Argentine racer Esteban Guerrieri will make his début in his home round of the World Touring Car Championship in Argentina next month, driving a Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1.
Guerrieri follows in the footsteps of double champion José María López, who also made his début at home in 2013 thanks to the assistance of championship promoter Eurosport Events.
López, who took victory on his début with Wiechers-Sport, then went on to race for Citroën for three years. Now the 31-year-old Guerrieri hopes to be able to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot.
Guerrieri has extensive experience in single-seater racing, having competed in Formula Renault, Formula 3, Formula 3000 and Indy Lights over his racing career to-date. Now the Argentine is hoping to secure a full-time drive for 2017.
“It’s a great opportunity and to be part of an FIA world championship is not something that happens every day,” said Guerrieri. “I am very enthusiastic to have the chance to compete against the best.
“Many times in my career in Europe I had to jump into cars I never tested before and went straight to race weekends, and performed very well. These situations empower me even more.
“Pechito [López] has done an incredible job since he landed in the WTCC. He showed his great talent and set the benchmark for everybody else. It is a positive to have a countryman performing like this, it can open doors for more Latin American drivers to come to the WTCC.”
Head of Eurosport Events, François Ribeiro, believes that the single-seater background of Guerrieri makes him the right fit for the TC1 cars of the WTCC.
“Welcome to Esteban in the WTCC,” said Ribeiro. “Argentina is home to one of the most competitive national touring car championships and has plenty of talents to offer, so it’s no surprise there is interest from Argentinean drivers in the WTCC.
“Esteban’s background is in single-seaters and front-wheel-drive touring cars, so he has the right background to handle a TC1 racer.
“The level of the WTCC has been raised significantly since Pechito’s début in 2013 and it will be interesting to watch Esteban’s progress over the race weekend.”