Jorge Martelli (Chevrolet Camaro #87, Team RC) kicked off another season in the NASCAR Brasil Series aboard the category’s new car, the RiSE26, and it came the way the race usually is: intense, demanding, and full of adjustments along the way. The edition will feature nine stages at nine different racetracks, and at the opener in Santa Cruz do Sul, the driver left the weekend fully focused on what lies ahead.
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This time, the competitor with roots in agribusiness is competing only in the main category. After two consecutive titles in the Challenge class and winning the Overall in 2025, the current champion began adapting to a new scenario, against experienced names and in tighter battles. The first chapter served to accelerate this process.
The best part of the stage appeared in Race 1. With a wet track at the start and at the end of the race, Martelli used experience, kept the car alive in conditions that tested his skills, and gained positions in the pack with the Chevrolet Camaro #87 from Team RC, which he competes with for the second year.
“It was a very difficult race. The start and the end happened with a wet track and wet grass around, which is not easy, but I have experience in these conditions. I did a great job and managed to climb several positions. The wet is fun, but it is very dangerous at the same time,” described the driver.
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In Race 2, the result did not come as expected. Martelli was trying to overtake on the outside another driver who was slow, but ended up being closed off. The opponent, who was possibly maneuvering to enter the pits, did not see the approach and the contact was inevitable. The impact broke the wheel and suspension of the #87, taking the driver out of the race. But no drama in the pit.
The championship is long and is built looking forward. The team already left the racetrack thinking about the next round. “Now the focus is the next stage, to try to finish as far ahead as possible,” said the driver who lives in Tapurah, Mato Grosso.
The next stage of NASCAR Brasil will be in Cascavel (PR), on May 2 and 3. A new chance, on a track that is one of his favorites and another opportunity to keep raising the bar in 2026.
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