Pablo Piumetto & Adrián Percaz claim wins at Concordia
The Argentinian TN (National Touring Cars) visited Concordia in Entre Ríos, not far from Uruguayan border this weekend for round 4 of the championship, with the 4.7km circuit honouring Adrián Percaz (Class 2 Peugeot 207) and Pablo Piumetto (Class 3 Ford Focus) with wins.
Ever Franetovich was pole-sitter among 40 cars of the smaller division driving a Chevrolet Corsa, a time that he actually set during Friday’s Qualifying 1 session (1:51.876 at 151.239 km/h). Yesterday, Franetovich, Percaz and Hanna Abdallah (Renault Clio) were first in each of the three 6-lap afternoon heats.
Pablo Piumetto had already shown the potential of his private Class 3 Ford by setting a best lap of 1:49.535 (154,471 kmh). Behind him, Bruno Bosio was second with a similar Focus (+0.147s) and former soccer player Leonel Pernía third in one of the new factory Renault Mégane RSs run by Alisi Racing (+0.337s)
Sunday races were as hard-fought as usual. In the 1.6-litre category, Ever Franetovich led halfway followed by a menacing Adrián Percaz, who reduced the gap between them to virtually nothing. There was a safety car by then and when the event was restarted the Chevrolet was hit by an electrical failure and forced to retirement.
With the Peugeot on top, it would be the Volkswagen Gol of Andrés d’Amico and the Renault Clio of Luciano Bosio the new chasers. A second pace-car appeared a few laps later to allow rescue vehicles take crashed or broken cars out the track and, although the podium finishers would cross the line in a less than one second gap, there were not overtaking moves among them.
Percaz is now the new series leader with 94 points. Lucas Mohamed (Volkswagen Gol, ninth here) is second with 89 and Bosio third with 81.
Pablo Piumetto ended a drought of over three years without being on top of the podium by winning almost from start to finish in a faultless weekend for the Cordoban. Matías Rossi came here trying to build a bigger gap in the point standings, but as soon as the warm-up lap his will would vanish, his Citroën suddenly stopped with engine problems.
Current champion Facundo Chapur started from 16th in the grid and in only four laps had made it up to ninth when all four bolts of his front right tyre got cut, sending the Peugeot 308 to the gravel trap.
Bosio pushed hard, but rather sooner than later had to watch his mirrors and be in control of Mariano Werner, whose 308 seemed not entirely pleased with third. Young Citroën Boero Carrera Pro driver Diego Mungi was gutsy to attack former Minardi Formula 1 man Esteban Tuero, now a works Fiat member in a Linea, and beat him for fourth place.
2003 champion Ernesto Bessone may be over-50 these days, but he was in great from at Concordia and took his Ford Focus to a brave drive for sixth (among 42 participants!) after a long duel with Iván Saturni’s identical car, the Alfa Romeo 147 of Guillermo D’Aguanno and the Chevrolet Cruze of Matías Muñoz Marchesi. Sebastián Gómez finished in the top-10 with a lost rear bumper in his Kia Cerato.
Because Marcelo González (Peugeot 307) had to pit by mid-race, only Werner really picked many points here, climbing from sixth to a now closer third in the championship. Rossi still leads (105 points), Facundo Chapur is second (76) and team mate Mariano Werner third (76).
Next round will be at San Jorge (8th June).
Adrián Percaz’s Class 2 Peugeot
TN Concordina Class 3 Race Result
