Turismo Carretera

Turismo Carretera (Road racing, lit., Road Touring) is a popular stock car racing series in Argentina, and the oldest auto racing series still active in the world. The series is organized by Asociación Corredores de Turismo Carretera.

History

The series was established under the Argentine Automobile Club as the "Campeonato Argentino de Velocidad" in 1937 and re-named Turismo Carretera two years later, however its roots can be traced back to the loosely organised Grands Prix de Carretera of the 1910s. Events were held on open roads, across asphalt and dirt surfaces, and were held as both circuit and rally-style stage races. Competitors used lightly modified production coupés, and employed navigators due to the nature of the races. Future Formula One World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio was among the first drivers to find success in the category, winning back-to-back titles in the early-1940s, before the brothers Gálvez (Oscar and Juan) shared fourteen out of fifteen titles in a row in the post-World War II period. The most infamous event during this time was the 1948 South American Grand Prix, a 9,500km stage race from Buenos Aires to Caracas.

In the 1960s, competitors began to further experiment with modifications as the coupés gave way to prototype versions of locally made sedans; examples of such include the 1967 and 1969-winning Liebre Torinos (breaking Ford and Chevrolet's duopoly on championships) and the 1968-winning Trueno Naranja. In 1970, the championship was split into two classes – one for road races, and another for events on permanent circuits – however only for the single season. In 1973, Nasif Estéfano became the series' first and only posthumous champion having died in a crash in the third-to-last event of the season.