Ortelli scores first win for the new Fluence

Guillermo Ortelli has taken the first win for the Renault Lo-Jack team’s new Renault Fluence at San Martín, whilst Matías Rossi takes the championship lead for Toyota.

Former champion José María López led in the early stages in the Scuderia Pro Racing Fiat Linea, but retired with an overheating problem on lap 14, handing the lead over to Ortelli, who went on to take the win for the new Fluence in his first season with Renault.

Last year’s Renault team leader Matías Rossi lept into second place one lap later, passing Mauro Giollambardo with the Sportteam Fluence of Guido Falaschi following through into third to deny an all Renault podium. Giollambardo dropped to fourth, but the strong result for Renault pulled them up to fourth place in the manufacturers championship ahead of Fiat.

Leonel Pernía was the best placed Honda driver in fifth ahead of Gabriel Ponce De León’s Fiat Linea.

Rossi’s second place moves him into the lead of the championship, despite no race victories so far this season with 63.5 points. Ford-YPF driver Juan Manual Silva, whom had finished in eighth place drops to second on 49 points, joint with Mariano Altuna.

Toyota Team Argentina now lead the manufactuers standings with 101 points, four points ahead of Ford-YPF going into the next round at San Juan in three weeks time.