Being the fastest driver on the track is no longer a business cheap in national motoring for as long as it has existed the ballast, that amount of kilos that the regulations of the different categories impose on the best in a “match” competition their performance with that of the rest of the participants and accentuate the competition for the title until the end of the championship.
It was born in the early 90s, immediately after Oscar Castellano -Jonatan’s father, one of the protagonists of the National Tourism scandal on Sunday- won consecutively the Road Tourism titles between 1987 and 1989. And the rest of the categories replicated it, each with its own particular rules for load and unloading chili.
This determination in the TC, however, did not prevent, for example, Juan Maria Traversa be an idol or a champion, because – by the way – the Subtle He had no qualms about deliberately lifting to avoid getting on the podium (at the time they were carrying 30, 20 and 10 pounds for the top three). The business, therefore, had to be fourth and it didn’t go wrong: he was a three-time consecutive TC champion between 1995 and 1997, to which he added the title 1999.
The ballast, no doubt, threatens the idols. At the TC, later Subtle can be mentioned a Guglielmo Ortellichampion seven times, while further back in time it could be distinguished only by its handling Agostino Canapino.
But those pounds with which the best attempted – several times – are penalized against the showas it happened in National tourism on Sunday.
A crowd had filled the Galvez racetrack for the special race of the 200 Drivers but the outcome of the final of the most important category, the class 3overshadowed the show.
In the last few meters, after the last chicane, neither the one who finished first nor the one who finished second won – they run for the same structure – because they both raised; and to take advantage of it was the one who did not have the necessary victory to dream of the title in Rosario and is now practically second (with one point) in the championship.
The failed strategy that sparked a scandal
Leonel Pernia was the leader of the Class 3 race in Buenos Aires, followed by Fabián Yannantuoni, Jonatan Castellano, also a pilot of the MG-C Pergamino team, and Javier Merlo, the only one who shouldn’t win in the MG-C plans.
Aware of this situation, Pernía did nothing but wait for Castellano to overtake Yannantuoni – something he finally achieved in the Reutemann sector – and then give him the necessary victory so that the structure had to the two drivers fighting for the title in the last round.
However, due to ballast and poor communication in the pitsthe two riders got up in the last few meters and resigned, not knowing that it would not be Yannantuoni who won the race but Merlo, who had thus obtained the victory he needed to run for the title.
It was such an extreme maneuver that, while Castellano had enough time to cross the finish line 13th, discount the kilos remaining at zero and arrive as a pointer to the definition, Pernía had to get on the podium in second place and was 22.5 points behind and as the driver with the most ballast (55 kilos ) -Merlo with the victory has risen to 50 kilos- of the four who will fight for the title, given that the other is Jerónimo Teti, with 205 points and 40 kg.
“A beginner’s mistake”
While the fireworks lit up the clear sky of the City of Buenos Aires, Mauro Garciathe head of the Pergamino team, could not hide his anger towards those in charge of speaking on the radio with Pernía and Castellano. “Assholes, go to your mother’s shell, unhappy, what good is it to me?”he shouted at them in the box.
Later, calmer, he explained to the Champions radio show: “I warn whoever is on the radio with Leo (Pernía) that if he gets up Merlo would win (because Pincho Castellano had already got up). they didn’t warn him. Pincho did what he had to do to finish 13th and well … Merlo won the race. “
And he confessed: “I am very sad. Almost all the work of a year with two cars fighting for a championship, from the same team, we have passed on to another “.
Pietro Vigliettithe engineer of the team in charge of the car from Castellano, supported him the plan was to win or unload the ballast. “We came from Trelew (the previous race) with the idea that we have to win or be 12. There was no gray, it was black or white, to be able to reach the last race with a chance,” he said.
According to Viglietti, when he asked those in charge of the dialogue with Pernía if Leo would have raised for Castellano to overcome him at some point in the race, the answer was categorical: “No, Leo wins”. It is then that he asks Castellano to start losing positions to finally finish 13th. “We made the plan,” he defended himself.
Pernía, who led 19 of the 20 laps, admitted he was committed “a beginner’s mistake”. “I’m very angry because we did everything to win, and in fact we could have won it. We made a mistake from under the car, because they only looked at Castellano and didn’t do it with Merlo. We made a beginner’s mistake and unfortunately we missed it, “he stressed. .
Furthermore, he admitted: “The decision to get up is mine because I drove, obviously I never knew that the third was Merlo, nor did I see him in the mirrors”.
“So he showed up, he won and now he’s a clear contender for the title.”concluded in relation to the last date, which will be held on 25, 26 and 27 November at the Autodromo Juan Manuel Fangio in Rosario.
Source: Clarin
