Matías Rossi reigns in the wet in Rosario

Toyota Team Argentina driver Matías Rossi won the second round of the 2016 Argentinian Super TC 2000 Championship in Rosario, Sante Fe, withstanding pressure throughout the length of the race from Chevrolet’s Agustín Canapino.

The four-time champion won his Super 8 heat on Sunday morning and lined up third on the grid alongside the fastest from qualifying and the first Super 8 heat winner Leonel Pernía’s Renault, but was able to put his Corolla ahead on the way into the first corner on the rolling start in the wet conditions.

Pernía lost another spot on lap two to the Chevrolet Cruze of Agustín Canapino, who was now chasing Rossi for the lead while further down the field there was further drama for the Renault team, with both Ignacio Julían and Christian Ledesma finding themselves off the circuit and stranded on the wet grass, which saw the safety car deployed on lap four.

The race restarted on lap seven, with Damian Fineschi running wide in his Peugeot 408 and dropping from seventh to 16th, but was able to recover to finish tenth at the end of the race.

Fineschi’s Peugeot team-mate Mariano Werner was able to pass Facundo Ardusso’s Renault on the following lap for fifth position, while the top four began to break away with Rossi leading Canapino, Pernía and the Toyota of Matías Milla.

Canapino harried the Toyota of Rossi during the mid-stage of the race, but Rossi began to pull away as the race drew on, only for that lead to be evaporated when the safety car was deployed for a second time to recover the broken down privateer Fiat Linea of Bruno Etman.

At the restart, Rossi and Canapino both pulled away from the chasing pack, with Canapino again having a final stab at wrestling the lead from the Toyota driver, while Rossi’s team-mate Milla put a move on Pernía’s Renault to grab third, with the Toyota rewarded with a nudge to the rear, putting it into a slide, but he still held the position.

Canapino’s charge soon faded and during the final ten laps, Rossi pulled out over a three second lead to take the victory ahead of the Chevrolet driver, with Milla completing the podium at Rosario.

Notable drives further down the field included Chevrolet’s Norberto Fontana, who had started 21st and worked his way up to ninth at the finish.

Trelew (Round 1) winner Emiliano Spataro still leads the drivers’ standings, after finishing a quiet sixth in today’s race, while Canapino is now up to second in the championship with Rossi third.

The next round of the Super TC 2000 Championship is at Mendoza on the 8th of May.