Biondo y Caggiano dominance another Saturday in La Plata
The pilots who led Friday's testing again topped their respective categories at the Roberto Mouras circuit, but the gaps were tight enough to keep the ninth round of Procar 4000 wide open.
The first word belongs to the stopwatch. On Saturday at the Roberto Mouras circuit in La Plata, Nicolas Biondo and Ronnie Caggiano again took command of their divisions and left the rest chasing time, not headlines.
The outcome was almost a copy of Friday's: same names, same order, same fight at the front. The difference is that the rivals remain close enough to turn a comfortable lead into a real problem.
Biondo wins the Clase A by a razor
Biondo posted the fastest lap of the Clase A with his Dodge prepared by Guarnaccia Motorsport, a time of 1m37s411. Gastón Rossi, the champion, finished only 91 thousandths behind. Just 95 thousandths more and Leonardo Nowak, driving a Chevrolet, completed the podium.
- Nicolas Biondo, Dodge, 1m37s411
- Gaston Rossi, Dodge, 91 thousandths behind
- Leonardo Nowak, Chevrolet, 95 thousandths behind
A margin that small is a postcard from the previous era of this category: less than a tenth of a second decides who leads and who starts the race watching over their shoulder. This was not a Saturday for taking things easy.
Oscar Sánchez was fourth in a Ford, followed by Alan Guevara (Dodge), Emanuel Pérez Bravo (Chevrolet), Germán Pietranera (Chevrolet), Juan Farabello (Chevrolet), Ramiro Dailoff (Dodge) and Fabrizio Maggini (Chevrolet), who completed the top 10.
Caggiano and Bava keep the Clase B under control
In the Clase B, Ronnie Caggiano and Carli Bava also repeated Friday's script. Their Dodge of José C. Paz Racing registered a best time of 1m41s692, with Joaquín Pasquale in a Chevrolet 235 thousandths behind and Germán Pietranera, in a Ford alongside Roque Caggiano, 414 thousandths off the lead.
The remaining top 10 included Santiago Pasquale, Ariel García, Mario Andreoli, Gabriel Villalba, Santiago Florio, Francisco Florio and Francisco Tamagno. The classification for both divisions was scheduled for 2:07 p.m. on Saturday.
My reading is simple: Biondo and Caggiano arrived as favorites and behaved that way. But Rossi's 91 thousandths are not a cushion; they are an invitation. The surprise can still come in qualifying, and the race will be another story. The next weekend's fixture has a ninth round waiting, with La Plata already serving up the first clues.
