W2 Pro GP’s Raphael Reis and Galid Osman shared the victories for CUPRA in the TCR South America races at Velo Citta in Brazil, although Squadra Martino’s Ignacio Montenegro continues to lead the drivers’ standings.
Race one
Whilst Reis claimed a lights-to-flag win in the opening race, he had to twice break clear of the pack thanks to a safety car period early on.
His W2 Pro GP team-mate Osman had just got into second at the start, as front-row starter Rafael Suzuki made a slow getaway in his PMO Motorsport Lynk & Co.
But Osman’s race only lasted a lap, as the CUPRA racer picked up a front-left puncture on the second lap and had to limp around to the pits, completing almost a full lap with deflated rubber.
The safety car was called for at the end of lap four, due to Osman still going slow and Fabio Casagrande punting Adalberto Baptista into the barriers, although the latter was able to continue thanks to going in backwards.
Reis then eased to a comfortable win – the Brazilian’s second of the season – by over six seconds from the Paladini Racing Toyota of Juan Ángel Rosso.
Rosso had been in a fierce opening lap battle with points leader Ignacio Montenegro, which saw the duo make contact several times.
But Rosso prevailed, and ultimately took second, with Scuderia Chiarelli’s Pedro Cardoso completing the podium, having also battled hard on the opening lap before things calmed down later in the race.
Montenegro brought his Squadra Martino Honda home in fourth, ahead of the other Paladini car of Fabián Yannantuoni in fifth.
Yannantuoni got by former TC2000 rival Bernardo Llaver on the last lap, as the Toyota Team Argentine driver seemed to pick up an issue a few corners from the finish.
That also promoted Cobra Racing’s Diego Nunes to sixth, with Llaver limping home in seventh ahead of team-mate José Manuel Sapag.
The top ten was completed by Suzuki and Squadra Martino’s Juan Manuel Casella. The only retirement of the race was Enrique Maglione after eight laps.
Race one result
POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
1 | 77 | Raphael REIS | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 16 | 27:10.624 | 1:34.997 | 1 | ||
2 | 2 | Juan Ángel ROSSO | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 16 | 6.682 | 1:35.390 | 6 | ||
3 | 43 | Pedro CARDOSO | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 16 | 7.570 | 1:35.113 | 5 | ||
4 | 23 | Ignacio MONTENEGRO | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 16 | 11.825 | 1:35.419 | 4 | ||
5 | 5 | Fabián YANNANTUONI | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 16 | 17.330 | 1:36.456 | 9 | ||
6 | 70 | Diego NUNES | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 16 | 17.987 | 1:36.445 | 11 | ||
7 | 17 | Bernardo LLAVER | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 16 | 20.437 | 1:36.073 | 7 | ||
8 | 33 | José Manuel SAPAG | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 16 | 23.958 | 1:37.068 | 14 | ||
9 | 8 | Rafael SUZUKI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 16 | 24.457 | 1:36.377 | 2 | ||
10 | 60 | Juan Manuel CASELLA | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 16 | 25.705 | 1:36.889 | 12 | ||
11 | 37 | T | Guilherme REISCHL | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 16 | 27.235 | 1:37.013 | 10 | |
12 | 3 | T | Marcos REGADAS | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 16 | 27.554 | 1:36.694 | 13 | |
13 | 34 | T | Fabio CASAGRANDE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 16 | 33.139 | 1:37.060 | 8 | |
14 | 10 | T | Adalberto BAPTISTA | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 16 | 39.672 | 1:37.240 | 15 | |
15 | 28 | Galid OSMAN | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 13 | + 3 LAPS | 1:34.775 | 3 | ||
R | 15 | T | Enrique MAGLIONE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 8 | DNF | 1:37.195 | 16 | |
NS | 19 | Felipe PAPAZISSIS | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | – | DNS | N/A | 17 |
Race two
PMO Racing’s Guilherme Reischl started the partially-reversed-grid second race from pole position, and the Peugeot driver did a sterling job to lead for the first two thirds.
Reischl also had to contend with a restart after a two-lap safety car intervention, which was required when points leader Montenegro’s Honda stopped on the second lap with a water pump issue.
Yannantuoni had proved to be Reischl’s strongest contender early on, but the Toyota driver out-braked himself a few corners into the race and dropped down to sixth, leaving Fabio Casagrande as the closest challenger to Reischl.
The early excitement came from a close duel between Llaver’s Toyota and Osman’s CUPRA, the latter having moved from eighth on the grid up to fifth by the end of the opening lap.
On lap seven Osman dived inside Llaver for third at the first corner, but the Argentine was immediately back in front.
Both drivers got past Casagrande a lap later, with Casagrande then tapped by Pedro Cardoso as the chasing drivers looked to take advantage, the Squadra Martino driver ultimately losing five places in a matter of corners.
Two laps later, Osman dived inside Llaver for good at the opening corner and set about closing in Reischl’s lead.
Yanntuoni also tried to muscle past Llaver, but the two made contact and were passed by Cardoso and Rosso at the same time.
On lap 13 Osman took the lead from Reischl, who would ultimately retire from the race a lap later with a gearbox issue.
A second late-race safety car intervention was required when Montenegro’s driver-less car rolled down the hill from where it had earlier been recovered to and stopped on track again.
That left just two minutes of green flag racing, and Osman was able to win ahead of fellow Brazilian Cardoso by over a second.
Rosso completed the podium in his Paladini Racing Toyota, ahead of Llaver in fourth in the Corolla entered by the car builder.
His team-mate Sapag was a creditable fifth, ahead of the PMO Motorsport Lynk & Co duo of Marcos Regadas and Rafael Suzuki in sixth and seventh respectively.
Casagrande held on to take eighth after his slip down the order on lap eight, with Cobra Racing’s Diego Nunes and Casella completing the top ten.
Montenegro continues to lead the standings with 437 points ahead of Llaver (426) and Reis (353). The next round takes place at Cascavel in December for the season finale.
Race two result
POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
1 | 28 | Galid OSMAN | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 18 | 32:35.035 | 1:36.490 | 8 | ||
2 | 43 | Pedro CARDOSO | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 18 | 1.623 | 1:36.957 | 6 | ||
3 | 2 | Juan Ángel ROSSO | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 18 | 3.157 | 1:36.956 | 5 | ||
4 | 17 | Bernardo LLAVER | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 18 | 6.193 | 1:36.871 | 4 | ||
5 | 33 | José Manuel SAPAG | Toyota Team Argentina | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 18 | 8.671 | 1:37.286 | 14 | ||
6 | 3 | T | Marcos REGADAS | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 18 | 9.082 | 1:37.225 | 13 | |
7 | 8 | Rafael SUZUKI | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 18 | 10.701 | 1:36.473 | 9 | ||
8 | 34 | T | Fabio CASAGRANDE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 18 | 12.137 | 1:37.183 | 3 | |
9 | 70 | Diego NUNES | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 18 | 12.533 | 1:37.335 | 11 | ||
10 | 60 | Juan Manuel CASELLA | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 18 | 13.164 | 1:37.584 | 12 | ||
11 | 15 | T | Enrique MAGLIONE | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 18 | 13.732 | 1:37.868 | 16 | |
12 | 77 | Raphael REIS | W2 Pro GP | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 16 | + 2 LAPS | 1:36.349 | 10 | ||
13 | 37 | T | Guilherme REISCHL | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | 14 | + 4 LAPS | 1:36.907 | 1 | |
R | 5 | Fabián YANNANTUONI | Paladini Racing | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 12 | DNF | 1:36.982 | 2 | ||
R | 10 | T | Adalberto BAPTISTA | Cobra Racing Team | Toyota Corolla GRS TCR | 6 | DNF | 1:43.482 | 15 | |
R | 23 | Ignacio MONTENEGRO | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 1 | DNF | 1:44.646 | 7 | ||
NS | 19 | Felipe PAPAZISSIS | Scuderia Chiarelli | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | – | DNS | N/A | 17 |