Brazilian driver represents RAFA Racing Team in the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 alongside Chris Spada
The 2026 Pirelli GT4 America season kicked off this past weekend at Sonoma Raceway, marking the series debut for Brazilian driver Werner Neugebauer. Sharing driving duties in the No. 812 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 with American teammate Chris Spada, Neugebauer secured two seventh-place finishes in the Pro-Am class, delivering a consistent start to the championship.
Both one-hour races, held on March 27 and 28, featured intense battles on one of the most technical circuits on the calendar. Despite facing challenges throughout the weekend, the duo showed competitive pace and the potential to fight further up the field.
“We have good speed and a solid pace, but Sonoma is a very difficult track to overtake,” said Neugebauer. “We managed to make some moves, but it’s really tough to progress through the field. We also had issues during the mandatory pit stop and lost valuable time. Now it’s about fixing those details and pushing forward to the next round in Texas.”
The event schedule began earlier in the week with additional test sessions, but mechanical issues prevented the team from maximizing track time on the opening day, limiting part of their adaptation to the circuit.
In Friday’s qualifying session, Spada set the seventh-fastest time in the Pro-Am class and started Race 1. After completing his stint largely under full course yellow conditions, he handed the car over in sixth place. During the mandatory pit stop, the car experienced difficulties restarting, costing the team valuable time in the pits. Neugebauer rejoined and maintained a strong pace to finish seventh in class.
For Race 2, the grid was set by each driver’s fastest lap, with Neugebauer qualifying eighth in class. Starting the race, the Brazilian gained positions in the opening laps before pitting for the driver change. Once again, issues during the pit stop affected the team’s overall result. Spada took over and brought the car home with another seventh-place finish in the Pro-Am category.
The next round of the season takes place April 24–26 at Circuit of the Americas, featuring a single three-hour endurance race.
Follow Werner Neugebauer on social media:
Instagram: @wernerneugebauer8
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