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Urcera shines in Campos testing, sets sights on home WTCC race and full-season support

José Manuel Urcera created a strong impression when he tested a Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 in Spain last week - to the extent he wants to drive for real and not just when the FIA World Touring Car Championship visits his native Argentina in August.

Campos General Manager Ruben Espin described Urcera as "very fast", adding that he set an "amazing time" at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Thursday following two days of running in a Campos GP3 car.

Espin is now hard at work to turn Urcera's testing promise into a season-long drive in the WTCC for the Argentine racer, who lapped the Catalan track faster than any Campos driver had managed previously.

"The WTCC car is softer, smother than Súper TC2000 and rolls much more; the turbo is tricky because when it opens the car tends to skate but with more laps I can improve the lap time easily," said Urcera.

Urcera is signed to Citroën for the Argentine Súper TC2000 series in 2017 and will also contest the country's second-tier TC2000 category. But he's determined to make his WTCC debut at Termas de Río Hondo in the summer, while a full-season programme remains the ultimate objective subject to finding additional sponsorship.

"Everybody saw last season in Termas the job of the team with a great driver on board in Esteban Guerrieri," said Espin. "In Manu we have found another diamond who really deserves the support of Argentinian sponsors and promoters. He has the talent to become the surprise of the year and Campos Racing is going to do its best to fulfil the budget for the full season. Having him in the team for Termas will be great but having his talent for the full season can be amazing for the championship."

Urcera's Súper TC2000 team-mate for 2017 is none other than Guerrieri, who set the fastest time of all during the Termas race weekend last year on his WTCC debut with Campos.

Zdroj: fiawtcc.com