Photo: Super TC 2000 Media

Agustín Canapino takes pole in Córdoba and wins the 2016 Super TC 2000 title

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Equipo YPF Chevrolet’s Agustín Canapino has set pole position for the last round of the Argentinian Super TC 2000 Championship season in Córdoba, and in doing to has secured his first drivers’ title, as Toyota’s Matías Rossi needed the pole position point to keep the title open until tomorrow.

The qualifying session was split into two parts, with Group B going first with the privateer drivers and a few factory drivers including Renault’s Christian Ledesma, who set the first benchmark in the afternoon of 1:32.221. His team had dominated the only free practice of the day, with Leonel Pernía setting the fastest time in the morning.

In the second group, Toyota’s Matías Rossi and Chevrolet’s Agustín Canapino went out on track to secure their place in Qualifying 2. The Toyota team’s title contender set the fifth fastest time overall on his first flying lap, while his Chevrolet rival was placed fourth.

Pernía confirmed his strong pace from the morning and was the fastest driver in Qualifying 1 ahead of team-mates Ledesma and Emiliano Spataro.

The first drivers to be eliminated were Manuel Mallo (YPF Chevrolet), Luciano Farroni (Escudería FE Peugeot 408), Damián Fineschi (Team Peugeot Total Argentina), Lucas Benamo (Escudería FE Peugeot), Bruno Etman (M&M Group Fiat Linea), Germán Sirvent (Renault Sport), Javier Manta (Escudería FE Peugeot 408) and Gustavo Micheloud (Riva Racing Ford Focus).

Qualifying 2 started with the drivers placed from 11th to 20th on the first part of the session. Of those, Javier Merlo went fastest in his factory Fiat Linea, followed by his team-mate José-Manuel Urcera. As the lead group came out, Canapino set the fastest time ahead of Ledesma and Peugeot’s Facundo Chapur. Rossi only managed to set the eighth fastest time, and had to hope his rivals didn’t to knock him out of Qualifying 3.

However, Rossi made it into Q3, as Lucas Colombo Russell (Escudería FE Peugeot), Facundo Conta (YPF Chevrolet), Esteban Guerrieri (Toyota Team Argentina), Mariano Werner, Matías Milla, Matías Muñoz Marchesi (YPF Chevrolet), Rafael Morgenstern, Ignacio Julián (Renault Sport), Norberto Fontana (YPF Chevrolet) and Fabián Yannantuoni were the drivers eliminated.

Canapino, Ledesma, Chapur, Pernía, Merlo, Ardusso, Llaver, Urcera, Rossi and Spataro came out to the track to decide the last pole-sitter of the season. The Chevrolet driver set his best lap on his first attempt, despite locking his tyres a couple of times. Canapino set the fastest time of 1:31.486 ahead of Pernía and Ledesma, as Rossi went out for his lap.

The Toyota driver locked his tyres in sector one and jumped across the kerbs in sector two, and only managed to be seventh. Meanwhile Canapino started a new lap and improved his time to 1:31.330.

Rossi went out for another lap time, but was slower in the first sector than his first attempt, effectively handing both pole position and the drivers’ championship to Canapino.

“I want to dedicate this to Nancy Fontana’s memory, to Guido Falaschi and his family, my four grandparents, all my family, my town Arrecifes, Chevrolet and Pro Racing team,” said Canapino. “I want to thank all my team-mates and God for giving me this. I feel like if an elephant has fallen on me, life has taught me to never give up.”