Brazilian V8 Stock Cars: Learning a new track. On the wet
Longer than Interlagos, tricky and with few run-off areas. Drivers expect a challenging round in Minas Gerais, as Argentina’s Nestor Girolami sets the pace on Friday
The drivers had an extra challenge this Friday during the first day of activities for the 11th round of Brazilian V8 Stock Cars, which is being held at the city of Curvelo, Minas Gerais. The ‘Circuito dos Cristais’ racetrack comprehends a 4.420-km circuit - longer than Interlagos, for example -, and is new for everyone in the field. Besides having to learn a new, 18-corner track, the competitors had to do it in the wet.
After the shakedown and the extra session, cars could hit the tarmac on a dry surface. Laptimes dropped, and Eisenbahn’s racer Nestor Girolami set the fastest lap with a 1min52s593. "The team gave me a good car, easy to handle, and this is important when you are learning a new track", said the Argentinian, who was only 0s073 quicker than Marcos Gomes.
The scenario is no different to what Girolami has been used to this season. The twice-Super TC2000 champion in his native Argentina had to learn almost every track from the Stock Car calendar - the only exceptions were Interlagos and Goiânia, where he had raced on last year.
"During the whole year I’ve been using the first free practices to get used to the circuits, so it is no different for me now - I think this is the first time I go to the car having no disadvantage regarding the other competitors", he said, praising the features of the track. "I liked it. It is very technical and demanding".
Qualifying takes place this Saturday. On Sunday, Race 1 begins at 1 pm (local time), and Race 2 at 2:10 pm.
Free Practice
Pos. | Nº | Driver | Team | Model | Best Lap | Gap |
1 | 63 | Nestor Girolami | Eisenbahn Racing | Peugeot | 1:52.593 | - |
2 | 80 | Marcos Gomes | Cimed Racing | Peugeot | 1:52.666 | 0.073 |
3 | 65 | Max Wilson | Eurofarma RC | Chevrolet | 1:52.780 | 0.187 |
4 | 88 | Felipe Fraga | Cimed Racing | Peugeot | 1:52.831 | 0.238 |
5 | 10 | Ricardo Zonta | Shell Racing | Chevrolet | 1:52.877 | 0.284 |
6 | 111 | Rubens Barrichello | Full Time Sports | Chevrolet | 1:52.950 | 0.357 |
7 | 77 | Valdeno Brito | TMG Racing | Chevrolet | 1:53.110 | 0.517 |
8 | 83 | Gabriel Casagrande | C2 Axalta Racing | Chevrolet | 1:53.180 | 0.587 |
9 | 12 | Lucas Foresti | Full Time-ProGP | Chevrolet | 1:53.194 | 0.601 |
10 | 90 | Ricardo Mauricio | Eurofarma RC | Chevrolet | 1:53.245 | 0.652 |
11 | 4 | Julio Campos | C2 Axalta Racing | Chevrolet | 1:53.266 | 0.673 |
12 | 46 | Vitor Genz | Eisenbahn Racing | Peugeot | 1:53.315 | 0.722 |
13 | 51 | Átila Abreu | Shell Racing | Chevrolet | 1:53.316 | 0.723 |
14 | 18 | Allam Khodair | Full Time Sports | Chevrolet | 1:53.438 | 0.845 |
15 | 110 | Felipe Lapenna | Hot Car Competições | Chevrolet | 1:53.452 | 0.859 |
16 | 73 | Sergio Jimenez | Cavaleiro Sports | Peugeot | 1:53.465 | 0.872 |
17 | 70 | Diego Nunes | União Química Racing | Peugeot | 1:53.666 | 1.073 |
18 | 28 | Galid Osman | Ipiranga-RCM | Chevrolet | 1:53.767 | 1.174 |
19 | 0 | Cacá Bueno | Red Bull Racing | Chevrolet | 1:53.773 | 1.180 |
20 | 8 | Rafael Suzuki | Vogel Motorsport | Chevrolet | 1:53.842 | 1.249 |
21 | 25 | Tuka Rocha | RZ Motorsport | Chevrolet | 1:53.934 | 1.341 |
22 | 5 | Denis Navarro | Vogel Motorsport | Chevrolet | 1:54.163 | 1.570 |
23 | 99 | Xandynho Negrão | Cavaleiro Sports | Peugeot | 1:54.182 | 1.589 |
24 | 117 | Guilherme Salas | RZ Motorsport | Chevrolet | 1:54.270 | 1.677 |
25 | 3 | Bia Figueiredo | União Química Racing | Peugeot | 1:54.436 | 1.843 |
26 | 26 | Raphael Abbate | Hot Car Competições | Chevrolet | 1:54.955 | 2.362 |
27 | 21 | Thiago Camilo | Ipiranga-RCM | Chevrolet | - | - |
28 | 29 | Daniel Serra | Red Bull Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
29 | 9 | Guga Lima | TMG Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
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