Sunday 11, when the Qatar World Cup 2022 take a break before the semifinals, the Road tourism will define their championship, which can be historic if any of the top title candidates, Manu Urcera Y Mariano Werneris crowned in the circuit of San Juan Villicum.

Although Entre Ríos’ Werner is the two-time defending champion in the category, he can still score a very big mark as a Ford driver. Since Héctor Gradassi prevailed in 1974, 1975 and 1976, the same driver has not won three Oval-branded titles in a row.

Werner, however, is behind in the Gold cupwhere the leader is Urcera, with 166.5 and a historic goal: brings Turin to the top after 51 years. With the Maquin Parts Racing team, the San Antonio native Oeste could give the marque a title last won in 1971.

Half a century ago, the brand created by Industrias Kaiser Argentina (IKA) was preponderant, making its debut in the TC with the title of Edward Copello in 1967had been extended with Gaston Perkins (1969) and with which it was sealed Rubén Luis Di Palma, winner in 1970 and 1971a few years before the aforementioned record of Gradassi.

More here in time marked by the dominance of Chevroletits classic rival’s last run was in the early 1990s. Between 1991 and 1994 Ford won four consecutive championships: the double of Oscar Aventín and those of Walter Hernández and Eduardo “Lalo” Ramos.

After these successes, the Oval celebrated again in 1999 with John Mary Traverso -which between 1995 and 1997 had won the championship three times with Chevrolet-, while only in the new century did they win the titles with their Omar cars “the Guri” Martínez (2004 and 2015), Juan Manuel Silva (2005), Emanuel Moriatis (2009), Mauro Giallombardo (2012), Diego Aventín (2013) and the recent ones by Werner.

Although top contenders, the man from Río Negro and the one from Entre Ríos aren’t the only riders with mathematical options for the title. Are also Stephen Giniwho with another Turin is 37 points behind Urcera, and multiple champion Agostino Canapinobehind with 122 drives in fourth place in the Gold Cup.

Motorcycle enthusiast, TN champion and boyfriend of Nicole Neumann

José Manuel Urcera He was born on July 9th 31 years ago. He is the son of María Cecilia Roza and Claudio Urcera, owner of several companies -TSB, TN Cuyana, VDN, Cementos del Sur, Oil Sinergia and Depósito Fiscal y Aguanero del Neuquén, among others- related to the oil industry. Paula’s older brother studied Administration but his true passion is iron, so much so that, with the complicity of his father, he started practicing motor sports at the age of 4. After spending his teenage years on motorbikes, he switched to cars.

His first TC win came in 2016, with a Chevrolet Las Toscas Racing, at the Roberto Mouras Circuit in La Plata, while in 2017 he reached the podium for the first time in the 1000 kilometers of Buenos Aires which celebrated the 80th anniversary of the category. That season, he also qualified for the Gold Cup, the one in which he now has title aspirations, which he escaped in 2019 and 2020when he was second and third respectively.

Although he is waiting for his title to materialize in the top national category, Urcera knows what it means to be a champion: was from TN in historic 2019 and 2020. A few months later, his personal life was transformed. He moved to Buenos Aires and soon after his name changed from the sports section to the entertainment section due to his love story with the model. Nicholas Neumannwho will accompany him to San Juan.

“I’m very excited and can’t wait for the weekend to come. I like driving racing cars and Having the chance to be a champion is even more exciting. I like El Villicum for the definition of TC, it’s a circuit that I like and we were also the last winners there. Without a doubt, qualifying will be essential to think about Sunday’s race” Urcera said Radio samples.

Furthermore, he felt that with Werner they are “one step ahead” of the others. “It is true that since the new car we have improved the level a lot I think that together with Werner we are a small step forward, but the races must be run and you don’t have to think so much about the numbers, but about going fast”, analyzed who will leave Turin in 2023 to race for Toyota.

Werner, used to definitions

At 33, the Paraná native made his TC debut way back in 2008 but only ushered his record into the 2020 pandemic, when he and his partner, Micaela, were already parents of Salvador and Rafael. He has something in common with Urcera: he was also a National Tourism champion, when he won in Class 3 in 2017.

Last year, when he became two-time TC champion, he told Clarín that he doesn’t pay attention to the fact that he will be Ford’s new idol due to his recent enshrinements: “People put the title of ‘idol’. I live in the moment. I like driving, racing, doing things right and going straight. And look for good outfits to always have obligations and feel encouraged. Do what you do out of passion.”

Both that title and the previous one took place in San Juan Villicum, the same place where this Sunday he will try to overturn the deficit for chain his third title, something a Ford driver hasn’t achieved in 46 years.

In addition to the two championships won and a second place in 2013, Werner also has in his story the leading role of a controversial final. It was when Ortelli won his seventh TC title, in 2016, and the Entre Ríos man touched Matías Rossi, the candidate to become champion, in a scandalous maneuver that motorsport fans still remember.

Other fans, on the other hand, expect it to happen again and that the options will open up to another rider like Canapino. It’s important to remember that the last race of the year will award 50% more points than a normal date, so there will be 70.5 units up for grabs and nothing settled until the checkered flag.