attempt an attack. José Arellano finished third that day, extending the form he had shown the previous round at Chihuahua, where he had won his first race in the category.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

Sunday's race had a different outcome. Jourdain again controlled the lead for most of the race, but Salvador de Alba Jr. managed to pass him with only a few laps remaining. His advantage depended on maintaining the pace to the flag, and two laps from the finish he lost a gear, a mistake that gave the lead back to Jourdain and proved decisive for the result. De Alba finished second, and Arellano finished third again, giving him back-to-back top results in the category.

The outcome of both races changed the position from which Jourdain had arrived at Guanajuato. Richards ended the weekend without scoring any of the top three places in either race, an outcome he himself acknowledged as unfavorable for his team, although two rounds remain to close the season. Jourdain, meanwhile, said that the two results at León left him at the top of the overall standings with a gap he described as comfortable, without that meaning the fight is over before Monterrey.

In Tractocamiones, Santiago Tovar won again for the second consecutive round, although the road to the checkered flag was not easy. He qualified first, but during the race his truck did not respond with the same pace shown a day earlier, and late in the race overheating problems appeared, forcing him to defend the lead in a tight finish against Salvador de Alba Jr. and Héctor Aguirre. Tovar crossed the line first, with De Alba second and Aguirre third.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

The León track is again demanding for the trucks due to its size, something that had been anticipated before the round, when Eduardo Alquicira warned that overtaking would be difficult and that the starting position would weigh more than usual. The race confirmed that forecast: Tovar started from the top spot and still had to hold it with a truck that lost pace compared to qualifying. One of the most talked-about moments of the race was Harry Dueñas's off-track excursion, whose truck crossed a wide section of the track on the inside without the incident having consequences for the rest of the competitors. Before León, Alquicira led the championship with 466 points to Tovar's 460, a gap that the latter's new victory could change before the season closes out the tally.

GTM Light had its own program, with one race on Saturday and another on Sunday, separate from that of the higher-category cars. On Saturday, Fernando Urquiza won after passing Rafael Villazón and taking the lead, a result that gave him his second win of the season and brought him closer to the top of the standings that Villazón had held before the round. José Stege finished second, Joshua Aguilar third, and Villazón closed in fourth.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

On Sunday, Joaquín Forcelledo won for the first time in the category. He arrived with good pace from practice, stayed in the lead group during the race, and took the lead in a stint he held to the finish despite pressure from several drivers trying to take it from him. He said he was happy with the result, his first visit to that position in the category, and acknowledged that the car responded well from the start of the weekend. Víctor Barrales finished second and José Stege third.

The Súper Copa Roshfrans will continue on October 10 and 11 at the Autódromo de Monterrey, with the eighth round of the 2026 season. In GTM, Jourdain will arrive at the front for the first time in several rounds and with little margin for error for Richards, who needs to reverse the result from León before the margin for fighting for the championship runs out. In Tractocamiones, the gap between Alquicira and Tovar narrowed at León, and Monterrey could change the order between them before the final rounds of the calendar. In GTM Light, the battle between Villazón and the drivers who won at León remains open, with several names still in the title conversation.