![Nelson Piquet Jr, Honda Racing [Squadra Martino], Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR](https://www.touringcars.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/TCR-South-America-race-one-cancelled.jpg "Image: TCR South America")
The opening race of the TCR South America weekend at Curvelo has been postponed, after a start-line shunt caused significant damage to the pit wall.
Earlier in the day, Honda Racing’s Nelson Piquet Jr had claimed the fourth pole position of his TCR career, edging out team-mate Tiago Pernía by 0.179 seconds in a Squadra Martino 1-2-3 at the front of the field.
At the start of the race, however, Piquet stalled his Honda, and was collected heavily by the CUPRA of Bruno Massa, who had been unsighted with Diego Ciantini’s Hyundai ahead.
Massa slammed into the back of Piquet’s Honda, with his CUPRA then ricocheting into the gate on the pit wall which normally allows access to the grid.
The metal gate failed and was destroyed in the impact, thankfully missing people in the pitlane. Massa was able to walk away from his car unaided.
Adrián Chiriano also collected Piquet’s stricken car in the melee, whilst Guilherme Reischl speared his Audi off into the barriers on the outside of the circuit at high speed.
“Unfortunately, the accident broke the pit wall, and there’s also a door there in the wall that was completely ripped off,” said series promoter Federico Punteri. “It’s going to take a long time to make the repairs, so today’s race is suspended and will be moved to tomorrow.
“The idea is that tomorrow at 09:00 [14:00 CEST, 13:00 BST] the race will take place, as if this didn’t happen. Our second race will be at the original time we had planned.
“Luckily, they’re all fine, and both of them [Piquet and Massa] are without pain. Yes, Reischl has a little pain now, but nothing serious. It’s back pain from the impact, which was hard, but luckily all the drivers are okay.”