Emiliano Spataro and Christian Ledesma win wet and thrilling Buenos Aires 200km
The Renault Sport duo of Emiliano Spataro and Christian Ledesma won a thrilling Super TC 2000 Buenos Aires 200 kilometres, a race that was decided on the very last lap. They were followed on the podium by Juan Angel Rosso and Sebastián Peluso of Escudería Fela by RAM Racing, with Bernardo Llaver and Santiago Urrutia of YPF Chevrolet in third.
The race started with a wet and dry track. The area leading into and after the fast Salotto turn was very wet, while the rest of the track was dry.
Only Christian Ledesma, co-driving Emiliano Spataro’s Renault Fluence, and Juan Angel Rosso of Escudería Fela by RAM Racing started on wets. Matías Muñoz Marchesi of Team Peugeot Total Argentina went into the pits and switched to wets on the formation lap.
Ricardo Risatti took the lead at the race at the start, driving Facundo Ardusso’s Renault Fluence, ahead of Mariano Altuna, at the wheel of Mariano Werner’s Peugeot 408.
The fast Salotto turn claimed its first victim not long after the start as Norberto Fontana, driving Gabriel Ponce de León’s Toyota, ran wide at the exit and had to go to the pits for repairs. The safety car came out on lap four.
One lap later the race restarted, at the same time as the rain started to fall and Mariano Altuna, at the wheel of title contender Mariano Werner’s Peugeot 408, had to retire from fourth with a puncture. This meant a heart-breaking moment for Werner, who lost a lot of ground in the battle for championship.
Antonino García of Escudería FE spun off at the exit of Salotto and forced the safety car out again on lap six.
José María López, at the wheel of Matías Rossi’s Toyota Corolla, was in fourth place behind the Renault Sport pair of Ardusso/Risatti and Leonel Pernía/Julián Santero, and Chapur as the race restarted.
But the green flags were not out for long as the safety car came out for third time on lap nine as Brazilian driver Carlos ‘Cacá’ Bueno spun off, again at the Salotto straight.
Meanwhile, Manuel Mallo of YPF Chevrolet opted to pit and switch to wet tyres. Those who took the gamble to start the race on wets were at that moment, proved right and the race was restarted on lap eleven.
Lap 14 saw the window opened for driver changes and Risatti was first in to let Ardusso take over. One lap later, Santero handed his Renault to Pernía. Chapur was leading the race followed by Rosso, López and Ledesma, who decided to come in, giving his car to Spataro.
At that moment the safety car came out for a fourth time as Toyota Gazoo Racing Argentina driver Bruno Etman spun off at the Salotto straight as Chapur and López opted to head into the pits for the driver change.
While the safety car was on track, the sky turned dark and light rain started to fall again. Chapur and Muñoz Marchesi came in and handed their cars to Franco Girolami, the young brother of WTCC driver Néstor Girolami, and Matías Rodríguez respectively.
At the restart, with just six minutes left of the race, the rain intensified. Peluso tried to overtake race leader Ardusso before the finish line but had to give back the position. Spataro, in second place, tried to take advantage and challenged Peluso but nearly spun off. Not long after, Spataro managed to make the move stick on Peluso at the exit of Ascari and took the lead on the last lap.
Llaver claimed third position, with Chapur in fourth, followed by Fineschi, Humberto Krujoski, in Martín Moggia’s Citroën, and Matías Russo, in Manuel Mallo’s Chevrolet.
Gabriel Ponce de León recovered from Fontana’s off earlier in the race to finish eight in his Toyota Corolla. Former international footballer Mariano Pernía finished ninth in his maiden Super TC 2000 outing in the privateer Peugeot 408 of Escudería FE. Leonel Pernía completed the top ten with co-driver Santero.
Toyota drivers Rossi and López finished 16th as they dropped back towards the end of the race when the rain increased.