Camilo Trappa achieved a significant milestone by winning his first race in the TCR South America series, steering his Hyundai MSA to victory during the second and final race of the season opener held at Curvelo.
In an intriguing start, Audi's Gabriel Moura claimed pole position courtesy of the reversed grid but was quickly overtaken by Trappa as the race commenced. The early laps were disrupted when the safety car was deployed due to an incident involving Enrique Maglione of Peugeot, who spun off the track after colliding with his teammate Juan Manuel Casella and Fabrizio Pezzini from Lynk & Co.
The race resumed on lap three, setting the stage for intense competition. Juan Angel Rosso quickly gained momentum, passing Celso Neto for third position by lap four, followed closely by Nelson Piquet Jr., who was also making moves up the grid.
By lap six, Rosso's superior speed shone through as he overtook Moura for second place, with Piquet Jr. and Neto following suit to push Moura down the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Leonel Pernía, who started in tenth position after winning the first race that morning, made significant progress to climb up to eighth place. However, a subsequent safety car deployment on lap 10 hampered his momentum, stemming from an incident that placed Cupra's Pedro Cardoso off the track after contact.
As the race continued, Rosso faced difficulties, going wide on lap 17 and allowing Piquet Jr. to take advantage and move into second place. Trappa, demonstrating calm under pressure, successfully defended his lead against Piquet Jr., ultimately crossing the finish line first. "The first race this morning was complicated, but this was different," Trappa reflected after the race. He acknowledged the challenge of maintaining tire performance over the longer race distance, adding, "I had to manage the tyres and, in the last five laps, hold off Nelson Piquet Jr. and keep the temperature in the tyres."
Completing the podium was Juan Angel Rosso in third place, while Neto finished fourth, followed by Moura and Raphael Reis. Pernía finished the race in seventh position, while Joaquín Cafaro of Peugeot, Néstor Girolami of Hyundai, and Enzo Gianfratti of Cupra rounded out the top ten.
After the first weekend of racing, Leonel Pernía emerged as the leader in the drivers' championship with a total of 65 points, seven ahead of Rosso and 12 points over Trappa and Girolami.
Fans of TCR South America can look forward to the next round, which is set to take place at Cascavel, Brazil, from March 27 to 29, 2026, promising to deliver more thrilling action on the racetrack.