Reis returns to victory in TCR South America after 12 months
Raphael Reis, the only driver who has taken part in all TCR South America’s events since the championship was launched in 2019, has scored his first win of the season in the second race at El Pinar. This was the first victory of the Brazilian driver since the first race in Mercedes, one year ago.
Race 1 one saw the points leader Leonel Pernía beating his teammate Nelson Piquet jr. for the second time in two weeks, scoring his fifth win in the season and retaining a solid lead in the standings, 85 points clear of last year’s champion Pedro Cardoso.
Race 1 – For the third consecutive event, Piquet had won the pole; he had been faster than Leonel Pernía, with Cardoso third. However, just like two weeks ago in Mercedes, Pernía made a better start and led from Piquet, Cardoso and Fabián Yannantuoni.
Piquet put a lot of pressure on the leader, but nothing happened until lap 6, when championship returnee Juan Manuel Casella overtook Yannantuoni for P4 and one lap later, Reis passed Juan Ángel Rosso for P6.
Behind the leaders, Cardoso, Casella, Yannantuoni and Reis delivered a thrilling fight for the third place. There were contacts, Cardoso risked losing control after being punted by Casella, then Yannantuoni nearly hit the wall on the straight.
In lap 8, Enzo Gianfratti’s Honda Civic FK7 crashed into the wall, and the safety car was deployed. When racing resumed in lap 14, Piquet rejected an assault from Cardoso, while Joaquín Cafaro overtook Rosso for P7. Then, a contact between the Toyota cars of María Nienkötter and Tomász Fernández resulted in the latter crashing into the wall. The safety car was called back and led the field until the chequered flag, with Pernía scoring his fifth victory from Piquet and Cardoso.
Race 2 – Carlos Silva’s Toyota and Reis’ CUPRA shared the front row of the reversed grid; at the start it was Reis who took the lead, while Silva was passed by Rosso before the end of lap 1. Silva tried to defend the third place, but he was passed by Cardoso, Cafaro and Leonel Pernía. In lap 8, Cafaro’s Peugeot stopped on the track with a technical issue, and the safety car intervened. The race restarted in lap 10; Reis managed to stretch the gap while his followers had a tough battle for second. Cardoso was putting huge pressure on Rosso, but he had to defend himself from Pernía. This offered Piquet and Yannantuoni the opportunity to move up to fourth and fifth, but then they both retired. Once again, Cardoso and Pernía attacked Rosso, but in lap 16 Cardoso and Pernía came together; Pernía retired, while Cardoso dropped to fifth behind Benjamín Hites and Tiago Pernía.
Reis took his first victory of the season ahead of Rosso and the Chilean driver Hites who celebrated his TCR debut with a podium finish.
TCR South America will next move to Brazil, for racing at Curvelo on August 15/17, an event that will also mark TCR Brasil’s season opener.
Race 1
- Leonel Pernía (Honda YPF Racing, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 17 laps
- Nelson Piquet jr. (Honda YPF Racing, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 0.800
- Pedro Cardoso (PMO Racing, Peugeot 308), 2.196
Race 2
- Raphael Reis (W2 Pro GP, CUPRA Leon VZ), 22 laps
- Juan Ángel Rosso (Paladini Racing, Lynk & Co 03), 8.156
- Benjamin Hites (PMO Racing, Peugeot 308), 9.702
Championship points
- L. Pernía, 406 pts; 2. P. Cardoso, 321; 3. N. Piquet jr., 295
Picture: TCR South America/Hernán Capa
