TCR South America Touring Car Championship
| Category | Touring cars |
|---|---|
| Country | Argentina Brazil Chile Uruguay |
| Inaugural season | 2021 |
| Drivers | 24 |
| Teams | 7 |
| Constructors | 6 |
| Tyre suppliers | Kumho Tire |
| Drivers' champion | Pedro Cardoso |
| Teams' champion | BRB Banco Brasília by PMO Racing |
| Official website | https://southamerica.tcr-series.com/ |
| Current season | |
The TCR South America Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series based in South America first held in 2021, which uses the TCR Touring Car regulations.
Background
The introduction of the new South American-based TCR Championship was announced on 4 March 2020, with Néstor Girolami saying “I think it’s the right time for South America to have a TCR series.” He continued with “It is a perfect opportunity and the most important in my view is that young drivers may join with the aim of climbing the hierarchy and, eventually, arriving on top to the WTCR. As a Honda driver I would be delighted to represent the brand in this new series to showcase their product in South America.”[1]
Head of the championship is Felipe McGough who was formerly a part of the South American Super Touring Car Championship and Maurizio Slaviero who was the Stock Car Brasil President. The sporting director is Honda Racing Super TC2000 team director Victor Rosso and technical chief Samuel Canca Ruiz, who is a race engineer.[2]
The championship director is Felipe McGough, formerly of the South American Supertouring Car Championship, and Maurizio Slaviero, formerly the president of Stock Car Brazil. The sporting director is Víctor Rosso, the director of the Argentine RAM Racing Factory team, and the technical director is Samuel Canca Ruiz, a race engineer.
The TCR is a touring car homologation system, first introduced in 2014 and now used by a multitude of championships worldwide.
TCR Brazil
Announced in 2020, TCR South America held its first season the following year. Since then, the series has alternated races in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. During this period, the grid has expanded, reaching 21 cars in 2023.
With its inaugural six-round schedule coinciding with the third edition of TCR South America, the national TCR Brazil championship, led by Mauricio Slaviero, the executive who headed Stock Car, began in 2023. It took years before it headed to Europe with the mission of developing the world's first all-electric touring car class, the ETCR.[3]
TCR Brazil promises to consolidate the success of TCR South America, whose evolution from the first season to the current one is evident. The "Liberators of the Americas of asphalt" has unveiled a 19-car grid in 2022, with seven different manufacturers represented. The media package is attractive, with races broadcast live on Disney Channels throughout the region, in addition to regular coverage on major motorsports portals.[4]
The competition promises even more in the coming months, as Toyota is in the final stages of developing its Corolla TCR. Toyota Gazoo Racing of Argentina is leading the development of the model, which will be able to compete on all TCR event tracks around the world.[5]
Circuits
The championship consists of circuits in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay:
- Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2026 season.
| Number | Circuits | Rounds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Autódromo José Carlos Pace | 6[a] | 2021–present |
| 2 | Autódromo Víctor Borrat Fabini | 5 | 2021–present |
| 3 | Autódromo Velo Città | 4 | 2022–present |
| Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo | 4 | 2022–present | |
| 5 | Autódromo Eduardo Prudêncio Cabrera | 3 | 2021–2023 |
| Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez | 3 | 2021–2022, 2024 | |
| Circuito San Juan Villicum | 3 | 2022, 2024–2025 | |
| Autódromo Municipal Juan Manuel Fangio | 3 | 2023–present | |
| 9 | Autódromo Oscar Cabalén | 2 | 2021, 2023 |
| Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel | 2 | 2023–2024, 2026 | |
| Polideportivo Ciudad de Mercedes | 2 | 2024–2025 | |
| 12 | Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba | 1 | 2021 |
| Autódromo Parque Ciudad de Río Cuarto | 1 | 2021 | |
| Autódromo de Concepción del Uruguay | 1 | 2021 | |
| Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Goiânia) | 1 | 2022 | |
| Autódromo José Carlos Bassi | 1 | 2023 | |
| Velopark | 1 | 2023 | |
| Autódromo Ciudad de Oberá | 1 | 2025 | |
| Circuito dos Cristais | 1 | 2025–present | |
| Autódromo Internacional de Mato Grosso | 1 | 2025–present |
Notes
Champions
| Drivers' Champions | Teams' Champions | Info | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Driver | Team | Car | Team | Car | # |
| 2021 | Pepe Oriola | W2 ProGP | Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) | W2 ProGP | Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) | [6] |
| 2022 | Fabricio Pezzini | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | PMO Motorsport | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | [7] |
| 2023 | Ignacio Montenegro | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) | Squadra Martino | Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) | [8] |
| 2024 | Pedro Cardoso | BRB by PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | PMO Racing | Peugeot 308 TCR | [9] |
| 2025 | Leonel Pernía | Honda YPF Racing | Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) | PMO Racing | Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) | [10] |
| 2026 | ||||||
Television coverage
The Races of the TCR South America are broadcast on Cable Television including: ESPN, Fox Sports, Movistar+, CBS Sports y NBC Sports.
Coverage in Brazil
| Transmission[11] | |
|---|---|
| BandSports | Narration: Márcio Pozzan |
| Narration: Eduardo Veríssimo | |
| Comments: Duda Pompermayer | |
| Comments: Rafael Pasqualotto | |
| Transmission | |
|---|---|
| YouTube | Narration: Alexandre Eiras |
| Narration: Thiago Fabris | |
| Comments: Ivar Castagnetti | |
| Comments: Henrique Gava | |
Other countries
- Colombia: RCN Televisión y RCN HD2
- Portugal: Sport TV
- Reino Unido: BT Sport
- Canadá: Sportsnet
- España: Movistar+
- Hispanoamérica: ESPN y Star+
- Italy: Parc Fermé TV on YouTube
- Germany: Motorsport Television Deutschland on YouTube
Streaming links
| Internet (Global) |
|---|
| YouTube |
| Motorsport.tv |
| Zoome |
| Catve.com |
| Auto Videos |
| Twitch |
Rule sets
The series uses the TCR Touring Car regulations. All TCR touring cars are front-wheel drive cars based on 4- or 5-door production vehicles and powered by 1.75- to 2.0-liter turbocharged engines. While the TCR vehicle's body and suspension design are carried over from the production car, and many models use a production gearbox, certain adaptations are made for track requirements, including upgraded brakes and aerodynamics. Competition vehicles are subject to Balance of Performance (BoP) adjustments to ensure competitiveness among different vehicles.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "TCR South America set for introduction in 2021". Francisco Aure, TouringCarTimes. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "TCR South America organiser unveil details on calendar, entries and format". TouringCarTimes. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "Promotor do TCR South America analisa crescimento "surpreendente"". motorsport.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
- ^ "TCR Brasil é anunciado e primeira temporada será em 2023". motorsport.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
- ^ Esporte, Redação Máquina do (2022-06-24). "Vem aí o TCR Brasil". Máquina do Esporte (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-08-05.
- ^ "Pepe Oriola sobe no pódio atrás de Fabricio Pezzini e é campeão do TCR South America" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
- ^ "Pezzini chega em quarto na primeira corrida em San Juan e leva o título da temporada 2022 do TCR South America". motorsport.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2025-12-20. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
- ^ "Montenegro é o campeão do TCR South America e Osman fica com o título do TCR Brasil". motorsport.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2025-12-20. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
- ^ "Piloto brasiliense Pedro Cardoso se torna campeão do TCR South America". www.metropoles.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
- ^ "TCR South America coroa Leonel Pernía campeão de 2025". ABC do ABC - As melhores informações e notícias do ABC (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-12-20.
- ^ Redação, Da. "Moto1000GP e BandSports renovam parceria para temporada 2024". bandsports.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "New series gets approved by FIA, renamed TCR". TouringCarTimes. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2021-11-29.