Montenegro and Civic Type R TCR take dominant double in Argentina

The Honda Civic Type R TCR scored a dominant double win in TCR South America as Squadra Martino team-mates Ignacio Montenegro and Juan Manuel Casella finished one-two in both races at Rosario, Argentina.
 
The latest successes for the JAS Motorsport-built car were accompanied by a pole position and fastest lap in the latest round of the NLS by Halder Motorsport.
 
TCR South America
Ignacio Montenegro arrived in Rosario as the series leader following his opening-race win in Cordoba and the 18-year-old was in a class of his own at Rosario.
 
Qualifying third, he moved into the lead of Race One with a forceful move at the final corner of the lap during the middle phase of the race while Uruguayan team-mate Casella recovered from a poor start that dropped him to seventh and secured the runner-up spot.
 
From eighth on the partially-reversed Race Two grid, Montenegro waited bided his time during the early stages before picking off his rivals one by one.
 
The last of these was team-mate Casella, who had made his way to the front by mid-distance, but who ceded the lead with a lap-and-a-half to go.
 
Brazilian Fabio Casagrande qualified on pole in the Trophy category and won both races. Team-mate Enrique Maglione made it a one-two for the Martino team in the class in Race One.
 
Casagrande, the 2022 Trophy champion, extended his advantage at head of standings, while in the overall championship fight Montenegro has pulled further ahead and Martino have surged to the front of the Teams’ points race.
 
NLS
Halder Motorsport took pole position for the third round of the Nurburgring Nordschleife-based series with Mike Halder putting in the time in the car he shares with sister Michelle and Roger Vogeli.
 
He set the fastest lap while building a 90s lead in the opening hour as the Civic looked set for a dominant win against the biggest field of the season so far.
 
Frustratingly a suspension bolt sheared with 30 minutes of the four hours to go, sending Michelle Halder into the pits for repairs. She resumed and finished fourth.

Main Ignacio Montenegro,  Squadra Martino, Honda Civic Type R TCR, TCR South America, Rosario, Argentina (credit: Hernan Capa/TCR South America); Lower 1 Ignacio Montenegro,  Squadra Martino, Honda Civic Type R TCR, TCR South America, Rosario, Argentina (credit: Hernan Capa/TCR South America); 2(L) Juan Manuel Casella,  Squadra Martino, Honda Civic Type R TCR, TCR South America, Rosario, Argentina (credit: Hernan Capa/TCR South America); (R) Enrique Maglione,  Squadra Martino, Honda Civic Type R TCR, TCR South America, Rosario, Argentina (credit: Hernan Capa/TCR South America); 3 Fabio Casagrande,  Squadra Martino, Honda Civic Type R TCR, TCR South America, Rosario, Argentina (credit: Hernan Capa/TCR South America); 4 Mike Halder/Michelle Halder/Roger Vogeli, Halder Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R TCR, NLS, Nurburgring,  Germany (credit: NLS Media).

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