Mariano Altuna takes victory at Santa Fe Night Race

Honda Racing driver Mariano Altuna took victory in the first of two races this weekend at Santa Fe, passing Toyota Team Argentina’s at the start and leading to the end.

Werner had put the Corolla on pole, but failed to get away at the start, giving the Honda driver an easy run to the first corner.

Matías Rossi rescued the night for Toyota, having qualified in third, he chased Altuna to eventually finish in second place just half a second behind, with Emiliano Spatato the top placed driver for the Fiat team in third.

Chevrolet’s Christian Ledesma put on the best show, the only driver to make progress in the race, driving from ninth on the grid to finish fourth just outside the podium positions. Ledesma was the only Chevrolet in the race, after a nasty crash in practice ruled out team-mate Agustín Canapino’s contention.

Similarly, José María López’s weekend was over by qualifying, with the 2008-2009 champion damaging his Fiat Linea beyond repair, and will take no further part this weekend.

Heading to the weekend’s second race, Ford-YPF driver Juan-Manual Silva leads the championship with 38 points, with Mariano Altuna now second with 31, and Matías Rossi third on 30pts.