Brazilian W Series driver Bruna Tomaselli made her debut in endurance racing by claiming a pole position and a podium in the Curitiba round of the Imperio Endurance Brasil Championship.
W Series newcomer Bruna Tomaselli made her debut in endurance racing last weekend, as she entered the second round of the Império Endurance Brasil championship at the Curitiba Circuit. Competing for Satti Racing on a MRX prototype, Bruna opted to join the sportscar national championship to keep her racecraft trained, after completing a series of Formula 3 tests earlier this season.
With the cancellation of her rookie W Series campaign, in fact, Bruna - like her fellow colleagues - had to find an alternative schedule to keep race-ready when the all-female F3 championship will see the green light next year.
"It is an atypical year, since the W Series season has been cancelled. So we made a plan to keep myself in shape and ready for when the season starts in 2021," she explained.
“I have been training in Formula 3 and have even contested a race in Interlagos. We started to negotiate my participation in Endurance there. It is a new experience for me, with different racing dynamics compared to what I am used to, but it is great because we have high profile drivers on the grid and we are in the P3 category, which is very competitive", she added.
"It's a pleasure to have Bruna on our team." - said Eduardo Satti, team manager at Satti Racing before the event. "I have followed her career since she competed in Formula Junior, where I had a team, and from an early age I saw her potential."
Since the first tests, Bruna met her team's expectations, which gave the Satti squad confidence going into the Curitiba round.
"I was surprised by the car. I managed to adapt well and felt comfortable driving. So, we will do our best to have a good race" - explained Tomaselli after the first runs, teaming-up with Henrique Assunção, Fernando Fortes and Fernando Ohashi for the four-hour race.
And, the 22-year old from Caibi, Brazil, did not disappoint expectations, as she took pole position in the P3 category and went on to finish her first endurance race on the podium.
“On Thursday we managed to lap well. In qualifying, I could help the team to secure pole-position"- recalled Tomaselli, who made history by becoming the first woman to enter a race in the Brazilian Endurance championship.
Behind the wheel of the Satti Racing's MRX prototype, Tomaselli knew that strategy-wise, she had a different race ahead compared to formula racing: "I come from 'traditional' races, so I listened a lot to my teammates and we decided, together with the team, what the best race strategy would be. Endurance racing has some peculiarities and it is very important to have a good relationship with everyone in the team".
One hour into the race, the P3 prototype suffered some technical hiccups that costed the Satti Racing crew the lead, which dropped Tomaselli and her teammates back both in the class and overall classify.
"We had a problem early on, which costed us some positions. Our category is very competitive, so we had to charge back to secure a podium."
Tomaselli was the third driver to go out on track and to complete her stint, as she contributed to the team's efforts to recover the lost time in the final hours of the race.
"I really enjoyed the racing. It is full of strategy, and you have to manage the traffic from the other categories while keeping the pace."
"I managed to drive a lot during the weekend, which is my goal to keep myself in shape for next year. I would like to thank my teammates and the entire Satti Racing team. I felt very good with them and I can't wait for the next race". Tomaselli, in fact, already confirmed her presence for the next round, which will be held in early October at the Velopark Race Track, as she eagerly awaits the start of next year's W Series championship.
