Photo: TCR South America

24 cars entered for 2026 TCR South America opener

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24 cars from eight different teams have been entered for the 2026 TCR South America season opener at Circuito dos Cristais this weekend.

Heading the entry list is reigning champion Leonel Pernia who is joined by no less than four team-mates at Squadra Martino Honda this year in the form of last year’s runner-up Nélson Piquet Jr, Tiago Pernia, Fernando Croce and Adrián Chiriano.

The second biggest team on the grid is Paladini Racing, fielding four Lynk & Co 03 TCRs for Juan Angel Rosso, Fabian Yannantuoni, Nicolas Fuca and Fabricio Pezzini.

Newcomer Hyundai MSA has confirmed three of its four drivers ahead of the season opener, with FIA TCR World Tour front-runner Néstor Girolami racing alongside Camilo Trappa and Diego Ciantini.

Another new team on the grid for this season is Uruguay Racing Team, fielding three older but surprisingly competitive Peugeots for drivers Juan Manuel Casella, Enrique Maglione and Joaquin Cafaro.

W2 Pro GP will field three Cupras for Raphael Reis, who finished fourth overall last year, Celso Neto and Eric Schotten.

2026 marks the first year since its introduction in 2023 that the locally produced Toyota Corolla TCR is not represented on the grid, having been raced by Paladini Racing and Cobra Racing last year.

Qualifying for the premiere weekend starts at 16:05 local time/20:05 CET on Saturday, followed by two races on Sunday at 09:10/13:10 and 13:05/17:05 respectively.

2026 TCR South America entry list

#1 – Leonel Pernia – Squadra Martino – Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR
#3 – Nicolás Fuca – Paladini Racing – Lynk & Co 03 TCR
#5 – Fabian Yannantouni – Paladini Racing – Lynk & Co 03 TCR
#7 – Erick Schotten – W2 Pro GP – Cupra León VZ TCR
#8 – Joaquín Cafaro – Uruguay Racing Team – Peugeot 308TCR
#9 – Fabricio Pezzini – Paladini Racing – Lynk & Co 03 TCR
#15 – Enrique Maglione – Uruguay Racing Team – Peugeot 308TCR
#16 – Juan Angel Rosso – Paladini Racing – Lynk & Co 03 TCR
#19 – Enzo Gianfratti – G Racing Motorsport – Cupra León VZ TCR
#20 – Bruno Massa – G Racing Motorsport – Cupra León VZ TCR
#22 – Celso Neto – W2 Pro GP – Cupra León VZ TCR
#27 – Camilo Trappa – Hyundai MSA/PMO – Hyundai Elantra N TCR
#29 – Néstor Girolami – Hyundai MSA/PMO – Hyundai Elantra N TCR
#33 – Nelson Piquet Jr – Squadra Martino – Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR
#60 – Juan Manuel Casella – Uruguay Racing Team – Peugeot 308TCR
#77 – Raphael Reis – W2 Pro GP – Cupra León VZ TCR
#85 – Tiago Pernia – Squadra Martino – Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR
#86 – Gabriel Moura – Cobra Racing – Audi RS 3 LMS
#61 – Fernando Croce – Squadra Martino – Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR
#88 – Adrián Chiriano – Squadra Martino – Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR
#115 – Diego Ciantini – Hyundai MSA/PMO – Hyundai Elantra N TCR
# – TBC – Hyundai MSA/PMO – Hyundai Elantra N TCR
# – TBC – G Racing Motorsport – Cupra León VZ TCR
# – TBC – Porthack Racing – Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR