Best qualifying effort for Tatiana Calderón at Londrina, as SG28 Racing takes step forward in NASCAR Brasil

Tatiana Calderón came away from the latest NASCAR Brasil round at Londrina with renewed confidence and significant progress with SG28 Racing, despite circumstances preventing her from converting a competitive weekend into the results her pace suggested were possible.

Photo credits: SG28

Tatiana Calderón came away from the latest NASCAR Brasil Series round at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Londrina with renewed confidence and significant progress with SG28 Racing, despite circumstances preventing her from converting a competitive weekend into the results her pace suggested were possible.

The Colombian driver secured her best qualifying result of the season with tenth place and demonstrated strong race pace across the weekend, while a penalty and an incident in the second race ultimately compromised her final result.

The Londrina event carried particular significance for Calderón and SG28 Racing for reasons both sporting and personal. The round marked Calderón’s first NASCAR Brasil experience at the technical Paraná circuit, while the venue is also the home track of SG28 Racing, giving the team an important opportunity to capitalize on its familiarity with the circuit after a difficult previous round in Cuiabá.

For Calderón, the weekend also had a meaning that extended well beyond the racetrack. Following the earthquake that struck Colombia the previous week, she chose to use her international racing platform to race under the Colombian flag and encourage support for families affected by the disaster and the organizations working to help them rebuild their lives.

“These past few weeks have been very difficult for my country following the earthquake we experienced last week,” Calderón said ahead of the event. “This weekend, we will be competing with our hearts in Colombia, for all the affected families and for those who are now rebuilding their lives. I want to race for my country and, through this platform, help encourage more people to come together and support those who need it.”

The sporting challenge at Londrina was nevertheless an intriguing one for the Colombian driver, who was tackling the circuit for the first time in NASCAR Brasil. The Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna is characterized by a combination of fast sections and technical corners, with an old-school layout.

Photo credits: SG28

SG28 Racing arrived particularly motivated to make progress after the difficulties encountered in Cuiabá. The team had spent the intervening weeks analyzing the mechanical and performance issues that had affected its car and implementing improvements ahead of its home event, with the objective of providing Calderón with a more competitive package from the opening practice session.

That work immediately began to produce encouraging signs; Calderón was able to demonstrate competitive speed throughout the weekend, and qualifying ultimately delivered her strongest grid position of the 2026 NASCAR Brasil season to that point, with the Colombian securing tenth place.

The strong qualifying effort was followed by similarly promising pace in the races, although Calderón encountered different challenges that prevented her from translating that speed into a representative finishing position.

In the opening race, Calderón maintained a strong rhythm but found herself disadvantaged by a slight lack of top speed. The deficit made it difficult to make progress when opportunities arose and also complicated her efforts to defend her position against rivals on the circuit's faster sections. Despite the limitation, she remained competitive and demonstrated that the underlying pace of the SG28 Racing car had taken a significant step forward compared with previous events.

The second race proved considerably more complicated from the outset; Calderón was penalized with a drive-through after an error in crossing the white line at the start, immediately dropping her to the back of the field and placing the Colombian in recovery mode.

Calderón however immediately started recovering the lost ground. A subsequent Safety Car period brought the field back together and gave her an opportunity to rejoin the fight, which she used effectively to gain positions and move back toward the top ten.

Her recovery was gathering momentum when another incident eventually ended her progress. Calderón's car was hit from behind, sending her into a spin and costing her valuable time and several positions. She ultimately crossed the finish line in 18th position.

The final result was therefore not fully representative of the pace Calderón and SG28 Racing had shown across the weekend.

Photo credits: SG28

“From a sporting perspective, it was a very positive weekend. We showed very good pace both in qualifying and in the races,” Calderón explained. “Unfortunately, in the second race I made a mistake that cost me a penalty, and then, after I had managed to rejoin the group following a Safety Car, I was hit from behind, which caused me to spin and lose a lot of time.”

“Despite that, the pace we had throughout the weekend was very good, and I want to thank the team for their tremendous effort. We showed that we can be very competitive, and now we are heading to Curvelo in a couple of weeks with a lot of motivation.”

The sporting outcome, however, was only one part of Calderón's Londrina weekend. The Colombian approached the event with the country's earthquake victims firmly in mind, using the visibility of her NASCAR Brasil campaign to encourage solidarity and support for relief efforts.

Calderón thanked supporters in Brazil and around the world for the response to the initiative and highlighted several organizations involved in helping affected families, including Karol G's Fundación Con Cora, the Colombian Red Cross and Corporación Juego y Niñez.

“First and foremost, my heart is with Colombia and with everyone affected by the earthquake,” she said. “I raced all weekend thinking about them, and I want to thank everyone for the incredible support we have received in Brazil and from different countries around the world.”

She also encouraged continued contributions to the relief efforts, stressing the importance of helping families rebuild their homes and their lives following the disaster.

“Every contribution is important to help those affected rebuild their lives, reconstruct their homes and move forward. I hope that, together, we can continue helping and building a stronger country.”

With Londrina behind them, Calderón and SG28 Racing can now carry the sporting momentum from the weekend into the next round of the championship, which will take place at Curvelo on September 20.