Veteran racer Norberto Fontana will join Cobra Racing for the 2024 TCR South America season, racing a Toyota Corolla GRS TCR for the Brazilian team.
The Argentine will be on of the most experienced drivers on the grid. Fontana, 49, competed extensively in Europe and Japan in the 1990s, including a stint in Formula One in 1997 when he contested four Grand Prix for Sauber.
He made his touring car début in 2001 in the Argentine TC 2000 championship, ending up seventh overall before winning the title outright the following year.
He remained with Toyota for the decade, before switching to Ford in 2010, a move which brought with it a second TC2000 title.
He remained in TC2000 full-time until the end of 2011, although he also took part in full campaigns in its successor, Súper TC2000, from 2014 to 2016. Since 2003, he has also raced in Turismo Carretera.
Fontana will line up alongside Thiago Vivacqua at Cobra Racing, which has competed in the series since its inception in 2021 and last year had Diego Nunes as its best overall driver. Fontana’s co-driver for the season-opening endurance race at Interlagos this weekend will be Felipe Malhuy.
“I am very happy to join a new category in my sporting career,” said Fontana, who has also raced in the now-defunct Formula Nippon and CART series.
“I have been following it since it started, and it has been growing. It will give me more activity as a driver and I want to thank Nonô Figueiredo [Cobra Team Principal], his entire team, the category and the people from Agrospray who accompany me.
“I have high expectations for the weekend. We are going to have to start from less to more because I don’t know the car and I have to do an adaptation period in the race itself because there are few training laps. I think it’s a great possibility for me.”
Flávio ‘Nonô’ Figueiredo, emphasised the importance of having a big name such as Fontana in his team in the series.
“Norberto Fontana is an important name for South American motorsport, not only for Argentine motorsport,” added Figueiredo. “He is a driver who has always stood out throughout his career and has a lot of experience and talent to contribute to the team.
“Furthermore, he has a lot of desire and hunger to continue fighting ahead and that for me is the most important thing.
“Without a doubt it is important so that together with Thiago Vivacqua we can fight and be a protagonist in TCR South America.
“I am very happy and now we are going to continue the work so that he can adapt to the team and the TCR car. He is a very important name joining TCR South America.”