Stock Car Pro Series

Stock Car Pro Series

Category	Touring car racing Stock car racing
Country	Brazil
Inaugural season	1979
Drivers	38 (2023)
Teams	16 (2023)
Constructors	Chevrolet Toyota
Tyre suppliers	Hankook
Drivers' champion	Gabriel Casagrande
Teams' champion	Eurofarma RC
Official website	www.stockproseries.com.br
Current season

Stock Car Brazil, 2006

Stock Car Pro Series, formerly known as Stock Car Brasil, is a touring car auto racing series based in Brazil organized by Vicar. It is considered the major Brazilian and South American motorsports series. ^[1] 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 besides Chevrolet is Toyota. The series is composed of 12 rounds, with the most important race, the Corrida do Milhão (English: TheMillion Race) being worth double points and has a prize pool of R$1 million. The competition has seen many internationally famous drivers in 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 Series, formerly known as Stock Car Light, serving as the access category to the Pro Series. ^[2]

History

1970s

The series was created in 1979 as 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 components for all 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 being 6-cylinder Chevrolet Opalas. The pole position was held by José Carlos Palhares, 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' management 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. Despite not managing the series anymore, General Motors still participated in the series with the Vectra.

In 2005 Mitsubishi entered the series with the Mitsubishi Lancer, marking the first time in the series' history in which Chevrolet was not the sole manufacturer competing. 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.

The 2007 season marked the largest amount of manufacturers competing in the category, with the entrance of Peugeot and the 307 Sedan. The season had the presence of Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, and Volkswagen. Volkswagen announced it was withdrawing from the category in 2008, with two-time champion Mitsubishi doing the same one year later in 2009. In 2008, the championship changed from Pirelli tires to Goodyear. ^{[3] [4]}

2010s

In 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. ^{[5] [6]} In 2012, Chevrolet introduced the Chevrolet Sonic as its competing model, replacing the Vectra. ^[7] 2012 was also the last season in which Goodyear supplied tires, with Pirelli returning as the sole tire supplier in the championship from 2013 onward. ^[8] The category announced changes in the championship for the 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. ^[9] In 2017, Peugeot announced its withdrawal from the championship, leaving Chevrolet as the sole automaker to compete in the series, making it a one-make championship, with all drivers using Cruze models. ^[10]

2020s

In 2020, Toyota Gazoo Racing entered alongside Chevrolet, fielding a regulation version of their Toyota Corolla, which received a facelift in 2021. ^{[11] [12]} The season also saw a return to a monocoque chassis, replacing the tubular chassis used since 2000. On 12 December 2022, Vicar and Pirelli announced that they would not be renewing their contract and that from 2023 onward, Stock Car, Stock Series, and the F4 Brazil Championship will be supplied exclusively by Hankook. ^{[13] [14]}

In 2025, the series will switch to a Crossover SUV-based formula. ^[15] A decision based on Brazilian passenger vehicle sales, the Chevrolet Tracker and Toyota Corolla Cross will replace the existing cars with plans to add an additional two manufacturers. ^[16]

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	22	23
Chevrolet	Opala								Caio Hidroplas			Opala Prototype				Omega						Vectra				Astra					Vectra			Sonic				Cruze
Mitsubishi																												Lancer Evolution
Peugeot																														307				408
Volkswagen																													Bora
Toyota																																										Corolla

Alceu Feldmann on Campo Grande Speedway with the Chevrolet Vectra, in 2011

Luciano Burti on Campo Grande Speedway with the Peugeot 408, in 2011

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	Fábio Sotto Mayor	Chevrolet Opala	Rodovia Rio-Santos	303 km/h / 188 mph
2010	Cacá Bueno	Chevrolet Vectra JL G-09	Bonneville Salt Flats [17]	345 km/h / 214 mph

Drivers

Notable drivers

Ingo Hoffmann, 12-time champion

• Affonso Giaffone Jr. (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 with 77. 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.
• Daniel Serra (2007–) – 3-time champion (2017, 2018 and 2019), 2-time 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro class winner (2017 and 2019) and son of Chico Serra.

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

• Ingo Hoffmann (1979–2008)
• Raul Boesel (1979, 2003–2005)
• Chico Serra (1980s – 2007 / 2009 / 2014)
• Tarso Marques (2005–2011, 2018)
• Roberto Moreno (2005)
• Jacques Villeneuve (2011 / 2015)
• Alex Ribeiro (1980s)
• Wilson Fittipaldi (1980s – early 1990s)
• Christian Fittipaldi (2005–2007 / 2010)
• Luciano Burti (2005–2018)
• Antônio Pizzonia (2007–2018)
• Enrique Bernoldi (2007 / 2009 / 2014–2015)
• Esteban Tuero (2005)
• Luiz Bueno (1982)
• Bruno Senna (2013–2014)
• Lucas di Grassi (2014–2015, 2018–2019)
• Ricardo Rosset (2014–2015)
• Roberto Merhi (2014)
• Jaime Alguersuari (2015)
• Vitantonio Liuzzi (2015)
• Jérôme d'Ambrosio (2018)

Champions

All champions are Brazilian-registered.

Season	Driver	Car	Team	Tyres
1979	Paulo Gomes	Chevrolet Opala	Coca-Cola Polwax	P
1980	Ingo Hoffmann	Chevrolet Opala	Johnson	P
1981	Affonso Giaffone Jr.	Chevrolet Opala	Giaffone Motorsport	P
1982	Olímpio Alencar Junior	Chevrolet Opala	Jobi	P
1983	Paulo Gomes	Chevrolet Opala	Coca-Cola Polwax	P
1984	Paulo Gomes	Chevrolet Opala	Metalpó	P
1985	Ingo Hoffmann	Chevrolet Opala	Irmãos Giustino	P
1986	Marcos Gracia	Chevrolet Opala	Havoline-Texaco	P
1987	Zeca Giaffone	Chevrolet Opala	Refricentro/Blindex/Losacco	P
1988	Fábio Sotto Mayor	Chevrolet Opala	HG Rodão	P
1989	Ingo Hoffmann	Chevrolet Opala	Teba/Cofap	P
1990	Ingo Hoffmann	Chevrolet Opala	Teba/Arteb	P
1991	Ingo Hoffmann Ângelo Giombelli	Chevrolet Opala	Teba/Arteb	P
1992	Ingo Hoffmann Ângelo Giombelli	Chevrolet Opala	Castrol/Giombelli	P
1993	Ingo Hoffmann Ângelo Giombelli	Chevrolet Opala	Castrol/Giombelli	P
1994	Ingo Hoffmann	Chevrolet Omega	Castrol Racing	P
1995	Paulo Gomes	Chevrolet Omega	JF-Freio Vargas	P
1996	Ingo Hoffmann	Chevrolet Omega	Castrol-Action Power	P
1997	Ingo Hoffmann	Chevrolet Omega	Castrol-Action Power	P
1998	Ingo Hoffmann	Chevrolet Omega	Castrol-Action Power	P
1999	Chico Serra	Chevrolet Omega	WB-Texaco	P
2000	Chico Serra	Chevrolet Vectra	WB-Texaco	P
2001	Chico Serra	Chevrolet Vectra	WB-Texaco	P
2002	Ingo Hoffmann	Chevrolet Vectra	JF-Filipaper Racing	P
2003	David Muffato	Chevrolet Vectra	Repsol-Boettger	P
2004	Giuliano Losacco	Chevrolet Astra	ItuPetro RC	P
2005	Giuliano Losacco	Chevrolet Astra	Medley-A.Mattheis	P
2006	Cacá Bueno	Mitsubishi Lancer	Eurofarma RC	P
2007	Cacá Bueno	Mitsubishi Lancer	Eurofarma RC	P
2008	Ricardo Maurício	Peugeot 307	Medley-WA Mattheis	G
2009	Cacá Bueno	Peugeot 307	Red Bull Racing	G
2010	Max Wilson	Chevrolet Vectra	Eurofarma RC	G
2011	Cacá Bueno	Peugeot 408	Red Bull Racing	G
2012	Cacá Bueno	Chevrolet Sonic	Red Bull Racing	G
2013	Ricardo Maurício	Chevrolet Sonic	Eurofarma RC	P
2014	Rubens Barrichello	Chevrolet Sonic	Full Time Sports	P
2015	Marcos Gomes	Peugeot 408	Voxx Racing	P
2016	Felipe Fraga	Peugeot 408	Cimed Racing	P
2017	Daniel Serra	Chevrolet Cruze	Eurofarma RC	P
2018	Daniel Serra	Chevrolet Cruze	Eurofarma RC	P
2019	Daniel Serra	Chevrolet Cruze	Eurofarma RC	P
2020	Ricardo Maurício	Chevrolet Cruze	Eurofarma RC	P
2021	Gabriel Casagrande	Chevrolet Cruze	A.Mattheis Vogel	P
2022	Rubens Barrichello	Toyota Corolla	Full Time Sports	P
2023	Gabriel Casagrande	Chevrolet Cruze	A.Mattheis Vogel	H

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 2023 season are:

• Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Goiânia), Goiânia, GO (1979–1981, 1983–2001, 2004, 2014–present)
• Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos), São Paulo, SP (1979–present) ^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• Autódromo Internacional de Tarumã, Viamão, RS (1979–1981, 1983–1996, 1998–2001, 2004–2009, 2012–2017, 2023)
• Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel, Cascavel, PR (1979–1981, 1983–1993, 1995–1997, 2000, 2012–2021, 2023)
• Autódromo Velo Città, Mogi Guaçu, SP (2017–present)
• Velopark, Nova Santa Rita, RS (2010–2019, 2022–present)
• Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez, Argentina (2005–2007, 2017, 2023)
• Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, Brasília, DF (1979–1981, 1983–1986, 1988–1992, 1994–2014, 2023)

Former circuits include:

• Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Londrina), Londrina, PR (1993–1995, 1997, 1999–2008, 2010–2012, 2016–2020)
• Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba, Pinhais, PR (1980–2018, 2020–2021)
• Autódromo Internacional de Guaporé, Guaporé, RS (1979–1981, 1983–1995, 2000, 2002)
• Autódromo Internacional de Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS (2005–2011, 2014–2019, 2021–2022)
• Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Jacarepaguá), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (1979–2012) ^{[lower-alpha 2]}
• Autódromo Internacional Orlando Moura, Campo Grande, MS (2002–2004, 2006–2011, 2015, 2018–2019)
• Autódromo Internacional Virgílio Távora, Fortaleza, CE (1979, 1984, 1989, 1992)
• Circuito Ayrton Senna, Salvador, BA (2009–2014)
• Circuito Cacá Bueno, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (2022)
• Circuito do Estoril, Portugal (1982)
• Circuito dos Cristais, Curvelo, MG (2016–2017)
• Ribeirão Preto Street Circuit, Ribeirão Preto, SP (2010–2013, 2015)

Fatal accidents

There have been five fatal accidents:

• In 1985, Zeca Greguricinski, died at Interlagos from burns suffered after a crash. ^[18]
• In June 2001, Laércio Justino, died at Nelson Piquet Circuit of Brasília after losing control of the car and crashing at the pit lane entrance. ^[18]
• 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. ^[18]
• 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. ^{[19] [20] [21]}
• 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. ^[22]

Video games

The first official video game was Game Stock Car in 2011, with a followup title Stock Car Extreme launched in 2013. Both were developed by Reiza Studios. ^[23]

In 2014, Both the Peugeot 408 and a non-licensed version of the Chevrolet Sonic called "ADC Presteza" were present in the Category A Touring Cars class of Grid Autosport ^{[24] [25]} ..

Automobilista, released in 2016 and developed by Reiza Studios using the RFactor engine, featured the full 2015 and 2017 car grids and circuits. ^[26] Automobilista 2, released in 2020 using the Project CARS engine, adding the 2019 and 2020 cars and circuits. ^{[27] [28]}

Racing simulator iRacing has included the Stock Car Pro Series cars in the game since 2022. ^[29]

See also

• Copa Truck
• Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
• NASCAR
  • NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race
• TC 2000 Championship
• World Touring Car Cup
• Brazilian Automobile Confederation
• Stock Series

Notes

1. The last race in the full course of Interlagos was held in 1989.
2. The last race in the full course of Jacarepaguá was held in 2005.

References

1. Morais, Lucas (5 November 2020). "Você conhece a Stock Car Brasil?". Brasil123. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
2. Cerveira, Ana Paula (11 January 2022). "Remodelada, Stock Series vira estágio obrigatório para acesso à Stock Car". Grande Prêmio (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
3. "Goodyear leva internautas para etapa da Stock Car". Exame (in Brazilian Portuguese). 25 May 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
4. "Goodyear oferece alta tecnologia à Stock Car para maior desempenho em pistas molhadas". Presskit (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
5. "Peugeot 408 vai estrear na Stock Car - Revista iCarros". iCarros (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
6. Max, Júlio (22 February 2011). "Peugeot 408 ganha carroceria para a Stock Car" . Retrieved 16 January 2023.
7. "Sonic Sedan é o novo carro de competição da Chevrolet na Stock Car". AUTOO (in Brazilian Portuguese). 8 March 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
8. "Pirelli fornecerá pneus para a Stock Car a partir de 2013". GZH (in Brazilian Portuguese). 20 December 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
9. "Novo Chevrolet Cruze estreia no Brasil com a Stock Car". autoesporte (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
10. "Peugeot abandona a Stock Car". ISTOÉ DINHEIRO (in Brazilian Portuguese). 1 February 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
11. "O primeiro teste com os novos Corolla e Cruze da Stock Car 2020". motorsport.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
12. "Novo Toyota Corolla da Stock Car surge invocado e com V8 de até 550 cv". Quatro Rodas (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
13. "Stock Car anuncia fim de parceria com Pirelli". motorsport.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
14. "Stock Car: Hankook Tire é a nova fornecedora de pneus". motorsport.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
15. "Stock Car com cara nova em 2025: categoria terá carros SUV na pista" (in Portuguese). Grupo Globo. 15 December 2023.
16. "Corrida de SUV? Stock Car aposta em Tracker e Corolla Cross para 2025" (in Portuguese). Forbes Brazil. 21 January 2024.
17. Cacá Bueno estabelece novo recorde de velocidade da Stock Car: 345 km/h
18. "Morte de Rafael é a quarta na Stock Car" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 9 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
19. "Acidente mata Rafael Sperafico durante prova em Interlagos" (in Portuguese). Folha de S.Paulo. 9 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
20. "Piloto da Stock Car Light morre em acidente em São Paulo" (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 9 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
21. "Rafael Sperafico loses his life". F1-Live.com. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
22. Honorio, Rafael (3 April 2011). "Após acidente, Gustavo Sondermann tem morte cerebral confirmada". globoesporte.globo.com (in Portuguese). Organizações Globo . Retrieved 4 April 2011.
23. "Stock Car Extreme on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
24. Watton, Neil (3 June 2014). "GRID: Autosport full car listing revealed". TheXboxHub. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
25. Groenendijk, Ferry (26 June 2014). "GRID Autosport Car List". Video Games Blogger. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
26. "IGCD.net: Vehicles/Cars list for Automobilista". www.igcd.net. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
27. "IGCD.net: Vehicles/Cars list for Automobilista 2". www.igcd.net. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
28. "The Automobilista 2 Track List". OnlineRaceDriver. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
29. "Brazil's Stock Car Pro Series Cars Coming to iRacing in 2022". 13 October 2021.

External links

• Official website of the Stock Car Pro Series