Tatiana Calderón battles through mechanical setbacks to secure top-10 finish on NASCAR Brasil oval debut

In one her most determined performances in NASCAR Brasil, Tatiana Calderón fought from 22nd on the grid to finish ninth at Orlando Moura International Raceway, overcoming a weekend plagued by mechanical issues and extracting the maximum from her machine to secure a hard-earned top-10 finish in her first-ever oval race.

Photo credits: SG28

In one her most determined performances in the NASCAR Brasil Series, Tatiana Calderón fought from 22nd on the grid to finish ninth in Round 5 at Orlando Moura International Raceway in Cuiabá. Overcoming a weekend plagued by mechanical issues, the Colombian extracted the maximum from her SG28 Racing by Pole Motorsport machine to secure a hard-earned top-10 finish in her first-ever oval race.

Following a month-long break in the NASCAR Brasil championship, Calderón arrived in Cuiabá riding the momentum of her strongest weekend of the season at Velocitta, where she secured two Challenge class podium finishes, claimed her best qualifying result of the year, and crossed the line sixth overall.

The fifth round of the season presented an entirely different challenge as the championship headed to Orlando Moura International Raceway, where drivers tackled the series' first-ever endurance night race. The event also marked Calderón's debut on an oval, with the unique three-turn circuit demanding a completely new approach to driving, while tyre management, strategy and race execution became even more critical over the longer race distance.

Having embraced every new challenge during her debut NASCAR Brasil campaign, the Colombian was eager to continue building experience.

"I love taking on new challenges," Calderón had said ahead of the event. "This week's challenge will be completely different as we tackle our first-ever three-turn oval in Cuiabá during a night race with a unique endurance format. It's another brand-new circuit for me, just like every venue we've visited this season, so we'll need to focus on finding the right car setup and executing the best possible race strategy. Hopefully, we can continue building on the progress we showed at Velocitta."

However, what promised to be an exciting new experience quickly developed into one of the most difficult weekends of Calderón's season.

Problems emerged immediately in the opening practice session when a brake issue severely limited the team's running. As the weekend progressed, the situation worsened after a gearbox problem significantly reduced the car's top speed — a particularly costly disadvantage around an oval, where straight-line speed plays a decisive role.

The difficulties continued ahead of qualifying. A starter motor issue almost prevented the SG28 Racing by Pole Motorsport team from making it to the grid, while additional complications with engine temperatures and bodywork rubbing against one of the tyres further compromised the preparation of the car.

Despite the mounting setbacks, Calderón managed to qualify 22nd, leaving herself with a significant recovery task in the race.

Photo credits: SG28

Undeterred, the Colombian produced one of her most impressive drives of the season.

Starting from deep in the field, Calderón worked her way through the pack, as she capitalized on every opportunity, avoided incidents, and adapted her driving style to maximise the potential of a car.

Her calculated recovery ultimately yielded an impressive gain of 13 positions as she crossed the finish line ninth overall, securing a valuable top-10 finish that stood as a testament to both her racecraft and the relentless efforts of the SG28 crew to keep the car competitive despite the numerous mechanical challenges.

Reflecting on the result, Calderón described the finish as one of the most satisfying of her NASCAR Brasil campaign.

"Today, this top-10 finish feels like a victory. It was far from an easy weekend—we almost didn't make it to the starting grid because of a starter motor issue. In qualifying, we struggled with engine temperatures, and on top of that, the bodywork was rubbing against one of the tires."

"We extracted the absolute maximum from what we had, which makes this result especially rewarding. Racing in NASCAR Brasil is incredibly competitive, but we simply didn't have the top speed to fight further up the order, and on an oval that disadvantage is magnified. Even so, climbing from 22nd on the grid to finish inside the top 10 is a huge reward for all the hard work the team put in."

"I'd like to thank everyone at SG28 by Pole Motorsport for never giving up and for continuing to work tirelessly to improve every detail."

While the result may not fully reflect Calderón's outright potential, her determined drive represented another important step in her adaptation to stock car racing. Having now tackled road courses and her first oval event, the Colombian continues to broaden her experience across one of the most diverse racing programmes of her career.

Calderón and SG28 Racing by Pole Motorsport will now turn their attention to the next NASCAR Brasil Series round at Londrina on 23 August, where the team will aim to fix the reliability issues that have repeatedly hindered their campaign and build on the encouraging progress shown despite the adversity.