LT Team wins Mil Milhas do Brasil 2021

A weekend of celebration at Interlagos was ended with the 2021 edition of the Mil Milhas do Brasil, and after punishing 10 hours of one of Brazil’s most traditional endurance races, the No. 73 LT Team MRX of José Vilela, Eduardo Souza, Gustavo Ghizo, Leonardo Yoshi and Leandro Totti prevailed in a game of pace and reliability.

It was the second edition of a famous race in its rebirth after not being held since 2009, that was attractive to international teams and drivers since way before its appearance in the Le Mans Series calendar in 2007, mixing all sorts of cars ranging from top grade in-house prototypes to small touring cars and even some classics.

24 cars started the race spread between nine classes, being four prototype classes, two GT classes and three touring car classes. Due to heavy restrictions imposed due to health and safety concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the start schedule to midnight had to be made at 8:50 A.M. local time, and the finish that was expected to be after 1000 miles or 11 hours had to be done with 10 hours of racing.

The No. 32 MC Tubarão MRX kept the lead from the green flag, demonstrating the prowess of the car that was a double P2 class champion in Endurance Brasil and was a 12 Hours of Tarumã overall winner. MC Tubarão also fielded their BMW M3, which was out of action after 8 laps due to a loose wheel. Absoluta Racing also had their early problems in their Chevrolet Cobalt Stock Car, stopped in the pits for checks.

After the first hour the No. 32 MC Tubarão MRX stopped for mechanical checks as it looked like it was presenting problems during the final part of the hour, and the extra pit time cost the lead as the No. 72 Motorcar MRX claimed it for a while, which then was handed to the No. 82 Roco. The Roco 001 got more comfortable in front as two strong contenders stopped on track, being them the No. 32 MC Tubarão MRX and the No. 72 Motorcar MRX.

After one hour and a half even the Roco was struck with misfortune, and the No. 31 Guerra 1R capitalized and took the first position while the No. 73 LT Team MRX was the second, gaining in pace and taking down the gap to the leader while also bringing the No. 46 Roco along with it. The trio eventually swapped positions, which meant an open fight for the lead in the second hour between the No. 73 and the No. 46. While the No. 46 tumbled down the order, the No. 73 kept the pace in second, in chase mode behind the No. 31 Guerra 1R.

With five hours and a half after 160 laps, the rain was an extra factor to consider, as it quickly took the whole track. The quick shower didn’t bring problems at the higher areas of the track, but the lower points like the Curva do Sol and the following back straight were soaking wet, though the situation greatly improved over time as the rain stopped, with the entire circuit being damp at least near the seventh hour after 195 laps completed.

Probably one of the best stories from the halfway moment was from the Mamba Negra team and their No. 96 Volkswagen Brasilia, as the little TN1A class warrior suffered critical engine problems during race, to the point that the team had to do a full engine rebuild in order to get it back on track. Although qualified 25th and having the slowest best lap of the field, the commendable effort to keep it on track deserved applause.

The last hours were quite easy on the No. 73 LT Team MRX, with a series of yellow flags slowing down the pace and saving them of taking more risks as the car had a long lasting brake issue, but with multiple laps ahead of the competition, the No. 73 just had to be managed until the checkered flag.

Mil Milhas do Brasil - Race Results

The No. 31 Guerra 1R got the overall second and the P4 class win, while the No. 17 OTO Racing Celta won the TN1A class by beating the No. 115 Honda after a long battle for the class lead. MC Tubarão celebrated the P2 class win with the No. 32 MRX after some problems halted their progress in the early hours, and just some positions down the order their No. 64 BMW M3 conquered the GT4 class, effectively ending the model’s racing life with the team.

Between the MC Tubarão class winners, the No. 111 MI Motors VW Gol was the TN1 class winner, capitalizing in a late CV joint break that cruelly relegated the all-female lineup of the No. 3 MI Motors VW Voyage to second in class after a lengthy lead. The No. 9 Big Power Omega was the TN1B class winner and the No. 137 GR Racing Corvette was the GT3 class winner, with only the P1 class not having an entry finishing the race.

The 2022 edition of the Mil Milhas Brasil is with the registrations already open, and while the date of the race still needs to be confirmed, it will be likely between late February and early March.

PHOTO: Rodrigo Ruiz