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Rising American star maintains 100% rostrum record in endurance contests
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Iron Lynx crew conquer capricious conditions in Portugal’s Algarve region
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‘Awesome weekend’ buoys Atlantan ace ahead of Le Mans Cup campaign
Shawn Rashid showcased his skills in the 6 Hours of Portimão in southern Portugal last weekend (7-8 February), kick-starting his 2026 season by overcoming the elements to reach the rostrum on his GT3 racing bow.
The rising American star was an 11th-hour addition to the Iron Lynx roster for the event, which largely took place under stormy, sullen skies around the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. Sharing the successful Italian outfit’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Sérgio Sette Câmara and Ameerh Naran, despite the late nature of the deal, the trio were immediately on the money.
After topping the timesheets in two of Friday’s three practice sessions, the #108 entry proceeded to line up third on the grid in the headlining GT3 division for the long-distance contest, with a tricky damp track surface awaiting competitors for lights-out.
Given his comparative lack of experience, Zimbabwean entrepreneur Naran – one of the few ‘Bronze’ graded drivers in the class – struggled to take the fight to the more seasoned ‘Silver’ competitors in rival teams early on.
Making light of the constantly changing conditions and multiple safety car interruptions, however, stellar stints by both Rashid and three-time FIA Formula 2 Championship race-winner Sette Câmara subsequently hauled the crew back into contention, coming out on top of a number of close battles as Iron Lynx deployed a smart strategy to take the chequered flag second.
As a ‘winter warm-up’ ahead of his principal 2026 campaign with Inter Europol Competition in the Michelin Le Mans Cup’s LMP3 Pro/Am category – due to get underway at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on 9-11 April – Atlanta, GA-born Rashid admitted the event had exceeded his expectations.
“What an awesome weekend!” enthused the Purdue University Industrial Engineering graduate, who similarly starred on his LMP3 debut at the Algarve-based circuit towards the end of last year. “It was extremely enjoyable to work with Iron Lynx; everybody was ultra-professional, super-welcoming and very generous with their time and advice, so I owe a huge ‘thank you’ to them all.
“It was really good to collaborate with Sérgio, too; he’s a great guy – just a very normal, down-to-earth dude – who brought a lot of knowledge from other series and cars. He also had some prior experience of the Mercedes, and he was really helpful in giving me tips on how to get the best out of it.
“That’s something that I’ve actually found very refreshing in endurance racing so far – the lack of egos. In open-wheel racing, you don’t always work that closely with your team-mate because they’re the first person you want to beat, whereas in endurance racing, you all try to bring each other on – it feels like much more of a team effort.
“With that support, I got up-to-speed in the Mercedes pretty quickly – quicker than I had been anticipating, if I’m honest – and the fact that I had already done quite a lot of laps around Portimão definitely helped the acclimatisation process. I’d never driven a race car with ABS or traction control before, so they were the biggest aspects to get used to and I found that a bit tricky at first, but once I fully figured it out, we were off and away.
“The forecast on Saturday suggested the race would begin dry and end wet, so Ameerh was assigned to the first stint and by the time we realised it was going to be damp, it was too late to change our strategy. He was up against higher-ranked drivers which meant it wasn’t really a fair fight, and his lack of experience made it difficult for him in those conditions but he did the best job he could.
“When I got in the car and subsequently Sérgio, we both had really strong pace and were able to make up significant ground – I genuinely don’t believe we could have done any more. Going into the race, we weren’t expecting to finish on the podium so to come home second was the best result achievable, I think. It was a fantastic way to start the year!”
Indeed, Rashid’s switch from single-seaters to sportscars in recent months is already reaping rewards. The Oxford-based racer’s manager – former British Touring Car Championship Independents’ title-winner, Rory Butcher – is confident it augurs well for the challenge that lies ahead.
“That’s two endurance races now under Shawn’s belt and two podium finishes!” acknowledged the Scot. “I’m immensely proud of the seamless way in which he has adapted to the discipline, where everything – from the type of cars to the style of racing – is a world away from what he has previously known in open-wheel competition.
“The weather at Portimão threw every kind of curve ball possible, yet Shawn and his team-mates rose above it all and I would like to thank Iron Lynx for giving him the opportunity – he certainly didn’t waste it! Now, he can put all of the experience he has gained to good use in preparation for his Le Mans Cup campaign with Inter Europol Competition, where the aim has to be to keep this rostrum run going!”