Squadra Martino, a reference in South American motorsport, has confirmed its expansion into TCR Europe starting from the 2026 season. After five seasons of multiple titles in TCR South America, the Argentine team led by Sebastián Martino will make the leap to the European stage, considered one of the most competitive in the world of touring car racing.
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“It is an immense pride to announce this step. After five wonderful years in TCR South America, we felt it was the moment to seek new horizons and measure ourselves in the cradle of motorsport. Carrying the Squadra Martino flag to Europe is not only a sporting challenge, but also a logistical and human one. We fully trust in the potential of the Honda Civic and the talent of Tiago Pernía to be competitive from the first round in Mugello,” declared Sebastián Martino, General Director of the team.
For this new endeavor, Squadra Martino will field two Honda Civic Type R FL5s, the model with which it built its winning history in South America. The expectation is to transfer all the experience accumulated on local circuits to European tracks, starting with the Mugello circuit in Italy on March 22, the date of the first of the six rounds of TCR Europe 2026.
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The first driver confirmed for the European project is Tiago Pernía, who will follow the team’s philosophy of betting on young talents. Already familiar with Squadra’s methodology, Pernía will be responsible for driving one of the Honda Civics in the new competition.
“I am very grateful to Sebastián and the entire team for this incredible opportunity. Racing in TCR Europe is a dream and doing it with a team I know and whose working method I know how it works gives me a lot of confidence. We know the level there is very high, but we are going to work hard to put the team and Argentina at the highest level,” stated Pernía.
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