Girolami & Giallombardo win almost cancelled 200km race

Peugeot drivers Néstor Girolami and Mauro Giallombardo have won a very eventful 200km of Buenos Aires race, which saw almost as much action via political machinations during the morning when the local government ordered the circuit to be closed, as the race delivered itself, particularly in the closing stages.

The race was hit by high drama after the circuit was closed on Saturday night by the Buenos Aires City Government (GCBA), due to concerns with the construction of the circuit facilities, which had apparently been flagged as an issue as far back as Friday 11th July.

The dispute raged on until the morning, with the circuit remaining closed by the Federal Police until shortly before 10am local time, with the supporting Formula Renault Argentina races forced to be moved to later in the day to allow the schedule to resume unaltered for the Super TC 2000 event.

Their was chaos outside the circuit as officials, drivers and fans all queued to gain access to the circuit, with the organisers allowed in first before the circuit was eventually opened to the public, though there were scattered reports over social media of outrage and upset, including an unconfirmed report which states that Chevrolet driver Alain Menu was accosted by thieves while waiting outside the track who tried to take the Swiss driver’s mobile phone.

Despite the unprecedented logistical disaster, the race began as scheduled, with Néstor Girolami’s Peugeot 408 starting from pole position ahead of team-mate Agustín Canapino.

The front runners held station at the start, with Girolami starting the #8 Peugeot 408 with Rafael Morgestern the first to drive the sister #7 Peugeot.

On the second lap, there was a heavy accident for the top placed Renault of Fabían Yannantuoni, who crashed out from ninth place, but the race was able to continue without the need for the safety car.

Girolami went on to build a strong lead over Morgestern’s Peugeot, with Mariano Werner & Daniel Serra’s Fiat Linea in third ahead of the top placed Chevrolet Cruze of Franco Vivian and Alain Menu.

The race was relatively static until the Riva Racing Peugeot 408 of Javier Manta and Federico Esllin spun out on lap 23, bringing the first safety car, wiping out Girolami’s lead.

The safety car was too soon for the mandatory driver pit stops, but unfortunately the race was to take a bad turn for the Equipo Chevrolet pair of Franco Vivian and Alain Menu, with the car forced to make two trips to the pits behind the safety car to resolve a technical issue which lost them a lap.

At the restart, Girolami began to rebuild his lead over Morgestern’s Peugeot, while Toyota’s Esteban Guerrieri picked up a penalty for driving into the Renault Fluence of Ricardo Risatti. A few laps later, Guerrieri retired from the race before co-driver Ricardo Zonta had even had a chance to drive the car.

The driver change pit stops began on lap 28, with Rafael Morgestern unsurprisingly the first to hand over his Peugeot to regular driver Agustín Canapino. The Peugeot Lo Jack Team employed the opposite strategy for the #8 car, keeping Néstor Girolami out for as long as possible, and he became the last to pit on lap 34, handing his car over to Mauro Giallombardo, who resumed from the pits with a 13 second lead over Canapino.

Then disaster struck the strategy of the #8 car, when Nicolas Traut spun his independent Ford Focus out at the final corner, bringing out the safety car for a second time, obliterating Giallombardo’s lead.

The race resumed, now reduced to a timed race with just five minutes remaining, with Giallombardo starting ahead of Canapino, Mariano Werner’s Fiat and points leader Norbert Fontana’s Chevrolet Cruze.

Fontana blasted past Werner’s Fiat on the restart, with Emiliano Spataro following through into fourth in the Renault Fluence. A lap later, Giallombardo lost the lead to Canapino, though briefly. Canapino had left himself vulnerable on the left hand side into the next corner, and Giallombardo pounced and took back the position, disrupting Canapino’s rhythm and allowing Fontana through into second place.

In the space of a few corners, the race turned into an absolute disaster for Canapino, who had been set to the leave with the joint-lead of the standings. With Fontana fighting to stop Canapino from repassing him for second, the Peugeot driver then fell behind Spataro and the Fiat of Facundo Ardusso, and then was unceremoniously punted out by the Renault of Leonel Pernía, with both cars eliminated from the race.

Giallombardo held off Fontana for another two laps to take the victory for Peugeot, with Fontana finishing second and keeping his championship lead, now ten points over Girolami, with the Fiat of Facundo Ardusso, shared with Carlos ‘Caca’ Bueno taking the final spot on the podium.

The next round of the Argentinian Super TC 2000 Championship takes place at Resistencia on August 17th.