Matías Rossi wins Rosario finale as Pedro Cardoso is crowned champion
Toyota Team Argentina driver Matías Rossi claimed the victory in a rain-affected final race of 2024 at Rosario, host of the 2024 TCR South America season finale. PMO Racing’s Pedro Cardoso (Peugeot) finished fourth to be crowned champion.
Championship contenders Juan Manuel Casella (Honda) and Cardoso started the race from second and tenth on the grid respectively, with Casella needing a victory and Cardoso a seventh place finish in order to take the title.
Light rain fell over the Juan Manuel Fangio autodrome in Rosario just before the race, with the track still good enough for slicks at the time of the start. W2 Pro GP’s Raphael Reis (Cupra) was the sole driver who gambled on wet tyres.
Galid Osman (Cupra) took the lead from pole position at the start, with Paladini Racing’s Juan Ángel Rosso (Toyota) climbing to second place as Squadra Martino’s Casella made a slow start and fell to fifth place behind the Peugeot duo of Leonel Pernía and Damián Fineschi.
Points leader Cardoso didn’t do any better at the start, losing three positions to fall to 13th place.
The rain poured down from lap two, with Pernía overtaking both cars ahead of him to take the lead ahead of Rosso and Osman. Paladini Racing’s Fabián Yannantuoni (Toyota) came to the pits for a tyre change.
The safety car was soon called into action as the track had plenty of standing water. Osman and Casella narrowly avoided going off the track while Reis had an off-track excursion.
The entire field headed into the pits to change for wets.
After the tyre changes, Yannantuoni led ahead of Rosso, Casella and Osman. The race was green again on lap seven, with Casella dropping to fifth place behind Toyota Team Argentina’s Matías Rossi and Osman.
The Uruguayan driver’s troubles continued as Cardoso overtook him for fifth position, with Cobra Racing Team’s Thiago Vivacqua and Pernía soon following past as well.
Rossi continued charging ahead, closing the gap to Rosso in second place on lap eight while Yannantuoni opened a comfortable gap at the front. Rosso then went wide on lap nine, with Rossi and Osman moving into podium positions.
Further back, Reis mounted the pressure on Pernía, overtaking for sixth position on lap ten.
Rossi overtook Yannantuoni for the lead on lap twelve. Further back, disaster struck for title contender Casella as he lost his rear right wheel, limping back to the pits on three wheels and lost any chances fighting for the title.
Osman climbed to second place, with Yannantuoni losing ground to the leading pair. But Osman would spin off the track on lap 13, lightly touching the barriers.
Rossi claimed the victory at the chequered flag, followed by Yannantuoni and Reis. Cardoso, who became the first Brazilian driver to win the TCR South America title, finished fourth.
Pernía claimed fifth ahead of Rosso and Vivacqua. Squadra Martino’s Rodrigo Baptista was the best Honda Civic FL5 TCR driver in eighth place ahead of Cravero and with Osman.
“This is beautiful, many thanks to my family, my girlfriend and my team, thank you so much for everything this season,” said Cardoso after the race. “The race was easy, we hadn’t too much to think, we had the title early on, so it’s time to celebrate.”
Cardoso wins the championship with 469 points, 39 ahead of Casella, with Reis third in the standings.
