Saturday at the Autódromo Ciudad de San Nicolás delivered a moment Ignacio Faín will not forget anytime soon, as he claimed his very first pole position in Turismo Carretera. Piloting the Torino entered by Trotta Racing, the driver from Villa Minetti put together a stunning lap to conquer the general classification during the second day of the Copa de Oro.
Running in the third quarter aboard the Torino N°86, Faín executed a flawless run to clock a time of 1:26.047. That effort left him 216 milliseconds clear of Otto Fritzler, who took second place in his Mercedes Benz for Maquin Parts Racing, while Julián Santero secured third position in a BMW.
Behind the top three, Diego Azar finished fourth in a Mercedes Benz, Matías Rossi took fifth for Toyota, and Facundo Chapur placed sixth in another Torino. The remainder of the top ten featured Mariano Werner in seventh for Ford, Christian Ledesma in eighth for Chevrolet, Agustín Canapino in ninth for Chevrolet, and José Manuel Urcera rounding out the top ten in a Mercedes Benz.
Further back among the competitors in the Copa de Oro, Juan Pablo Gianini finished 13th, Jonatan Castellano took 17th, Mauricio Lambiris claimed 18th, Marcos Landa placed 21st, and Hernán Palazzo ended up 35th.
Reflecting on the milestone, an ecstatic Faín shared his disbelief: “Estoy súper contento. Es una sensación inexplicable. Recién pensaba que hace cuánto que no clasificaba primero, o incluso pelear por la pole. Eso demuestra lo difícil que es el Turismo Carretera. Estoy muy agradecido con todos los chicos del Trotta, familia y amigos”.
Conditions on track shifted dramatically over the day, with heavy morning rain giving way to afternoon sunshine that dried the asphalt just in time for the decisive sessions. Action for the 12th round in San Nicolás resumes tomorrow at 10:55 hours with the qualifying heats broadcast on Canal 9.
