Another MetalMoro AJR joined the Endurance Brasil party during the 3 Hours of Santa Cruz do Sul, and the Honda K24-powered machine worked well during the race, with Emilio Padron, Fernando Fortes and series newcomer Cesar Ramos securing the overall win in the No. 11 JLM Racing car against strong opposition.
The MetalMoro AJR front row lockout had one car less as the No. 88 JLM car crashed before the start, so the other three cars would have to hold the top, and so did the No. 11 JLM car at the start, while lack of room to overtake slowed down the No. 65 NC Racing AJR and sent them to fifth, though it was quick to recover it from the GT3 crop.
The No. 88 impressed a lot as the JLM team made an emergency repair in the car and sent it back to the track, rising quickly to fourth overall. While one AJR rose to the top pack, another fell down as the No. 26 JLM car stopped with problems, trying to return to track but still suffering issues that slowed its progress. The Endurance Brasil debut of the No. 8 Scuderia 111 Mercedes had little to enjoy, as the class lead soon turned into retirement due to electric problems in the first hour.
After the first pit window the No. 11 JLM AJR kept its lead while the No. 9 Scuderia 111 Mercedes was appearing in second and leading the GT3 class, keeping a close distance from the overall leader, and traffic was key for Xandinho Negrão to go past the AJR, though the No. 9 spent most of the second hour trying to deal with a soon to be lapped No. 70 Stuttgart Porsche as a high paced traffic, and this helped the No. 11’s cause as Fernando Fortes was already into attack mode after watching closely the whole situation.
The first Safety Car period came near the halfway mark with the No. 65 NC Racing AJR spinning and not coming back, being towed back to the pitlane. While the No. 9 Scuderia 111 Mercedes had a good lead, the No. 70 Stuttgart Porsche was defending hard the third overall and second in GT3 against the No. 19 Via Italia/TMG Lamborghini as Daniel Serra was trying to find room to overtake. It took some time but Serra was able to go past and take second in the GT3 class, and ahead of them a good effort from Cesar Ramos sent the No. 11 JLM AJR back to the lead.
Once the final hour came things got settled in the lead pack, and so it was between the other classes, with the No. 7 Giocar MRX leading the P2 class, the No. 56 Motorcar MRX on top of the P3 class and Arthur Caleffi in the No. 20 Mercedes leading the GT4 class. While the other classes were uneventful, the P2 class saw a lead change as the No. 75 SATTI MRX overtook the No. 7 on pure pace, taking back a gap of one lap.
Near the end a surprise came in the P1 class as the No. 71 ECR MCR appeared in second in class from the back of the field as the No. 88 JLM AJR stopped in the pits with problems and practically relinquished the podium as the No. 18 Mottin MCR took the third place in class.
With no more action in the classes, Cesar Ramos just had to bring the No. 11 JLM AJR to the finish, while the No. 9 Scuderia 111 Mercedes got GT3 class honors.
3 Hours of Santa Cruz do Sul - Race results
The No. 75 SATTI MRX won the P2 class while the No. 56 Motorcar MRX commanded the P3 class. Completing the list of winners, the No. 20 Mercedes won the GT4 class with only Arthur Caleffi at the wheel.
Next event will be the 3 Hours of Velopark on October 27th.
PHOTO: Endurance Brasil/Bruno Terena
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