NASCAR Brasil traveled to Santa Cruz do Sul, a municipality 150km from the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, to hold the opening of the 2026 season, which also marked the debut of the category’s new car, the RiSE26.
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São Paulo driver Witold Ramasauskas (Shield Bank, Taxation Mind, Ballena, Joy Tubos, Maxim Cimentos Especiais, BSS Blindagens, Travelex Confidence Bank, Rochmont Group and Contel) tested Team RC’s Chevrolet Camaro #11 for the first time, and despite a difficult start, came away satisfied.
“We had a very difficult start in terms of finding the ideal setup for our car, which cost us our qualifying session,” commented the driver who set the 20th fastest time in the session that defined the starting grid.
The driver and the Team RC team worked together seeking solutions to extract maximum performance from the equipment in Sunday’s two races. The first race took place in the morning with damp asphalt, a condition that displeases most drivers as it is neither a dry track nor a wet track, making setup and driving difficult.
Even so, Witold used all his experience and determination to make a recovery race, managing to jump ahead after the safety car left at the end of the race and take the checkered flag in third place.
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In the afternoon, with the track already dry, Ramasauskas had a consistent and very combative race, achieving another podium with his team, this time in second place; with the total points, Witold ends his participation in the opening round of the 2026 NASCAR Brasil season in Santa Cruz do Sul leading the CHALLENGE division.
“An intense weekend of hard work where we secured good points for the championship. I thank my team, Team RC, my sponsors, and everyone who cheered for me. Now it’s time to celebrate this lead because in two weeks we’ll be on the track again,” Witold concluded.
The next round takes place at the Zilmar Beux Circuit in Cascavel (PR) on May 3rd.
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