TC in Rafaela: Gini was awarded the winner in the Road Tourism

Esteban Gini (Toyota) took the victory in the “Race of the Millions” that the Road Tourism competed at the racetrack Rafaelafor the 7th date of the 2024 Championship. The driver of the Machine Parts Racingwho started from 4th position, reached his 1st victory in his 107th race in the category. The Chevy Diego Ciantini and the Camaro Christian Ledesma They completed the podium.

The 34-year-old from Quilm, who debuted in the TC on February 21, 2016 in Viedma, surpassed Jonathan Castellano (Dodge) on the 13th lap. From there, he went in search of the Chevrolet drivers and was able to take advantage when they both made a mistake at the same time: On the 20th lap, Ledesma and Ciantini passed when braking at chicane No. 1 and Gini jumped to the lead.who knew how to keep even the checkered flag despite the harassment from Balcarceño.

“I congratulate the team, We won an incredible race. It’s what I always dreamed of: winning in the TC. I opted for a set-up so that the car would spin in the first laps so as not to wear out the tires but would allow me to fully corner in the last laps.“, Gini said in Champions Radio and AM590 Continental.

The “Tube” became the 223rd winner in the history of Road Tourism and in the 2nd new winner of 2024 (the other is Tobías Martínez, with Torino, in El Calafate). Until today, he had 8 podiums in the category (two on the Rafael circuit), of which 3 had been in the second step: Rafaela 2017 with Chevrolet, El Villicum II 2022 with Torino and El Calafate 2024 with Toyota.

Gini continued the successful path of Maquin Parts Racing, which had just won in Concepción del Uruguay with Germán Todino’s Ford Mustang, and achieved the Toyota’s 2nd victory in the Road Tourism. It is worth remembering that the first was with Matias Rossi, on July 23, 2023 in El Villicum. That day, precisely, the Quilmeño debuted with the brand with a 4th place.

TO Diego Ciantini (Chevrolet), which started from pole position for the 3rd time this year, missed another chance to win. The man from Balcarce lost the lead in the first transit through the south curve and remained 2nd until Christian Ledesma (Camaro) cut chicane No. 1 through the grass. The pilot of the Canning Motorsports He did it on the paved part and that made it possible for him to overcome the man from Mar del Plata but lose to Gini, whom he could not defeat.

“We had much less power and it was difficult. We have to work a lot on the engine because the car runs fantastic.“, lamented the “Bochita”, who added his 6th podium in 63 races in the Turismo Carretera and 2nd in the 2024 championship (he had also been 2nd in Toay).

A frustration similar to that of Ciantini was what he experienced Christian Ledesma (Camaro), who led the Final for 19 of the 25 laps. “I’m not happy because we had a good chance of victory, but the result is good. We could have won, but I ran out of brakes on the 4th or 5th lap. The safety car was not good for us, because from then on the Camaro started to go worse.“explained the man from Mar del Plata.

He 69th podium in 397 races in the TC allowed Ledesma to end a streak of 31 races without finishing in the “top 3” (since May 8, 2022 in Termas de Río Hondo, when he was 2nd) and start a season in which, in the first 6 dates, he had 4 abandonments and a 15th place in Santiago del Estero as his best result. Furthermore, he gave the Pradecon Racing his 1st podium in the category.

Juan Cruz Benvenuti He completed Chevrolet’s “2-3-4” after making a breakthrough from 9th starting place. The pilot of Alifraco Sportwho had qualified 17th at 0s770, equaled his best result of the season, since he had also been 4th in Centenario. Although he lost 2 positions and came 5th, the third “top 5” of 2024 allowed Jonathan Castellano (Dodge) enters the “group of 12” for the first time this year: it is 10th and is the only representative of the brand.

After the visit to Rafaela, where he came 8th and was the best representative of Ford, Julian Santero remains the leader of the Road Tourism championship, with 221 points. The pilot of LCA Racing, which overcame a loss in performance caused by the left rear tire rubbing against the bodywork, it takes 26.5 units to José Manuel Urcera (Mustang), his escort, who finished 27th after starting 35th.

The next date of Road Tourism will take place on July 6 and 7 at the autodrome Innsprovince of Misiones.

TC – FINAL – RAFAELA – 25 LAPS

AVERAGE: 170.582 km/h. LAP RECORD: Gini on the round. 18 in 1:28.078 at 193.737 km/h. EXCLUDED: Andrés Jakos (Camry ’24), for a touch on Craparo.