Raphael Reis left Concordia, Argentina, with a victory, two podiums, and the highest score of the TCR South America stage. Alongside W2 Pro GP, the Brasília native bet on a tire management strategy and took advantage of the reversed grid to turn the tenth position in qualifying into a pole position in Race 2.
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In the first race, Reis started outside the fifth row and gained four positions in the first moments. In the final part, he advanced again by taking advantage of opportunities and also the contacts and penalties involving other competitors. The result was third place for the Cupra #77 driver, record holder for participations in TCR races in South America.
The strategy became even clearer in the second race. Starting from pole, Reis managed to open a gap and began to control the race. In the final third, however, the safety car came out after a competitor had an engine failure and left oil on the track.
The restart happened with about 10 minutes to go, and Reis again managed to take control. The Brazilian reached the final lap with Leonel Pernía close behind and had to take risks to keep the Argentine behind and secure another victory in 2026.
“We saved the tires from the start. We had a good pace and the team signaled to me that Nelsinho Piquet in second had a problem, so I tried to open a gap and hoped no safety car would come out, which unfortunately happened. Then when the race restarted, I had a good first lap and then started to feel vibration in the front tire, so I remembered a few times this year when I punctured a tire. So I was very careful until on the final lap I had to risk everything to hold off Pernía and I am very happy with the victory. The plan worked, we leave here with two podiums and we are doing our part.”
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The triumph in Concordia was Reis’s third of the season. Before, he had won in Cordoba, in the previous stage, and in the duo race in Interlagos, when he competed alongside Felipe Fraga.
The weekend also impacted the championship battle. Reis arrived at the stage 73 points behind Leonel Pernía and reduced the gap to 68 points after the Argentine finished both races in second place.
TCR South America now prepares for the penultimate stage in Argentina. The next round takes place in Posadas on October 4. After that, the championship goes to Rosario and ends at the Uruguayan circuit of El Pinar.
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