TCR / 02 December 2024

South American title success for Civic Type R TCR

The Honda Civic Type R TCR scored the 23rd title of its record-breaking 2024 as Enrique Maglione secured the TCR South America Trophy crown at the season finale.

And with three podium finishes plus a pole position in TCR Japan, it was another successful weekend for the JAS Motorsport-built touring car, which has won more Championships than in any other season of competition.

 

TCR South America

Maglione was crowned thanks to the bonus points he scored in securing pole position in the Trophy category and the Squadra Martino driver underlined his status as Champion with an unchallenged victory in Race One at Rosario.

It was Maglione's seventh class win of the year and added to an ultra-successful season in which he also won the TCR Brasil Trophy crown. It is the third year in a row in which Trophy honours have gone to a Squadra Martino Honda driver.

Maglione's team-mate Juan Manuel Casella arrived at Rosario leading the points overall, but was slowed all weekend by 40kg compensation weight and qualified ninth.

He finished seventh in Race One after his title rival's team-mate hit him on the last lap and caused him to drop down the order and then retired from the finale when a wheel fell off his car not long after a pitstop to change from slicks to wet tyres as rain fell.

While he secured second in the Championship, Matias Cravero and Rodrigo Baptista - the team's best qualifier - both took best finishes of eighth on race day as Squadra Martino took second in the Teams' points.

 

TCR Japan

J's Racing returned to the series for the Motegi finale with two podium finishes and a pole position as driving duties of its single Civic Type R TCR were shared between Junichi Umemoto and Hideo Kubota.

It was Kubota who started Sunday's race on pole, heading 55Moto Racing's 'Mototino' and Zenyaku Kogyo with Team G/Motion's Resshu Shioya making it an all-Honda 1-2- 3.

After slipping back to third inside two laps, Kubota showed brilliant racecraft to re-take the lead at one-third distance, but a desperate move by his chief rival resulted in the Honda being hit and spun.

Kubota resumed fourth, where he finished, behind 'Mototino' and ahead of Shioya.

Umemoto started second for both Saturday races but, after sitting on the leader's tail for the whole of Race One on his way to second place, he sprinted into first place at the start of Race Two.

He lost the advantage several turns later and was shuffled back to third - where he finished - on lap four as an attempt to reclaim the lead on the outside of Turn Two led to him being forced off the track.

'Mototino' and Shioya were fourth and fifth in both Saturday races.