Agustin Canapino takes emotional win in Buenos Aires
Chevrolet YPF driver Agustín Canapino claimed victory in the Super TC2000 feature race in Buenos Aires and was joined on the podium by Honda Racing driver Facundo Ardusso and Toyota’s Julián Santero.
Canapino started from pole with team-mate Bernardo Llaver on the front row. But Ardusso did a rocket start and jumped from third into the lead. Santero also managed to pass Canapino for third with some contact into Turn 2.
Santero soon passed Llaver as well for second place, by using the push-to-pass button, and closed in on leading driver Ardusso. Soon after that, Canapino passed Llaver for third as well.
Lap five saw Toyota driver Santero being passed by Canapino for second place.
The duo remained together, but Santero ran wide on lap 15 trying to reclaim second place from Canapino with the push-to-pass function.
The safety car headed out on track on lap 18 as Renault Sport driver Tomás Cingolani spun off and went head-on into the concrete wall at Turn 2, fortunately escaping unharmed.
The restart saw Santero jumping past Canapino for second place. The Toyota driver then tried to catch leading driver Ardusso. The attempt caused both to go wide, enabling Canapino to pass both and go from third to first place heading into turn three.
Canapino kept the lead to win the race by two seconds ahead ahead of Ardusso and Santero.
2019 champion Leonel Pernía crossed the line in fourth position, fighting his way up from 17th and last on the grid, with Bernardo Llaver crossing the finishing line in fifth.
The victory was Canapino’s first of 2021 and an emotional one after his father Alberto, former technical director of the Chevrolet YPF team and one of the most successful engineers in Argentine motorsport, passed away due to COVID-19 a couple of weeks ago.
The next Super TC2000 round will be held on April 10-11 at the Oscar Cabalén circuit in Córdoba.
Pernía leads the championship standings after two rounds on 39 points, followed by Santero on 34 and Canapino on 31.
