Stock Car Brasil

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Stock Car Brasil
Stock Car BR.png
CategoryTouring car racing
Stock car racing
CountryBrazil
Inaugural season1979
Drivers28 (2020)
Teams13 (2020)
ConstructorsChevrolet
Toyota
Tyre suppliersPirelli
Drivers' championRicardo Maurício
Teams' championEurofarma RC
Official websitewww.stockproseries.com.br
Motorsport current event.svg Current season
Stock Car Brazil, 2006.

Stock Car Brasil, officially known as Stock Car Pro Series, is a touring car auto racing series based in Brazil. It is considered the major Brazilian and South American motorsports series. Starting in 1979 with Chevrolet as the only constructor, the series has also seen other constructors joining in and leaving such as Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Volkswagen, currently the only other beside Chevrolet is Toyota. The series is composed by 12 rounds, with the most important race, the Corrida do Milhão (English: The Million Race) is worth double the points and has a prize pool of R$1 million. The competition has seen many internationally famous pilots on its ranks, such as Rubens Barrichello, Felipe Massa, Jacques Villeneuve, Lucas di Grassi, Nelson Piquet Jr., Ricardo Zonta, Tony Kanaan and António Félix da Costa.

There's also the Stock Car Light Series, serving as the access category to the Pro Series.

History[]

1970s[]

The series was created in 1979 to be an alternative to the former Division 1 championship that competed with Chevrolet Opala and Ford Maverick. The dominance of Chevrolet over Ford models was causing a lack of public interest and sponsors. General Motors then created a new category, with a name reminiscent of the famous NASCAR with standardized performance and improvements for all the competitors. The first race was run on 22 April 1979 at the Autódromo Internacional de Tarumã, Rio Grande do Sul with 19 cars competing, all of them 6-cylinder Chevrolet Opalas. The pole position was held by , and the race was won by Affonso Giaffone.

1980s[]

Chevrolet Opala 1987–1989

This decade saw the emergence of several rivalries between drivers. In 1982 two races were held for the first time at the Autodromo do Estoril, Portugal.

The first major change in the Stock Car standard occurred in 1987. With the support of General Motors, a fairing designed and built by coachbuilder Caio was adopted, which was adapted to the Opala's chassis. The car exhibited improved aerodynamics and performance. Safety equipment become more sophisticated.

1990s[]

Chevrolet Opala 1990–1993
Chevrolet Omega 1994–1999.

In 1990 General Motors renewed its interest in the category and built a prototype intended to replace the Caio/Hidroplas model.

In 1991 new rules were established and the races were disputed in double rounds on the weekends, with two drivers per car, but the series continued to lose ground with the public, sponsors and television networks to other championships with many manufacturers involved, such as Campeonato Brasileiro de Marcas e Pilotos that included the involvement of Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford and Volkswagen, as well as the always popular Formula racing championships.

In 1994 the championship returned to the old rules and Chevrolet announced that the Chevrolet Omega would be introduced as the new standard model. As part of a marketing strategy and in order to reduce costs, the tickets were free and the races were now held in double rounds sponsored by Brazilian Formula Chevrolet in an event called Chevrolet Challenger. This decade marked a dominant era for Ingo Hoffmann with eight titles, three in partnership with Ângelo Giombell. His only serious challenges came from Paulo Gomes in 1995 and Chico Serra in 1999.

2000s[]

Stock Car in 2007. Chassis used in 2000 until 2008.
JL G-09 Chevrolet 2009–2011

From 2000 on, General Motors departed the series and Vicar Promoções Desportivas, owned by former racing driver Carlos Col, took over the organization. This ushered in a period of modernization and improved security as the category started to use a tubular chassis designated JL G-09. The project engineer was Edgardo Fernandez, who did something similar for the Argentina category Top Race V6, inspired by both NASCAR and the DTM. The chassis was built by Zeca Giaffone's JL Racing.

In 2003 the category replaced the Chevrolet 6-cylinder engine used with modifications since 1979 with a Chevrolet V8 imported from the United States by JL Racing, similar to the engines used by the NASCAR Busch Series. General Motors participated in the series with the Vectra.

In 2005 Mitsubishi entered the series with the Mitsubishi Lancer. 30 October of that same year marked the first race held in Argentina at Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez, alongside the TC 2000 category. Attendance was 70,000. Giuliano Losacco was the winner, with Mateus Greipel second and Luciano Burti coming in third.

In 2006, Volkswagen entered in the series with the Bora and the championship adopted a point system similar to the one used in NASCAR, as well as a new system with 16 teams and 32 drivers. At the end of the season, the 10 best drivers were automatically qualified to run the 4 final races, called Super Final, similar to the Chase for the Sprint Cup. In 2007, the category gained another manufacturer with the entrance of Peugeot with its 307 Sedan. Volkswagen announced it was withdrawing from the category in 2008, with two-time champion Mitsubishi doing the same one year later.

2010s[]

Alceu Feldmann on Campo Grande Speedway with the Chevrolet Vectra, in 2011.
Luciano Burti on Campo Grande Speedway with the Peugeot 408, in 2011.

For 2010 the category started using ethanol as fuel and engines with electronic injection.

In 2011, Peugeot re-entered the championship announced with the 408 sedan model, replacing the 307. In 2012, Chevrolet introduced the Chevrolet Sonic as its competing model. The category announced changes for 2012 season, dropping the Super Final system. The scoring system was also changed, with the top twenty drivers in each race being awarded points. For the 2016 season, General Motors announced the Chevrolet Cruze as the replacement for the Sonic. In 2017, Peugeot announced its retirement from the competition leaving Chevrolet as the lone automaker to compete in the series in which all drivers used identical Cruze models, making it a one-make style championship in South American stock car racing. Then, in 2020, Toyota Gazoo Racing entered alongside Chevrolet, fielding a regulation version of their Toyota Corolla.

Support races[]

Created in 1992, the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet was the Series' main support category. It used the same chassis as Formula Opel until 1994, subsequently switching to a Techspeed chassis until 2002, which was the same year the category was retired.

The Stock Car Light second tier was created in 1993, and reformulated in 2008 to become the Copa Vicar. After a merger with Pick-up Racing Brasil, the Copa Chevrolet Montana was established and standardized around the Chevrolet Montana model. Pick-up Racing Brasil was a category created in 2001 but only became part of the Stock Car Brasil programme until 2006.

The Stock Car Jr. third tier was created in 2006. It was intended for young and amateur drivers moving from Kart racing. In 2010 the category was replaced with the Mini Challenge Brasil. After three seasons it was cancelled.

Manufacturer representation[]

Make 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Chevrolet Opala Opala Prototype Omega Vectra Astra Vectra Sonic Cruze
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Peugeot 307 408
Volkswagen Bora
Toyota Corolla

Scoring systems[]

Points Position
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th
1st Heat 30 24 22 19 17 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
2nd Heat 24 20 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Last Round 60 52 44 38 34 30 28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2

Speed records[]

Bueno after running on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Year Driver Car Local Speed
1991 Chevrolet Opala Rodovia Rio-Santos 303 km/h / 188 mph
2010 Cacá Bueno Chevrolet Vectra JL G-09 Bonneville Salt Flats[1] 345 km/h / 214 mph

Drivers[]

Notable drivers[]

Ingo Hoffmann, 12-time champion.
  • (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 (1979–2003/2007) – The winner of the first season in 1979, also 4-time champion.
  • Chico Serra (1999–2009) – 3-time champion (1999, 2000 and 2001)
  • Ingo Hoffmann (1979–2008) – 12-time champion (1980, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2002) and the driver with the most series wins overall. He competed from 1979 to 2008.
  • Cacá Bueno (2002–) – 5-time Champion: (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012). Runner-up: 2003, 2004 and 2005. He is the son of the sports commentator Galvão Bueno.

Former Formula One drivers[]

Currently in the series
  • Ricardo Zonta (2007–)
  • Rubens Barrichello (2012–)
  • Nelson Piquet Jr. (2014–2015, 2018–)
  • Felipe Massa (2018, 2021–)
Formerly in the series

Champions[]

All champions are Brazilian-registered.

Season Driver Car Team
1979 Paulo Gomes Chevrolet Opala Coca-Cola Polwax
1980 Ingo Hoffmann Chevrolet Opala Johnson
Chevrolet Opala Giaffone Motorsport
Chevrolet Opala Jobi
Paulo Gomes Chevrolet Opala Coca-Cola Polwax
Paulo Gomes Chevrolet Opala Metalpó
Ingo Hoffmann Chevrolet Opala Irmãos Giustino
1986 Chevrolet Opala Havoline-Texaco
Chevrolet Opala Refricentro/Blindex/Losacco
Chevrolet Opala HG Rodão
Ingo Hoffmann Chevrolet Opala Teba/Cofap
Ingo Hoffmann Chevrolet Opala Teba/Arteb
Ingo Hoffmann
 Chevrolet Opala Teba/Arteb
Ingo Hoffmann
 Chevrolet Opala Castrol/Giombelli
Ingo Hoffmann
 Chevrolet Opala Castrol/Giombelli
Ingo Hoffmann Chevrolet Omega Castrol
Paulo Gomes Chevrolet Omega Freio Vargas/JF
Ingo Hoffmann Chevrolet Omega Castrol/Action Power
Ingo Hoffmann Chevrolet Omega Castrol/Action Power
Ingo Hoffmann Chevrolet Omega Castrol/Action Power
Chico Serra Chevrolet Omega Havoline-Texaco
Chico Serra Chevrolet Vectra Havoline-Texaco
Chico Serra Chevrolet Vectra Havoline-Texaco
2002 Ingo Hoffmann Chevrolet Vectra Filipaper/JF
2003 David Muffato Chevrolet Vectra Repsol-Boettger
2004 Giuliano Losacco Chevrolet Astra ItuPetro RC
2005 Giuliano Losacco Chevrolet Astra Medley-A.Mattheis
2006 Cacá Bueno Mitsubishi Lancer Eurofarma RC
2007 Cacá Bueno Mitsubishi Lancer Eurofarma RC
2008 Ricardo Maurício Peugeot 307 Medley-WA Mattheis
2009 Cacá Bueno Peugeot 307 Red Bull Racing
2010 Max Wilson Chevrolet Vectra Eurofarma RC
2011 Cacá Bueno Peugeot 408 Red Bull Racing
2012 Cacá Bueno Chevrolet Sonic Red Bull Racing
2013 Ricardo Maurício Chevrolet Sonic Eurofarma RC
2014 Rubens Barrichello Chevrolet Sonic Full Time Sports
2015 Marcos Gomes Peugeot 408 Voxx Racing
2016 Felipe Fraga Peugeot 408 Cimed Racing
2017 Daniel Serra Chevrolet Cruze Eurofarma RC
2018 Daniel Serra Chevrolet Cruze Eurofarma RC
2019 Daniel Serra Chevrolet Cruze Eurofarma RC
2020 Ricardo Maurício Chevrolet Cruze Eurofarma RC
2021 Gabriel Casagrande Chevrolet Cruze A.Mattheis Vogel Motorsport

Circuits[]

Races are held mostly on road courses, although a race was held on a street circuit in Salvador for the first time in 2009. The tracks for the 2019 season are:

Former circuits include:

Fatal accidents[]

There have been five fatal accidents:

  • In 1985, , died at Interlagos from burns suffered after a crash.[2]
  • In June 2001, , died at Nelson Piquet Circuit of Brasília after losing control of the car and crashing at the pit lane entrance.[2]
  • 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 time of the accident.[2]
  • 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 compete in the top-level series. It was the first fatal accident in the Stock Car Light series.[3][4][5]
  • On 3 April 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.[6]

Video games[]

The first official video game was in 2011, with a followup title launched in 2013. Both were developed by .[7]

, released in 2016 and developed by using the RFactor engine, featured the full 2015 and 2017 car grids and circuits.[8] Automobilista 2, released in 2020 using the Project CARS engine, adding the 2019 and 2020 cars and circuits.[9][10]

Racing simulator iRacing is slated to include the Stock Car Pro Series cars for 2022. [11]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Cacá Bueno estabelece novo recorde de velocidade da Stock Car: 345 km/h
  2. ^ a b c "Morte de Rafael é a quarta na Stock Car" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 9 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  3. ^ "Acidente mata Rafael Sperafico durante prova em Interlagos" (in Portuguese). Folha de S.Paulo. 9 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  4. ^ "Piloto da Stock Car Light morre em acidente em São Paulo" (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 9 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  5. ^ "Rafael Sperafico loses his life". F1-Live.com. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  6. ^ Honorio, Rafael (3 April 2011). "Após acidente, Gustavo Sondermann tem morte cerebral confirmada". globoesporte.globo.com (in Portuguese). Organizações Globo. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Stock Car Extreme on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  8. ^ "IGCD.net: Vehicles/Cars list for Automobilista". www.igcd.net. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  9. ^ "IGCD.net: Vehicles/Cars list for Automobilista 2". www.igcd.net. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  10. ^ "The Automobilista 2 Track List". OnlineRaceDriver. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Brazil's Stock Car Pro Series Cars Coming to iRacing in 2022". 13 October 2021.

External links[]

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