Game and terror in Argentine races: the champion’s car was shot during the race!

Game and terror in Argentine races: the champion’s car was shot during the race!

Dmitry Zakharchenko November 25, 2023, 23:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Two bullet holes were found in the Ford, one of them in the radiator grill. The reasons are not clear.

Bullet holes were found in the car of the champion of the Argentine National Touring Car Championship, the two-time champion of Class 3, Leonel Pernía, reported in an emergency press conference. Additionally, according to the driver, one of the bullets got stuck in his Ford Focus and now law enforcement will have to figure out how it happened.

“I called this press conference to make public the facts that have been revealed. What looked like a gunshot hole was found in the car, and at the team base they discovered there were two such holes, Pernia said. “I am deeply shocked and hurt because I love this sport. I only ask one thing: that justice prevail.”

Leonel Pernía’s car

Photo: From the personal archive of Leonel Pernía

“The Tourist Pilots Association expresses its deep concern about the published facts and is willing to fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a successful investigation of what happened,” supported its Pernia colleagues. “Out of respect for justice, we intend to remain silent in the future to establish the truth as objectively as possible.”

What happened is really shocking. One of the bullet holes is in the car’s headlight and the other bullet is trapped in the radiator grill. Mechanics would likely have noticed such damage before the race, meaning it is more likely that the car was shot after the race. And for what purpose was this to be done if Pernia won the championship?

Leonel Pernía is the son of the Argentine soccer player Vicente Pernía and brother of the Spanish soccer player Mariano Pernía. He also began his sports career as a soccer player and played for Boca Juniors and played in the major leagues of Argentina and the United States. He switched to motorsport in 2006 and became Class 3 national touring car champion for the first time in 2018.

Law enforcement agencies will now analyze the details. It can be assumed that the investigation will have sufficient video recordings if the incident occurred on the road. One way or another, this appears to be an unprecedented case for global motorsport.

There was also a shooting at a car rally in Mexico in the spring:

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