At the end of November, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve received an illustrious guest. After extensive tests in controlled environments, the Adamastor FURIA took to the AIA track for a demanding workday, which delivered highly encouraging results.

It was a special day for the fifteen Adamastor technicians who traveled from the company's headquarters in Perafita to the AIA. This marked the FURIA’s debut on a racetrack, an event that brought natural excitement alongside a sense of responsibility. However, the preparation paid off, as the Portuguese supercar immediately demonstrated significant capabilities, driven by young engineer and development driver Diogo Araújo Matos.

Led by Frederico Ribeiro, the engineer in charge of the FURIA project, the team executed an ambitious run plan that went beyond merely accumulating kilometers on the Portimão track. While running on the track was crucial, the aim was also to progressively increase the load and assess the car's potential performance.

In such test sessions, track time is often interrupted by long periods in the pits, analyzing telemetry data on computer monitors. Despite extensive theoretical analysis, the approximately three hours of track time put smiles on the faces of the entire team as they watched the FURIA evolve on the challenging Algarve circuit.

Diogo Matos, who contributed to both the on-track performance and the FURIA’s construction at Adamastor’s production unit, expressed his satisfaction: "It was a constant evolution. We started off more cautiously and gradually increased the pace. Initially, I focused on feeling the car's dynamics, and right away, I could grasp some of the performance it is capable of delivering. Obviously, we are still far from the car’s limits. These are early steps, but the first impressions are very positive."

"Even at a calm pace, you can sense everything: the braking, how the FURIA responds to inputs, always feeling balanced. What’s fascinating is how, from the start, the FURIA delivers a strong sense of being a race car—it’s very responsive. Just a light touch on the accelerator, and the engine revs immediately. It’s impressive! It’s an easy car to drive and very fun, but today it was a bit demanding because we intentionally kept the power steering off. Even with several limitations, it was a very positive day. I’m thrilled with what we achieved here today," he added.

Matos relayed his on-track observations live to Frederico Ribeiro, the Porto-based engineer who meticulously planned this test and felt every meter of the FURIA’s progress from the pits. Given his role in organizing the test, Ribeiro rightfully earned the accolades for its success.

Despite this responsibility, “I wasn’t too anxious! I was confident that everything was prepared, as today proved. In prior tests, we identified and fixed a few issues. That preparation allowed us to execute our run plan, which had two distinct phases: the morning focused on development and calibration, and the afternoon aimed at exploring the car’s performance and racking up some kilometers to validate components, especially reliability."

Ribeiro described the FURIA almost like his own child, highlighting its high-performance DNA: "Yes, I believe it’s a true race car, designed for high performance. Running at low speeds doesn’t seem to be its natural environment. As we increased the pace, the car’s response was immediate. Another interesting aspect is its stability from the outside—nothing unsettles it. No strange bumps or jolts, which is very reassuring. However, we still have a lot of work ahead, including component fatigue tests and exploring the limits of the engine, suspension, braking, chassis torsion, etc..."

All managed by... a computer

For those involved in the production of supercars, none of this is unfamiliar. It’s common to see technicians working on the car using laptops to control almost every aspect of its performance. In Portimão, the team was joined by one of the managers of IGV Racing, Adamastor’s partner company responsible for developing and fine-tuning all the electronic systems managed by the ECU, as well as the various FURIA control modules.

At the AIA, IGV was represented by Eliseu Ribeiro, who, among many other important jobs in the field, has worked for two years at the prestigious M-Sport, responsible, for example, for the entry of the Ford Puma Rally1 in the World Rally Championship.

Having been working on all of FURIA's electronics for a long time, Eliseu Ribeiro is also very enthusiastic about this new page in its development process: “We are now testing real-world scenarios, which is the most exciting stage because we can better understand how the car behaves and what adjustments are needed to reach a final version.”

Delving into the details of the Ford Performance engine powering the Portuguese supercar, he explains that "it's a special configuration of the V6 with direct injection and high and low pressure injectors. We have two types of injectors with four variable fields, arranged on two banks. It's actually quite a complex engine in which everything is controllable. The control unit used allows us to assess the smallest detail. From my point of view, it ends up being more interesting because of the challenge it represents. You have to bear in mind that it's not enough to add power to get the response under your right foot. You have to consider a wide range of elements to meet our goals. Our focus is on making the FURIA ready for higher performance levels and addressing all related factors."

Also present at the AIA to witness FURIA's evolution was Ricardo Quintas, CEO of Adamastor. This was, in fact, a long-awaited moment for the Portuguese manufacturer's strongman, and he made a point of following every minute of the session, enjoying it first-hand. "This is what we’ve all worked so hard for. Despite the natural challenges and many 'labor pains', we've been meeting all the targets. And this moment is also one of those milestones, the kind that's unmissable. It’s not a moment for personal pride but rather to praise the hard work of a team who, inside and outside Adamastor, in a more or less direct way, have been selflessly committed to their tasks. I'm very happy for them and it's very rewarding to appreciate the commitment of this whole team who put the FURIA on the track today, achieving such encouraging results," he said.

Following this successful dynamic test at Portimão, Ribeiro and the rest of the team will analyze the collected data and implement the necessary adjustments to prepare for the next circuit session. The entire team remains focused on the ultimate goal: making the Adamastor FURIA a unique and unparalleled Portuguese supercar.