Triple World Touring Car champion José María López is to make his TCR début this weekend, when the Argentine joins Toyota Team Argentina to race in the TCR South America series in Buenos Aires.
López, 41, has an illustrious touring car history. Prior to joining the WTCC, he was a three-time champion in his native TC2000 championship (including one title in Súper TC2000) before he joined Citroën’s WTCC programme in 2014.
There, the Argentine dominated the competition, collecting three consecutive WTCC titles before joining Toyota’s World Endurance Championship programme in 2017 when Citroën left the WTCC.
With Toyota, López continued to shine, winning the 2019-2020 and the 2021 WEC titles, as well as claiming victory in the 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours.
He lost his WEC hypercar drive at the start of 2024, but has continued to remain associated with the brand, instead racing a Lexus in the LMGT3 class.
This weekend sees the TCR South America series join the bill for a bumper weekend of touring car action, which also includes the Argentine TC2000 series, in which he will also race, and the Brazilian Stock Car Pro series – effectively bringing all of South America’s top touring car series together for the first time.
López will act as team-mate to Matías Rossi in the Toyota Team Argentina entry, marking the first time this year that the outfit has field two Corollas.
Also joining the grid is Jacobo ‘Jake’ Cosío in one of the Toyota Corollas entered by Paladini Racing.
The 36-year-old will line up alongside Juan Ángel Rosso and Diego Gutierrez in the car previously raced by Fabián Yannantuoni, becoming the first Mexican driver to join the series.
Cosío has previously raced in the Mexican Super Touring, Copa TC2000 and Nascar series.