Tatiana Calderón makes promising NASCAR Brazil debut with point scoring result

Tatiana Calderón entered her first ever NASCAR Brazil weekend with a determined and ultimately rewarding debut at Santa Cruz do Sul, overcoming a series of challenges to secure her first championship points with a P11 in Race 2.

Photo credits: Jose Mario Dias

Tatiana Calderón began her NASCAR Brazil campaign with a determined and ultimately rewarding debut at Santa Cruz do Sul, overcoming a series of setbacks to secure her first championship points and lay a solid foundation for the next rounds.

The Colombian was a late addition to the grid, as she joined SG28 Pro Racing - the team that also signed her in Stock Car Pro Series - alongside fellow female driver Bruna Tomaselli.

Calderón, who is also contesting her rookie season in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, had a positive practice on her first NASCAR Brazil outing, where she significantly built speed and found herself competitive in the first sessions. She however faced a challenge in qualifying, where technical issues compromised her session and left her starting from 19th on the grid.

Despite the difficult starting position, Calderón showed strong pace and confidence in Race 1, quickly settling into a competitive rhythm and making steady progress through the field.

Demonstrating her racecraft and experience, Tatiana climbed toward the top ten and looked on course for a promising result.

However, her charge was abruptly halted when a multi-car incident unfolded ahead of her; with limited room to react, Calderón was forced into retirement while attempting to avoid the chaos, bringing an early end to what had been an encouraging drive.

Ahead of Race 2, the SG28 Pro Racing team implemented significant setup changes, which immediately translated into improved performance. Calderón once again was the protagonist of an impressive recovery drive, gaining multiple positions and showing stronger lap times as she worked her way back into the overall top 10.

Her pace suggested she could challenge not only for a top-ten finish overall but also for a podium in the Challenge class, until an unfortunate gearbox issue interrupted her progress, causing her to lose valuable time.

Despite the setback, Calderón was able to rejoin the race and continue to the finish; showing fighting spirit, the Colombian brought the car home in 11th position, securing her first points in NASCAR Brazil. While the final result did not fully reflect the potential shown across the weekend, it still represented an important achievemnt on her debut in the series.

Reflecting on her debut, Calderón highlighted both the challenges and the positives, noting how quickly she adapted to the new environment and car despite limited prior experience. Racing for the first time in Brazil and discovering the Santa Cruz circuit, the progress made with the team was notable, particularly after the setup changes ahead of Race 2.

“My first weekend in NASCAR Brazil was a very special and important experience", Tatiana commented. "From the outset, I felt very comfortable working with everyone at SG28 Pro Racing, and I would especially like to thank Carlos for the opportunity."

"There is still a lot for us to learn about the car, and this was also my first time racing in Brazil and discovering the Santa Cruz circuit, which I really enjoyed. Qualifying didn’t go as planned, and in the first race, I was forced out while trying to avoid an incident ahead", she summarized.

"For Race 2, we made positive setup changes and I was able to gain several positions. Unfortunately, we encountered a gearbox issue - which we are still investigating - that resulted in a spin while we were fighting for a podium in the Challenge class."

"Despite everything, I leave encouraged by how much we learned this weekend, and I’m confident it will help us heading into the next round in Cascavel", Calderón concluded. "We will continue working hard to improve. I would like to thank all the fans for their support, as well as my sponsors AVL RaceTech, Con Cora, and Escudería Telmex-Claro.”

With valuable experience gained over the event, Tatiana Calderón now looks ahead to the next round at Cascavel on May 3, where she will aim to convert her promising speed into a strong result.