Leticia Bufoni completed her rookie Porsche Cup Brasil season with a top-five Sprint Trophy class finish in the finale at Interlagos, showcasing consistent improvements and smart driving in challenging conditions.
Leticia Bufoni concluded her rookie season in race cars with a top-five finish in the final round of the Porsche Cup Brasil Sprint Trophy class, securing seventh overall. She wrapped up a highly positive debut season in the Porsche one-make series with a confident and mature drive at Interlagos, despite challenging weather conditions.
Bufoni, who had long held an interest in motorsport, transitioned to GT racing in 2024 after a world-class skateboarding career. She joined the development-level Sprint Trophy series, which features the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car and serves as a stepping stone for less experienced drivers climbing the Porsche racing ladder—a path that has produced notable success stories in Brazil, including fellow female racer Antonella Bassani.
Leticia nearly claimed a podium on her debut at Goiânia, followed by a sixth-place finish at Velocittà. At Interlagos, the home of Brazilian motorsport, she scored a personal best of fourth in the third round. She continued to demonstrate improvements with another top-five finish in the fourth round, again at Interlagos, where she delivered a strong performance in mixed weather to secure fourth place.
Heading into the season finale at Interlagos, Bufoni was sixth in the championship standings with 31 points in the Sprint Trophy category. With experience gained in various weather conditions and consistent top-five performances, she aimed to end the season on a high note.
It was a double-duty weekend for the Brazilian-American, as she also competed in the 500km endurance race alongside Antonella Bassani and Cecilia Rabelo in an all-female team.
The season finale brought cloudy skies, cooler temperatures, and mixed weather, increasing the complexity for drivers. Bufoni had a positive Friday practice, regaining her rhythm after a few months' break. She improved steadily, posting a best lap of 1:42.036 in the second session, which placed her in the overall top ten and fifth in class.
In Friday’s qualifying, her time of 1:42.377 secured her seventh overall and fifth in the Trophy class, just over two seconds off the overall pole position set by championship leader José Moura Neto.
On race day, rain before the start created tricky conditions: in a chaotic opening lap where many cars spun, Bufoni skillfully avoided incidents, moving up to P6. A Safety Car period followed, leading the entire field to the pit lane to switch to wet tyres when conditions became undrivable.
The race resumed with just five minutes to go, but the wet track caused more off-track excursions and another Safety Car was deployed after Ricardo Zylberman went off at Turn 4.
Bufoni held P6 overall and P4 in the Trophy class as the race resumed for one final green-flag lap. At the restart, she defended her position against William Araujo but lost a spot at the final corner, ultimately finishing P7 overall and fifth in the Trophy class.
Her result rounded out a successful rookie season focused on learning and gaining experience. Bufoni consistently displayed smart, measured driving in challenging conditions and always brought the car home, scoring valuable points at every round.
With a solid foundation now established, she looks forward to continuing her journey in motorsport and building on her strong debut season.
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