Bernardo Llaver and Fabiàn Yannantuoni became first-time victors in the TCR South America races held at a very wet Velopark in Brazil, keeping Toyota on the top step of the podium.
Race one was held at just after 09:00 local time and started on a very wet circuit. Llaver got his Toyota Team Argentina Corolla off the line the best from third on the grid, diving between pole-sitter Ignacio Montenegro’s Honda and Rafael Suzuki’s Lynk & Co to lead before the first corner.
The situation at the front remain unchanged until the safety car was then called on lap five with 18 minutes to go, staying out for almost ten minutes due to the extremely wet weather and poor racing conditions.
When the action resumed, there were no changes at the front, allowing Llaver to claim his first-ever win in the series.
Championship leader Montenegro was second, with series returnee Suzuki completing the podium.
Paladini Racing’s Juan Ángel Rosso got past Squadra Martino’s Juan Manuel Casella for fourth at the start, with Casella bringing home his new-spec Honda in fifth.
Scuderia Chiarelli’s Pedro Cardoso had run in fifth early on, but the Brazilian lost two places when the race restarted and then dropped further back a lap later, before retiring with an issue on his Hyundai six laps from the finish.
This Yannantuoni was sixth, ahead of the Cobra Racing Toyota of Diego Nunes, the W2 Pro GP CUPRAs of Galid Osman and Raphael Reis and José Manuel Sapag completing the top ten.
Race result
| POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 17 |  |
Bernardo LLAVER | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 20 | 26:51.358 | 1:07.859 | 3 | |
| 2 | 23 | |
Ignacio MONTENEGRO | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 20 | 3.311 | 1:08.220 | 1 | |
| 3 | 8 |  |
Rafael SUZUKI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 20 | 8.171 | 1:08.758 | 2 | |
| 4 | 2 | |
Juan Ángel ROSSO | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 20 | 9.138 | 1:08.835 | 5 | |
| 5 | 60 |  |
Juan Manuel CASELLA | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 20 | 9.914 | 1:08.584 | 4 | |
| 6 | 5 | |
Fabián YANNANTUONI | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 20 | 11.210 | 1:08.783 | 10 | |
| 7 | 70 | |
Diego NUNES | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 20 | 15.995 | 1:08.177 | 16 | |
| 8 | 28 | |
Galid OSMAN | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 20 | 16.355 | 1:08.390 | 11 | |
| 9 | 77 | |
Raphael REIS | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 20 | 17.636 | 1:07.770 | 9 | |
| 10 | 33 | |
José Manuel SAPAG | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 20 | 19.742 | 1:08.884 | 8 | |
| 11 | 15 | T | |
Enrique MAGLIONE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 20 | 39.083 | 1:10.922 | 7 |
| 12 | 10 | T | |
Adalberto BAPTISTA | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 20 | 39.268 | 1:09.588 | 13 |
| 13 | 37 | T | |
Guilherme REISCHL | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 20 | 44.195 | 1:11.221 | 14 |
| EX | 42 | |
Fabiano CARDOSO | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 20 | 28.572 | 1:10.473 | 12 | |
| R | 43 | |
Pedro CARDOSO | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 14 | DNF | 1:10.177 | 6 | |
| R | 34 | T | |
Fabio CASAGRANDE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 13 | DNF | 1:13.570 | 15 |
Race two wasn’t as wet as race one, but was nevertheless a rather wet race. Yannantuoni started on the reverse-grid pole with Reis alongside, and when the lights went out the Argentine cooly assumed the lead.
Reis made a poor start, dropping behind the Toyota of Sapag, Pedro Cardoso’s Hyundai and Rosso’s Toyota, whilst Llaver struggled on the opening laps and dropped to ninth.
Rosso passed Cardoso for third going onto lap three, and Reis took fourth from the young Brazilian a few laps later.
Cardoso seemed to be struggling in the conditions and soon dropped back even further, whilst at the front Sapag kept Yannantuoni honest.
The rain intensified towards the end of the race, and Reis went on a charge. On lap 23 he passed Rosso for third to move onto the podium, and then two laps later he caught and passed Sapag, albeit with contact that dropped the Toyota racer to fourth.
With the clock run down to zero, at the end of the penultimate lap Reis tried to pass Yannantuoni for the lead, having quickly eaten into his 1.7-second lead.
But Yannantuoni stood firm and held his line into the first corner, clinging on for the final lap at the head of a five-car train to win.
Reis was second, securing his fourth podium of the season, with Rosso completing the podium, closely followed by Sapag, Suzuki, Llaver and Nunes.
Montenegro held on to his championship lead with eighth, although his advantage is now just 24 points over Llaver.
W2’s Osman and Casella completed the top ten, whilst for the second race running newcomer Fabiano Cardoso was excluded from the result, having originally crossed the line in eighth.
Race result
| POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 5 | |
Fabián YANNANTUONI | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 28 | 32:02.421 | 1:07.760 | 1 | |
| 2 | 77 | |
Raphael REIS | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 28 | 0.623 | 1:07.575 | 2 | |
| 3 | 2 | |
Juan Ángel ROSSO | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 28 | 1.644 | 1:07.915 | 6 | |
| 4 | 33 | |
José Manuel SAPAG | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 28 | 2.034 | 1:07.939 | 3 | |
| 5 | 8 | |
Rafael SUZUKI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 28 | 2.163 | 1:07.136 | 9 | |
| 6 | 17 | |
Bernardo LLAVER | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 28 | 2.558 | 1:07.064 | 8 | |
| 7 | 70 | |
Diego NUNES | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 28 | 3.011 | 1:07.062 | 16 | |
| 8 | 23 | |
Ignacio MONTENEGRO | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 28 | 10.930 | 1:07.824 | 10 | |
| 9 | 28 | |
Galid OSMAN | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 28 | 13.606 | 1:07.681 | 11 | |
| 10 | 60 | |
Juan Manuel CASELLA | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 28 | 14.875 | 1:07.889 | 7 | |
| 11 | 43 | |
Pedro CARDOSO | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 28 | 25.798 | 1:07.989 | 5 | |
| 12 | 10 | T | |
Adalberto BAPTISTA | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 28 | 25.944 | 1:07.723 | 14 |
| 13 | 15 | T | |
Enrique MAGLIONE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 28 | 35.970 | 1:08.322 | 4 |
| 14 | 37 | T | |
Guilherme REISCHL | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 27 | + 1 LAP | 1:10.502 | 15 |
| 15 | 34 | T | |
Fabio CASAGRANDE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 25 | + 3 LAPS | 1:10.818 | 13 |
| EX | 42 | |
Fabiano CARDOSO | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 28 | 10.370 | 1:07.476 | 12 |