TCR South America Touring Car Championship
Touring car series based in South America
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The TCR South America Touring Car Championship (due to sponsorship reasons, officially known as the Bradesco TCR South America Touring Car Championship[1], short TCR SA) is a touring car racing series based in South America first held in 2021, which uses the TCR Touring Car regulations.
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| |
| 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 | |
Background
The creation of a South American-based TCR championship was announced on 4 March 2020. At the announcement, racing driver Néstor Girolami welcomed the initiative, stating that he believed the timing was appropriate for South America to establish its own TCR series. He also said that the championship could provide a pathway for young drivers to progress to higher levels of touring car racing, including the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR), and noted that, as a Honda driver, he hoped to compete in the series and represent the manufacturer in the region.[2]
The championship is headed by Felipe McGough, who was previously involved with the South American Super Touring Car Championship, and Maurizio Slaviero, former president of Stock Car Brasil. Victor Rosso, director of the Honda Racing Super TC2000 team, serves as sporting director, while race engineer Samuel Canca Ruiz is the championship's technical director.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6]
Circuits
The championship consists of circuits in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay:
- Bold denotes a circuit is used in the 2026 season.
| Number | Circuits | Rounds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Autódromo José Carlos Pace |
7[a] | 2021–present |
| 2 |  Autódromo Víctor Borrat Fabini |
6 | 2021–present |
| 3 | Autódromo Velo Città |
5 | 2022–present |
| 4 |  Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo |
4 | 2022–2025 |
| Autódromo Municipal Juan Manuel Fangio |
4 | 2023–present | |
| 6 | Autódromo Eduardo Prudêncio Cabrera |
3 | 2021–2023 |
| Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez |
3 | 2021–2022, 2024 | |
| Autódromo Oscar Cabalén |
3 | 2021, 2023, 2026 | |
| Circuito San Juan Villicum |
3 | 2022, 2024–2025 | |
| Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel |
3 | 2023–2024, 2026 | |
| 11 | Polideportivo Ciudad de Mercedes |
2 | 2024–2025 |
| Circuito dos Cristais |
2 | 2025–present | |
| Autódromo Internacional de Mato Grosso |
2 | 2025–present | |
| 14 | 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 | |
| Autódromo Ciudad de Concordia |
1 | 2026 | |
| Autódromo Rosamonte |
1 | 2026 | |
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) |
[7] |
| 2022 | Fabricio Pezzini |
PMO Motorsport |
 Lynk & Co 03 TCR |
PMO Motorsport |
Lynk & Co 03 TCR |
[8] |
| 2023 | Ignacio Montenegro |
Squadra Martino |
Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) |
Squadra Martino |
Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) |
[9] |
| 2024 | Pedro Cardoso |
BRB by PMO Racing |
 Peugeot 308 TCR |
PMO Racing |
Peugeot 308 TCR |
[10] |
| 2025 | Leonel Pernía |
Honda YPF Racing |
Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) |
PMO Racing |
Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) |
[11] |
| 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[12] | |
|---|---|
| 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
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.[13]
