After skipping the 2020 season, Império Endurance Brasil returned to Santa Cruz do Sul with as most drama as possible, as Motorcar Racing and its No. 444 JLM Racing AJR of Gustavo Kiryla and Vicente Orige was pushed to the limit in a fierce and long battle for the win while also winning the battle against tire degradation in an abrasive asphalt.
Gustavo Kyrila wasn’t exactly fond of the pressure he received once the green flag was out and outpaced the No. 11 Motorcar AJR to keep the No. 444 Motorcar AJR in the lead. The AJR fleet was in the usual domination, with the No. 2 FTR Sigma being relegated to sixth after a few laps. Jindra Kraucher couldn’t resist the pressure of the JLM Racing-built machinery, being also passed by the No. 46 Mottin AJR, so the No. 2 quickly met the bottom of the P1 field.
Despite complaints due to excessive weight from Marcelo Hahn, the No. 16 Blau McLaren was sitting in second place from a start from the bottom, and if the car couldn’t go after the GT3 lead, it was making it hard for those blow the order. In the P3 class, the No. 56 Motorcar MRX was literally at home and in total control, keeping a charging No. 73 LT Team MRX at bay.
Kyrila and the No. 444 were suffering in the long run, which gave room for the No. 113 JLM Racing AJR to close down, and the traffic was somehow saving Kyrila from Pedro Queirolo and his full second of pace advantage. Despite some attempts from Queirolo to claim the first place, Kyrila held it in place during the first hour.
It took nearly two hours between traffic and Safety Car interventions for the No. 113 to actually have an opportunity to attack the No. 444, and once Kiryla went wide, Queirolo was quick to act and go to first. The GT4 class also had a turnaround as the No. 22 AutLog Mercedes lost the lead after a contact with the No. 16 Blau McLaren, handing the first position in class to the No. 64 MC Tubarão BMW.
The No. 113 had pace to close down, but with the yellow flags breaking the flow of the race, the No. 444 got the upper hand in the final 20 minutes, and once Vicente Orige opened the gap, the No. 444 was unreachable in the way to victory. While being 2 laps behind the winner, the No. 2 FTR Sigma completed the overall podium, an enormous result for the new partnership between FTR Motorsport and Sigma Engenharia.
4 Hours of Santa Cruz do Sul - Race results
The best GT3 came only in fifth place, with the No. 27 Team RC Mercedes having the No. 16 Blau McLaren in hot pursuit for most of the race, while the best from GT3 Light was the No. 63 Tech Force Aston Martin without major threats.
The No. 18 FTR MCR survived a lone race in the P2 class while the No. 73 LT Team MetalMoro led a 1-2 for Leandro Totti’s squad in a race of survival due to the number of incidents on track for the class competitors.
MC Tubarão celebrated the GT4 class win with its No. 64 BMW M4 GT4, conquered after being pressured for a good chunk of time by the new No. 222 AutLog Ford Mustang GT4, with the No. 69 Stillux Ginetta being the best GT4 Light car.
The 2021 Império Endurance Brasil season finale will be held at Goiânia on 18 December.
PHOTO: Motorcar Racing
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