Another Argentinian in the WTCC

Nestor Girolami will replace Rickard Rydell at Nika Racing for two upcoming rounds of the World Touring Car Championship.

The 26-year-old Argentinian driver is the reigning champion of the Argentinian Super TC 2000. It had been previously planned that he would fill in the empty seat of Proteam Racing’s Honda Civic, but the deal fell through after the Italian team withdrew from the championship.

Girolami will drive the races in Slovakia and Portugal after Rydell was sidelined for three weeks due to thyroiditis. The Argentinian has already had a taste of WTCC as he was part of the tests at the factory Lada Vesta after the round at Hungaroring and impressed team principal Viktor Shapovalov.

“I come from the same Cordoba Province as WTCC champion Jose Maria Lopez. He won the Super TC2000 title in 2012 and I won the title in 2014,” said Girolami who is eager to prove himself in the new competition.

“I am really very happy and motivated with this opportunity, and I want to thank Peugeot Argentina for giving me the green light to go ahead with these two races. It’s definitely the best opportunity I have had in my career. The first step must be to finish the races. We will make a test before the race but everything will still be very new: car, team and track. I really know nothing so I need some time to get comfortable in the car and learn all the different things about racing in the WTCC.”

“I would love to come to the WTCC next year and race a full season. It is a very big and professional championship with a race in Argentina and I want to be a part of it. Big thanks to WTCC promoter Eurosport Events and to Honda Racing team Sweden for all their help in making this happen,” concluded the new Argentinian driver in the championship.