Entre Group sponsors Mercedes AMG Cup driver

Grupo Entre, an ecosystem of payment solutions, aggregated services and financial solutions, is sponsoring driver Guilherme Franceschini in his debut season in the Mercedes AMG Cup. The category is one of the most prestigious in Brazilian motorsport. 

"The sponsorship was a great opportunity for us to show everyone that we, at EntrePay and Grupo Entre, are betting on new talent. Our idea is to promote and provide the conditions for Guilherme to grow and achieve his goals. It's the same culture we have at EntrePay. We take the client, deal with our ecosystem and give him the ability to grow and achieve big dreams," says Antonio Freixo, Mineiro, CEO of Grupo Entre, EntrePay's parent company.

The partnership with Entre marks a redemptive year for the 25-year-old driver, son of Roberto Franceschini, one of the names of 1970s motorsport in Paraná. Guilherme has been racing karts since he was 11 and had been training to move up a category, but he narrowly missed out on this year's season. Tuberculosis caused him to spend almost 30 days in intensive care, in serious condition, with 90% of his lungs compromised, at the end of 2023. "I thought I wouldn't make it in time, but I ended up recovering very quickly and the first thing I did, as soon as I got out of hospital, was to book my car at Mercedes, even before I knew if I'd get sponsorship," says the driver.

On average, under normal conditions, it takes six months for a team to close a sponsorship deal and sign up for the race. Guilherme, however, met with Grupo Entre in mid-January, confirmed the sponsorship and got a place in the category. Within a month, he had assembled a team and all the equipment for the season, which he is racing in the C300 category. 

The competition is entering its fifth stage. In the second and third rounds, Franceschini faced electrical and mechanical problems. But in the fourth, he finished two races with the car in one piece, even in unprecedented weather conditions for him, who had never raced in the rain before. "This fourth round was challenging, but also very enjoyable. In the second race of the day, we came 11th out of 15 drivers, even though my engine was much weaker than the others, because we still have a mechanical problem to solve for the fifth round," he said. 

For him, "difficulties are part of the game". "The important thing is that we managed to finish the two races of the day and now I'm increasingly committed to overcoming all the obstacles." 

The races are broadcast live on the Band Sports channel for those who want to watch from home.