10.09.2004 The young driver from Curitiba Lico Kaesemodel won the fourth round of the Trofeo Brazil in front of his passionate home fans last weekend

The young driver from Curitiba, Lico Kaesemodel, won the fourth round of the Trofeo Brazil in front of his passionate home fans last weekend.

His win makes up for the missed opportunities in previous races and the 25 points he gained, vaults him into a slender lead in the South American series with two rounds remaining.

The Autodromo at Curitiba started operations in the late 1960s and nowadays it is home to Brazil's most important car and motorcycle races as well as a host of sporting events.

Located in a setting of great natural beauty with a European climate, in July the Curitiba circuit hosted the first official race of the 2004 season Trofeo Maserati, and last weekend the competitors returned there for the fourth round.

The Autodromo's impeccably maintained track and excellent infrastructure helped to make this one of the most exciting races of the whole season.

Kasemodel's win swept him into the championship lead, the youngster now holds a slender three point lead over Paulo de Tarso, who finished fourth.

The clear series leader heading to Curitiba, Antonio Herman, retired but picked up two points after being classified in fourteenth place. He now drops down to third place on 55 points, compared to new leader Kaesemodel, who has 61 points, and Tarso, on 58 points. Snapping at the trio's heels is Joao Adibe with 46 points.

The series now heads to Rio de Janeiro for the penultimate round in two weeks time, before the final encounter takes place at Interlagos on 24th October.