Fabricio Pezzini takes Race 2 victory at Rosario
W2 Pro GP’s Fabricio Pezzini claimed the victory in Sunday’s Race 2 at Rosario, host of the first round of the 2025 TCR South America season, in a race marred by tyre and mechanical failures.
Luis Ramírez led from the reverse grid pole position at the start, but would soon lose to Pezzini, with Mariano Pernía and Raphael Reis mounting the pressure on the Panamean.
Mariano Pernía overtook for second place as Pezzini built a three-second gap at the front. Ramírez was also side-by-side with Juan Ángel Rosso, with both touching and Ramírez going off the track and dropping to tenth place.
Fabián Yannantuoni, with the second Lynk & Co, came into the pits at the end of the third lap with mechanical trouble. At the front, Reis mounted pressure on Mariano Pernía, overtaking for second place on lap five, as Rosso and Pedro Cardoso closed on the Honda driver.
Leonel Pernía was also recovering, trailing his team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr. Both Honda drivers made enough trouble for Cardoso, who lost the trail from Rosso.
Piquet overtook Leonel Pernía for sixth place on lap six, as Rosso also overtook Mariano Pernía for third place on the following lap.
Cardoso was now under pressure from the Honda trio, with Tiago Pernía also joining the party. Mariano Pernía went wide on lap eight, falling to ninth place.
The positions remained stable, with the drivers focusing on tyre management. But Cardoso went wide on lap 13, with Piquet under his rear bonnet again.
However, disaster would strike for the Brazilian as he suffered a puncture on lap 14, dropping down the order. Piquet went to the pits for a tyre change, returning to the track in tenth place.
Reis also suffered a mechanical failure, retiring from the race on lap 17. Leonel Pernía also lost a lot of ground, falling more than ten seconds behind Cardoso.
Pezzini won at the chequered flag, ahead of Rosso and Cardoso completing the podium. Leonel Pernía was fourth, followed by Ramírez.
Santino Balerini, with a damaged Toyota, finished in sixth place, ahead of Genaro Rasetto and Piquet. Maria Nienkötter was ninth, with Reis classified in tenth place, three laps behind the winner.
“We had a very good start, which allowed me to build a big gap, and then it was a question of controlling,” said Pezzini after the race. “The race was good, but I felt a vibration during the last two laps that forced me to lift my foot and control the pace.”
Leonel Pernía is the first championship leader after the season opener with 69 points, seven ahead of Cardoso and 14 over Piquet Jr. and Rosso, tied in third.
The second round of the 2025 TCR South America season takes place on the 19-20th of April at Misiones.
