Esteban Guerrieri will take part in next weekend’s TCR South America races at El Pinar in a Toyota Corolla being run by a new outfit, the Bratton Tito Bessone Team.
Guerrieri competed in TCR from 2018 onwards, all of which came in Honda Civic Type-R machinery, and almost all with Münnich Motorsport. The only TCR races the Argentine contested without the German team were when he made guest appearances in the 2021 and 2022 TCR South America endurance races with Squadra Martino.
Since the end of WTCR last year, Guerrieri has moved on from touring car racing, instead competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship in a hypercar with the Vanwall Racing Team.
He will return to touring cars next weekend in Uruguay, racing a Toyota for the new team, which is headed by experienced Argentine touring car stalwart Ernesto Bessone.
Bessone himself has previously worked with PMO Motorsport, taking part as a driver in occasional races in 2021 and 2023, and more recently he has worked as a Team Manager for Pablo Otero’s outfit.
Guerrieri will take part in the Uruguayan event at El Pinar and the Argentine event at La Pedrera in San Luis, the latter of which will see the TCR World Tour join the series for an international-level event.
Guerrieri will get his first taste of the car in an outing at the City of Mercedes Sports Centre circuit next week.
“I will be competing with the Bratton Tito Bessone Team on the two dates of the TCR World Tour that will take place in Uruguay and Argentina,” said 38-year-old Guerrieri, the most winning driver in WTCR history.
“I am very excited about this nice challenge. I haven’t been in a TCR car for several months, but having so much experience and having done so many races, I’m excited to return to the international level with this type of car and what better way to do it in this format than with TCR South America BRB Bank and with all the World Cup teams.
“These days I’m going to Argentina to do a test day because the car is practically new and there we’ll get to work together with Cristian Galasso and Tito Bessone to give our best.
“I am very grateful to Diego Gutierrez and Tito Bessone who started this beautiful project and we are going to work hard to make it successful.”
Bessone is aware that the team has a lot of work to carry out in short timescales before its first event in the series.
“I am very happy that this project has come true,” said Bessone. “It is a great effort from all parties for the car to participate in these two dates that the TCR South America runs with the world championship.
“Bringing Esteban Guerrieri, an international level driver, to the team is something very nice. Obviously we are very close to the times because the car has not yet started but we are going to do it a few days before in Mercedes.
“Leading the team in the technical part will be Cristian Galasso together with Facundo Ifran, Branco Molina, Richard Maritany as mechanics, Gabriel Pereira as chief mechanic and Santiago Bessone as organization, logistics and communication.
“This project is together with Diego Gutierrez, driver in TCR South America, and we are looking forward so that everything can turn out in the best way.”
Diego Gutierrez, who has contested all races of the current TCR South America season in a PMO Racing-run Peugeot, is the owner of the new team.
“I am happy that the Bratton Tito Bessone Team project is coming true and extremely happy that Esteban Guerrieri is in command of the car,” added Gutierrez.
“It is a source of pride for us to have such an experienced driver and it is also important to have Tito Bessone at the helm of the team.
“My role in the team will be logistics and administration to continue being part of the Peugeot team as a driver.
“Obviously, I will be waiting for what happens in the team from another place but always giving my best as a PMO Racing driver”.