Néstor Girolami wins Posadas opener
Hyundai driver Néstor Girolami converted his pole position into victory in the first race of the weekend at Autódromo Rosamonte de Posadas, host of the eighth 2026 TCR South America round.
Girolami lost a place to Raphael Reis (Cupra) as the lights went out, only for the Argentinian driver to reclaim the lead two corners later.
Joaquín Cafaro (Hyundai) held third initially, but Leonel Pernía (Honda) and Juan Manuel Casella (Peugeot) went past him on the second lap, while Cafaro retired to the pits on the same lap.
Leonel Pernía attacked Reis for second place on the third lap, but the Brazilian managed to stay ahead.
The safety car was called into action as Trappa and Casella collided, with the Cupra driver going off the track. The Hyundai driver would receive a 20-second time-penalty for the collision with Casella.
During the safetey car period, Gabriel Moura retired his Audi due to a technical issue.
The track went green again with two laps to go, with Girolami charging ahead to open a small gap over Reis who was under pressure from Leonel Pernía and Gianfratti.
Leonel Pernía managed to overtake the Cupra driver for second place.
Girolami won at the chequered flag ahead of Leonel Pernía and Reis, with Gianfratti in fourth position.
Tiago Pernía was fifth, followed by Fabricio Pezzini (Lynk & Co) and Gabryel Romano (Hyundai). Cupra driver Bruno Massa finished in eighth place, with Nicolás Fuca (Lynk & Co) right behind. Adrián Chiriano (Honda) completed the top ten.
“My congratulations to all the team for the good work, we’ve had a great car this weekend, we’ve been very competitive,” Girolami said after the race. “I made a good start, because I knew it was key. This track wears the tyres a lot, so I had to control to avoid having a problem.”
Leonel Pernía continues to lead the standings with 435 points, 68 ahead of Reis and 93 over Girolami.
The TCR South America field returns to the track for the start of Race 2 at 13:13 local time (18:13 CEST).
