Tech Force beats Mottin in wet race at the Velopark

The Velopark is a challenge by itself when the Campeonato Gaúcho de Endurance goes there, as the short length and constant traffic makes good navigation an essential skill, but the incessant rain falling over the circuit practically selected those who would fight for the win, culminating in a triumph for Jindra Kraucher in the No. 12 Tech Force Sigma P1 G5.
 
With the rain falling heavily since the start of the weekend, the circuit was completely soaked, which meant that some recognissance laps behind the Safety Car were needed, as the combination of the Velopark’s short length with standing water that wouldn’t allow the creation of a dry line would pose a bring problems in terms of available grip and visibility due to constant overtaking of backmarkers.
 
After four minutes of Safety Car, when the green flag was waved, the No. 111 Tech Force Sigma spun at the home straight and couldn’t even realign its position, needing some rescue work to get back to racing.
 
After 10 minutes of Safety Car, the race restarted with extreme caution and the No. 46 Mottin AJR was leading the way, opening the with some ease as everybody would need to assess the track condition at competitive speeds. Another Safety Car intervention came with 30 minutes of racing as the No. 15 FIAT Linea stopped on track, but even when the green flag was waved, caution remained the priority, with the P1 class cars lapping at least 20 seconds slower than than they would do on a dry track.
 
While the race completed its first 60 minutes, the No. 111 Tech Force Sigma spun on the wet back straight and found the gravel, bringing another yellow flag, and the No. 12 Tech Force Sigma took the opportunity to take the lead amid the pit cycle, only to be overtaken a few minutes later by a charging Cole Loftsgard, reinstating the No. 46 in front.
 
While the No. 46 opened a huge gap before the final stop, after it the No. 12 fought back, even with the third placed No. 75 FTR AJR staying in front before it got lapped. With cars spinning left, right and center, eventually someone would have difficulties to come back, which happened with the No. 7 Overboost MRX, bringing a really late Safety Car intervention with 10 minutes to go, basically leaving Jindra Kraucher right behind Adriano Baldo for a final battle for the win. With three minutes to go, the race was resumed and Kraucher attacked Baldo but actually got the lead when Baldo overshoot the final corner with 2 minutes to go.
 
Baldo had no pace to fight back, and Kraucher opened enough of a gap to not worry about a counter attack, bringing the No. 12 Tech Force Sigma to a late win over the No. 46 Mottin AJR.
 
Gaúcho de Endurance - 2h of Velopark results
 
The No. 71 Overboost MCR was the dominant force in the P2 class, featuring in the overall podium until the final minutes of racing. The No. 33 MC Tubarão BMW was also way above the expectations and got an overall top 5 while winning the GT2 class, with the No. 944 Tech Force Chevrolet winning the GT1 class behind the No. 33. The No. 89 Carboni Chevrolet was the best in the GT class, while the No. 7 Overboost MRX survived a late spin and a heavy penalization for outside interference on track to keep the P3 class in the results. In the P4 class, despite being significantly slower, the No. 1 MetalMoro Vettore prevailed over the No. 23 Madom.

There's a month of wait until the next race in the calendar, which is set to be hosted at a renovated Guaporé circuit on 3 October.
 
PHOTO: Campeonato Gaúcho de Endurance/Fabio Leal