Stock Car Brasil

Stock Car Brasil (also known as Campeonato Brasileiro de Stock Car) is a Touring car auto racing series held in Brazil, its first season was in 1979, it's considered the major Brazilian motorsports series. The series consists in 3 competitions, the main Stock Car V8 (called Copa Caixa Stock Car) the Copa Chevrolet Montana and Mini Challenge Brasil.

History

1970s

It was created in 1977 to be an alternative to the former Division 1 (D1), which ran under the brands Chevrolet Opala and Ford Maverick. This occurred because the D1 was losing the interest of the public and sponsors for becoming a single-brand category because of the superiority of the Chevrolet models. For that not to happen, General Motors created a new category, which unites performance and sophistication. The name was a stroke of genius: in addition to emulating the name of the famous American category NASCAR, diverted attention from what was a single brand, a fact which was proved in practice this year alone.

is first race was held on April 22, 1979, in Tarumã in Rio Grande do Sul Creating the category was the best response to an aspiration of a community with a passion for race cars, a category of tourism that united by the standards of the time, performance and sophistication.

The regulation was designed to limit costs, for balance, without compromising performance worthy of international competitions. The first trial included the presence of 19 cars, all of the model Opal six-cylinder engine with 4-100cm3. The pole position was the debut of the Carioca José Carlos Palhares, the devil. He made the time to 1min 23sec 00. The race was won by Affonso Giaffone.

1980s

At the time, the pilot returned to the Brazilian auto racing after a stint at Formula 1, where the team defended Copersucar. Ingo Hoffmann, twelve times the Stock champion, came to dominate the category in the late eighties, when he won the titles from 1989 to 1995.

This season was a great number of exceedances, duels and party full of emotion. Over the years have been hundreds of races in Brazil by the racetracks. In 1982 two events were held at the Autodromo do Estoril, Portugal.

In 1987 occurred the first major change in the Stock Car. With the change in GM's support organization, has adopted a fairing, designed and built by coachbuilder bus Caio, who was placed on top of the chassis of the Opala. The car won in aerodynamics and performance, much like getting a prototype, but without the GM brand. Safety equipment become more sophisticated.

1990s

GM returns to invest heavily in the category in 1990, returning to organize and started to build a prototype in your plant block.

Without great appeal to the public and losing ground to cheaper categories benches by other manufacturers, the category goes through further processing in 1994, when it is adopted as a vehicle adapted for Omega street competition. In a marketing strategy and to reduce costs, the races are now held in double rounds in Formula Chevrolet, an event called Chevrolet Challenger , whose tickets were free and distributed at car dealerships of the brand.

2000s

From 2000 The General Motors leaves of organizing the competition in short, which is now held by the company Vicar, owned by former driver Carlos Col, which also manages the Formula 3. To modernize the competition and improve driver safety, the stock car starts to use a tubular chassis. The project engineer is from Argentina Edgardo Fernandez, which does something similar for the Argentina category Top Race V6, inspired by both the NASCAR as in the U.S. DTM German. The chassis, made in JL, former pilot of the company Zeca Giaffone, you can receive the fairing of any sedan car.

Since 2003 is no longer used in the category 6-cylinder engine Chevrolet, used with modifications since the beginning of Stock Car in 1979, being replaced by V8 Chevrolet 350 imported from the United States by JL, similar to that used in Busch Series, the second category of NASCAR, equal and limited to 450 HP. Thus, the automaker GM is now sponsoring the category, providing the fairing of the sedan Vectra, making room for other manufacturers could enter the category with low investment.

The season of 2005 also joined the history of Stock Car. In addition to the category have become multi - the first time the Mitsubishi Lancer ran alongside the Chevrolet Astra, on October 30th of 40 cars Stock Car V8 engine performed an unprecedented race outside of Brazil worth points for the championship. It was a round to the side of TC 2000, the main category of Argentina and in July had run in Curitiba (Autodromo Internacional de Curitiba). The Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez received an audience of 70,000 people. Giuliano Losacco was the winner with Mateus Greipel second and Luciano Burti third.

The year 2006 had more news. In addition to the race had been held in Argentina in the calendar, the Stock Car V8 received the third mark. The Volkswagen Bora became the fairing of ten cars in the main category of motor racing from Latin America. The teams have been released for the use of the use of telemetry, which allows greater control of the teams on the handling of the car.

For 2007 the competition with the participation of the fourth assembly, the Peugeot, which uses the fairing of the 307 Sedan initially in eight cars and then in ten. The goal is that the category has 10 cars each of the four brands.

In 2008, the Volkswagen announced his departure from the category and number of cars on the grid fell from 38 to 34. Already in 2009, was the Mitsubishi who left the class and the cars had to change so they become similar to the German DTM and the number of cars fell again, from 34 to 32. Thus, the category was left with only two automakers: Chevrolet Vectra and Peugeot 307.

2010s

For 2010, Stock Car will have ethanol as fuel, the cars are also using electronic injection, the category gets more a street circuit and racing came to be transmitted to the outside^[1] the category recounted with 34 cars.

On March 10, 2010 announced the merger of the Stock Car Light and Pick-Up Racing, creating the Copa Chevrolet Montana, a new division of access to the main category..^[2] was also created the category Mini Challenge in lieu of Stock Jr.

In 2011 the body changed its automaker Peugeot 307 sedan for a body of 408, 408 are 14 bubbles which are now part of the stock car.

Categories

Stock Car V8

The main competition since the creation of Stock Car Brasil in 1979, named Copa Caixa Stock Car, uses 480 HP cars.

Copa Chevrolet Montana

The second-highest level, created in 2010, uses Chevrolet Montana cars, having replaced the previous Copa Vicar (formerly called Stock Car Light).

Mini Challenge Brasil

The third-highest level, created in 2010, uses Mini Cooper cars.

Categories extinct

• Stock Car Light (1993-2007 ) / Copa Vicar (2008-2009)
• Pick-Up Racing (2001-2009 )
• Stock Jr. (2006-2009 )

Cars

• Chevrolet Opala – 1979–1986
• Chevrolet Caio/Hidroplas – 1987–1989
• Chevrolet Opala Prototype – 1990–1993
• Chevrolet Omega – 1994–1999
• Chevrolet Vectra – 2000–2003
• Chevrolet Astra – 2004–2008
• Chevrolet Vectra – 2009–present
• Mitsubishi Lancer – 2005–2008
• Volkswagen Bora – 2006–2007
• Peugeot 307 – 2007–2010
• Peugeot 408 –present

Scoring system

Race

Super Final

The championship pointing system is similar to the one used in NASCAR, at the end of the season, similar to the Chase for the Cup, the best 10 drivers are qualified to the "Super Final" in the 4 final races.

Speed ​​records

Below maximum speed records obtained with cars Stock Car Brazil, outside the race.

Drivers

Notable drivers

• Affonso Giaffone Filho (1979–1980s) – The winner of the first race in 1979, and the champion of the 1981 season. The father of Affonso Giaffone, a former IndyCar Series driver.
• Paulo Gomes (1979–2003) – The winner of the first season in 1979, also 4 time champion.
• Ingo Hoffmann (1979–2008) – 12 times champion (1980, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2002) and most winner of the series. He entered from the first race of the series in 1979, and competed for 30 years until 2008.
• Cacá Bueno (2002 – ) – Champion: 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2011. Runner-up: 2003, 2004 and 2005. He is one of the sons of the sports commentator Galvão Bueno.

Former Formula One drivers

Currently in the series

• Luciano Burti (2005 – )
• Ricardo Zonta (2007 – )
• Antônio Pizzonia (2007 – )

Formerly in the series

• Ingo Hoffmann (1979–2008)
• Raul Boesel (1979, 2003–2005)
• Chico Serra (1980s – 2007-2009)
• Tarso Marques (2005-2010)
• Alex Ribeiro (1980s)
• Wilson Fittipaldi (1980s – early 1990s)
• Christian Fittipaldi (2005–2007 / 2010)
• Enrique Bernoldi (2007 / 2009)

Champions

Circuits

Races are held most in road courses, in 2009 for the first time a race was held in a street circuit in Salvador. The circuits for the 2010 season are:

• Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos), São Paulo, SP
• Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba, Pinhais, PR
• Velopark, Nova Santa Rita, RS
• Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Jacarepaguá), Rio de Janeiro, RJ
• Ribeirão Preto Street Circuit, Ribeirão Preto, SP
• Salvador Street Circuit, Salvador, BA
• Autódromo Internacional Orlando Moura, Campo Grande, MS
• Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna, Londrina, PR
• Autódromo Internacional de Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS
• Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, Brasília, DF

Former circuits in the Stock Car Brasil championship include:

• Autódromo Internacional de Tarumã, Viamão, RS (last race: 2009)
• Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Jacarepaguá), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (full course. last race: 2005)
• Autódromo Internacional de Guaporé, Guaporé, RS (last race: 2002)
• Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Goiânia), Goiânia, GO (last race: 2001)
• Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel, Cascavel, PR (last race: 1992)
• Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos), São Paulo, SP (old 8 km track. last race: 1989)
• Autódromo Internacional Virgílio Távora, Fortaleza, CE (last race: 1979)

Fatal accidents

There have been five fatal accidents:

• In 1985, Zeca Greguricinski, died at Interlagos. He was burnt to death.^[4]
• In June 2001, Laércio Justino, died at Nelson Piquet Circuit of Brasília after lost control of the car and crashed at the pit lane entrance.^[4]
• In September 2003, Raphael Lima Pereira, a 19 year-old photographer, was hit by Gualter Salles at Campo Grande circuit and died. He was near the safety area at the accident.^[4]
• On 9 December 2007, Rafael Sperafico, of the Sperafico racing family, died during the final race of the Stock Car Light 2007 season at Interlagos. His cousins Rodrigo and Ricardo Sperafico race in the top-level series. It was the first fatal accident in the Stock Car Light series.^[5][6][7]
• On April 3, 2011, Gustavo Sondermann, competing in a Copa Chevrolet Montana race, was killed at Interlagos in an accident almost identical to that of Sperafico, four years earlier.^[8]

See also

• Fórmula Truck
• DTM
• NASCAR
• TC 2000

References

External links

• Stock Car Brasil official website in Portuguese