W2 Pro GP’s Alceu Feldmann won the opening TCR South America race in Goiânia in Brazil, with early leader Juan Ángel Rosso being handed a drive-through penalty for a false start.
Feldmann had put his CUPRA on pole position earlier in the day with a strong qualifying effort in only his second race in the championship, the Brazilian edging out Argentine Rosso by a mere 0.053 seconds.
At the start of the race, it appeared to be Squadra Martino’s Rosso who made the better getaway, leaping into the lead as the lights went out.
However, the 28-year-old was later given a drive-through penalty for jumping the start, dropping him down the order when he served it at the end of the fifth lap.
Feldmann had also had to see off an attack from PMO Motorsport’s Fabricio Pezzini on the opening lap, as the Lynk & Co driver tried to go around the outside through the first sequence of turns.
But thereafter, Feldmann had the pace to break free and was keeping with early leader Rosso when he had to serve his penalty.
A mid-race safety car intervention failed to curtail Feldmann’s pace, and when racing resumed on lap nine he broke free of Pezzini for a second time, eventually winning by over two and a half seconds.
Championship leader Pezzini maintained his points advantage by finishing in second, whilst his closest rival in the standings, Feldmann’s team-mate Raphael Reis, completed the podium in third.
PMO Motorsport’s José Manuel Sapag was fourth, the Argentine having effectively settled into that position on the opening lap, ahead of PMO Racing’s Juan Manuel Casella in fifth in the leading Peugeot 308.
Scuderia Chirarelli’s Pedro Aizza had run in sixth for much of the race, but his pace faded late on and the Hyundai Elantra driver became embroiled in some late-race scraps that cost him places.
Aizza went into the penultimate lap trying to get past Casella for fifth at the first turn, but his wide line in then allowed Federick Balbi through instead and rather than gain a place, he lost one.
Then, going onto the final lap, he dropped behind Bia Figueiredo’s Audi and the recovering Rosso’s Honda.
Thus, Balbi claimed sixth behind team-mate Casella, with Rosso in seventh after also passing Figueiredo on the last lap.
Marcio Basso also gained past Aizza to bring his Lynk & Co home in ninth, with Aizza completing the top ten.
Guilherme Reischl retired on the opening lap, whilst Edson Reis was the only other driver not to make it to the finish – the Scuderia Chiarelli driver had nonetheless already been penalised for driving into Franco Farina on lap ten and knocking the Peugeot driver into a spin.
Race two is scheduled to get underway at 08:45 local time on Sunday (12:45 BST, 13:45 CEST).
Race results
| POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 17 |  |
Alceu FELDMANN | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 15 | 23:53.880 | 1:29.576 | 1 | |
| 2 | 7 |  |
Fabricio PEZZINI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 15 | 2.678 | 1:30.193 | 4 | |
| 3 | 77 | |
Raphael REIS | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 15 | 3.630 | 1:30.481 | 3 | |
| 4 | 33 | |
José Manuel SAPAG | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 15 | 9.664 | 1:30.750 | 5 | |
| 5 | 60 |  |
Juan Manuel CASELLA | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 15 | 11.607 | 1:30.774 | 6 | |
| 6 | 24 | |
Federick BALBI | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 15 | 14.286 | 1:30.737 | 14 | |
| 7 | 26 | |
Juan Ángel ROSSO | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 15 | 14.290 | 1:29.982 | 2 | |
| 8 | 3 | |
Bia FIGUEIREDO | Cobra Racing Team | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 15 | 14.867 | 1:30.838 | 8 | |
| 9 | 5 | T | |
Marcio BASSO | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 15 | 15.621 | 1:30.669 | 18 |
| 10 | 35 | |
Pedro AIZZA | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 15 | 16.839 | 1:30.695 | 7 | |
| 11 | 34 | T | |
Fabio CASAGRANDE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 15 | 21.209 | 1:31.325 | 11 |
| 12 | 55 | T | |
Renato BRAGA | Crown Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 15 | 21.680 | 1:31.225 | 10 |
| 13 | 87 | |
Franco FARINA | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 15 | 24.828 | 1:31.306 | 12 | |
| 14 | 10 | T | |
Adalberto BAPTISTA | Cobra Racing Team | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 15 | 31.176 | 1:32.600 | 16 |
| 15 | 22 | |
Gabriel LUSQUIÑOS | Crown Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 15 | 42.314 | 1:30.638 | 17 | |
| 16 | 31 | T | |
Roberto POSSAS | PropCar Racing Team | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 15 | 48.131 | 1:33.212 | 19 |
| 17 | 15 | T | |
Enrique MAGLIONE | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 12 | + 3 LAPS | 1:31.064 | 15 |
| R | 12 | T | |
Edson REIS | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 9 | DNF | 1:31.268 | 9 |
| R | 37 | T | |
Guilherme REISCHL | Cobra Racing Team | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 13 |