Fabian Yannantuoni takes first win of 2014 for Renault at Termas

Fabian Yannantuoni has taken a dominant win in the 2014 Argentinian Super TC 2000 Championship at Termas de Río Hondo for the Renault Lo Jack Team, finishing ahead of reigning champion Matías Rossi’s Toyota Corolla by almost ten seconds, with Renault team-mate Leonel Pernía, securing the French marque their first win of the 2014 campaign.

The Renault team capitalised on strategy in the race, which unusually mandated a pit stop for a change of tyres, with two compounds used for the race. The bulk of the field opted to start the race on the soft tyre, but with Yannantuoni having stopped early to switch over to the hard tyre, the Renault driver was able to take advantage after an incident for Toyota’s Agustín Calamari brought out the safety car.

Early race leader and championship leader Néstor Girolami lost out when pitted for tyres after the safety car, not only due to the bunching of the field, but also as one of his mechanics locked the wheelgun, making his stop all the more longer.

Yannantuoni’s win is the first for Renault this season, though team-mate Leonel Pernía has finished second three times, including with a controversial 0.000 second margin at the last round at San Juan.

With Peugeot’s Néstor Girolami finishing down in 13th, and with his closest rival in the standings, Chevrolet’s Norberto Fontana, able to close the gap after finishing ninth, the Peugeot driver has lost his first opportunity to secure the title ahead of the finale, but can still theoretically take the title at the next round of the Championship in two weeks’ time at Codegua, as the Super TC 2000 Championship has its only non-Argentinian round in Chile.