Young and old shared the spoils in the season opener for TCR South America in Córdoba, with Squadra Martino’s Ignacio Montenegro winning race one before PMO Motorsport’s Walter Hernández took the win in race two.
W2 Pro GP’s Raphael Reis had qualified his CUPRA on pole on Saturday, and the Brazilian initially led in the opening race from Montenegro’s Honda.
Going into the first corner, Reis held the advantage from Montenegro and W2 team-mate Galid Osman, but behind them there was contact.
Series newcomer but extremely experienced tin-top stalwart Fabián Yannantuoni tried to move ahead of the equally experienced Bernardo Llaver at the start, but the two Toyota racers made contact at the first corner.
Paladini Racing’s Yannantuoni had actually edged in front of Toyota Team Argentina’s Llaver, but as he moved over on his Argentine rival they made contact, pitching Yannantinto the barriers and out of the race with damage.
Further around the first corner Fabio Casagrande was spun onto the grass by the Toyota of Juan Ángel Rosso, and whilst Casagrande was able to continue, Rosso would retire to the pits after five laps.
Yannatuoni’s damage was such that the safety car was required to neutralise the race whilst his car was recovered, and the race resumed on lap six.
Montenegro piled the pressure on Reis and on lap 12 he passed with a late move, his Civic squirreling on the brakes as he dived for the lead.
18-year-old Montenegro would go on to win the race from Reis by just under four seconds, whilst series newcomer Osman bagged a podium on his début in third.
Llaver took the chequered flag in fourth, ahead of newcomer Rafael Suzuki in fifth as the leading PMO Lynk & Co driver.
Reigning champion Fabricio Pezzini had run in fourth for the opening six laps, but was passed by Llaver on lap seven and then dropped behind his team-mate Suzuki two laps later.
Walter Hernández followed his PMO team-mates home in seventh, ahead of the second Squadra Martino Honda of Juan Manuel Casella in eighth.
The top ten was completed by Toyota’s José Manuel Sapag and PMO’s Frederick Balbi, who ensured that all four Lynk & Cos were inside the top ten.
After the race, Pedro Cardoso, Diego Nunes, Juan Pablo Bessone and Pablo Otero were excluded for not respecting the Parc Fermé conditions, but none took the finish anyway.
Race one results
| POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP | GD |
| 1 | 23 |  |
Ignacio MONTENEGRO | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 16 | 27:46.612 | 1:34.070 | 2 | |
| 2 | 77 |  |
Raphael REIS | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 16 | 3.837 | 1:34.018 | 1 | |
| 3 | 28 | |
Galid OSMAN | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 16 | 5.023 | 1:34.462 | 3 | |
| 4 | 17 | |
Bernardo LLAVER | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 16 | 16.556 | 1:35.453 | 4 | |
| 5 | 8 | |
Rafael SUZUKI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 16 | 21.916 | 1:35.844 | 7 | |
| 6 | 1 | |
Fabricio PEZZINI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 16 | 25.761 | 1:35.938 | 6 | |
| 7 | 27 | |
Walter HERNÁNDEZ | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 16 | 27.267 | 1:35.742 | 9 | |
| 8 | 60 |  |
Juan Manuel CASELLA | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 16 | 28.372 | 1:36.065 | 12 | |
| 9 | 33 | |
José Manuel SAPAG | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 16 | 30.590 | 1:35.784 | 14 | |
| 10 | 24 | |
Frederick BALBI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 16 | 31.769 | 1:35.811 | 11 | |
| 11 | 15 | T | |
Enrique MAGLIONE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 16 | 32.446 | 1:36.197 | 16 |
| 12 | 34 | T | |
Fabio CASAGRANDE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 16 | 37.136 | 1:35.606 | 10 |
| 13 | 37 | T | |
Guilherme REISCHL | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 16 | 50.415 | 1:37.243 | 20 |
| 14 | 10 | T | |
Adalberto BAPTISTA | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 16 | 51.106 | 1:37.418 | 19 |
| 15 | 55 | T | |
Diego GUTIERREZ | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 16 | 1:22.278 | 1:39.434 | 21 |
| R | 69 | |
Gonzalo ALTERIO | Alfa Racing | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 11 | DNF | 1:36.446 | 17 | |
| R | 2 | |
Juan Ángel ROSSO | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 5 | DNF | 1:37.955 | 8 | |
| R | 5 | |
Fabián YANNANTUONI | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 5 | |
| EX | 43 | |
Pedro CARDOSO | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 14 | + 2 LAPS | 1:35.552 | 13 | |
| EX | 70 | |
Diego NUNES | Cobra Racing Team | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 5 | DNF | 1:38.208 | 15 | |
| EX | 7 | |
Juan Pablo BESSONE | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 1 | DNF | N/A | 22 | |
| EX | 20 | T | |
Pablo OTERO | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 18 |
The second race saw a partially-reverse grid, giving experienced Trophy racer Casagrande pole position after qualifying in tenth on Saturday.
At the start, Casagrande took the lead but only lasted for one corner, as at Turn 2 Hernández dived for the lead and took it with ease.
Casagrande then found himself out of position on the track at the next corner, losing a handful more places, as Pezzini found himself up into second.
Rosso pressured Pezzini into a mistake on lap two and snatched second, but for the 2022 runner-up he would not hold on to the podium.
Rosso was passed by team-mate Yannatuoni and Montenegro two laps from the finish. But even team-mate Yannantunoi would not hold the podium – the Paladini Toyota driver took the flag in second but was thrown out of the results later on due to a ride height infringement.
Hernández, meanwhile, had an untroubled run to a maiden victory. At 57, he is the oldest winner in the series’ history and the second-oldest TCR winner of all time, after Gabriele Tarquini.
Montenegro was ultimately classified in second and thus is the championship leader, whilst Suzuki completed the podium in third.
Pezzini was fourth – having acted as a bottleneck for much of the race in third, Yannantuoni and Montenegro finally found a way past on lap 14. Yannantuoni dived through at Turn 3, before Montenegro followed a couple of corners later.
Suzuki tried to follow on the same lap but the pair made contact, although he completed the move a couple of laps later to claim what would ultimately be the final podium place.
A late race two-lap safety car period was required when Enrique Maglione stopped his Honda by the track with a front-left puncture.
When racing resumed, there was only time for two more laps. In the scuffles that followed, Llaver brought his Toyota home in fifth, ahead of the best W2 CUPRA of Osman in sixth and Sapag’s Paladinig Toyota in seventh.
Having lost second to Yannantuoni and third to Montenegro in quick succession in the penultimate lap, Rosso ultimately finished down in 13th after issues late on.
Saturday poleman Reis ultimately retired from the race after three laps – the CUPRA driver had contact with Casagrande on lap two whilst fighting for seventh, with both drivers ending up in the gravel but escaping under their own power.
Casagrande finished two laps down and was also handed a post-race 30-second penalty for the incident with Reis.
The next TCR South America event takes place at Rosario on 15 – 16 April.
Race two results
| POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP | GD |
| 1 | 27 | |
Walter HERNÁNDEZ | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 19 | 32:41.741 | 1:36.004 | 2 | |
| 2 | 23 | |
Ignacio MONTENEGRO | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 19 | 1.759 | 1:36.353 | 9 | |
| 3 | 8 | |
Rafael SUZUKI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 19 | 2.273 | 1:36.223 | 4 | |
| 4 | 1 | |
Fabricio PEZZINI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 19 | 3.825 | 1:36.700 | 5 | |
| 5 | 17 | |
Bernardo LLAVER | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 19 | 4.265 | 1:36.488 | 7 | |
| 6 | 28 | |
Galid OSMAN | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 19 | 6.825 | 1:36.440 | 8 | |
| 7 | 33 | |
José Manuel SAPAG | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 19 | 7.675 | 1:36.433 | 13 | |
| 8 | 20 | T | |
Pablo OTERO | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 19 | 10.612 | 1:37.397 | 20 |
| 9 | 60 | |
Juan Manuel CASELLA | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 19 | 11.177 | 1:36.370 | 12 | |
| 10 | 10 | T | |
Adalberto BAPTISTA | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 19 | 17.997 | 1:38.899 | 16 |
| 11 | 37 | T | |
Guilherme REISCHL | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 19 | 22.646 | 1:38.909 | 17 |
| 12 | 55 | T | |
Diego GUTIERREZ | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 19 | 55.316 | 1:38.654 | 18 |
| 13 | 2 | |
Juan Ángel ROSSO | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 18 | + 1 LAP | 1:35.947 | 3 | |
| 14 | 69 | |
Gonzalo ALTERIO | Alfa Racing | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 17 | + 2 LAPS | 1:37.024 | 15 | |
| 15 | 43 | |
Pedro CARDOSO | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 17 | + 2 LAPS | 1:36.270 | 22 | |
| 16 | 34 | T | |
Fabio CASAGRANDE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 17 | + 2 LAPS | 1:36.721 | 1 |
| R | 15 | T | |
Enrique MAGLIONE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 13 | DNF | 1:37.238 | 14 |
| R | 7 | |
Juan Pablo BESSONE | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 11 | DNF | 1:37.305 | 21 | |
| R | 24 | |
Frederick BALBI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 6 | DNF | 1:36.776 | 11 | |
| R | 70 | |
Diego NUNES | Cobra Racing Team | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 5 | DNF | 1:37.863 | 19 | |
| R | 77 | |
Raphael REIS | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 3 | DNF | 1:43.459 | 10 | |
| DQ | 5 | |
Fabián YANNANTUONI | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 19 | 1.249 | 6 |