Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet - Brasil

Jacarepaguá/Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet
Formula One layout
Location Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Time zone GMT -3
Major events Brazilian Grand Prix (1978 & 1981-1989), CART (1996-2000), Rio de Janeiro motorcycle Grand Prix (1995-2004), Stock Car Brasil (19??-Current)
Grand Prix Circuit (1978-1994)
Surface Asphalt
Length 5.031 km (3.126 mi)
Turns 11
Lap record 1:32.507 (Riccardo Patrese, Williams, 1989)
Grand Prix Circuit (1995-2005)
Surface Asphalt
Length 4.933 km (3.605 mi)
Turns 13
Short Circuit (1995-2005), Grand Prix Circuit (2006-201?)
Surface Asphalt
Length 3.336 km (2.073 mi)
Turns 7
Emerson Fittipaldi Speedway (1996-2005)
Surface Asphalt
Length 3 km (1.864 mi)
Turns 4
Lap record 0:38.565 (Christian Fittipaldi, Newman-Haas, 1999, Cart FedEx Championship Series)

The Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Nelson Piquet International Autodrome), also known as Jacarepaguá, after the neighbourhood in which it was located, is a race course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil which hosted the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix 10 times.

Contents

History

The circuit, which had opened in the mid-1960s on reclaimed marshland, was re-built and re-configured in 1978, thus the course is quite flat with little elevation change. The course itself has few distinguishing characteristics, with two main straights, the pit straight and the longer back straight, which housed the majority of the 90,000 spectator seats, saw the turbo powered Formula One cars of the mid-1980s regularly topping 300 km/h (186 mph). The track also included numerous mid to slow-speed corners with plenty of room for overtaking; however, the scenic backdrop of the mountains of Rio is quite stunning.

Formula One

The rebuilt Jacarepaguá circuit first hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix during the 1978 Formula One season. The race was won by Ferrari's Argentine driver Carlos Reutemann, with Sweden's Ronnie Peterson, driving the revolutionary Ground effect Lotus 78-Ford, on pole position with a time of 1:40.45. The race moved for 1979 and 1980 to the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo.

The Grand Prix returned to Jacarepaguá in 1981 and would remain at the circuit until the end of the decade. The race was again won by Reutemann, this time driving a Williams-Ford. Reutemann won after disobeying team orders which required him to finish behind team mate, 1980 World Champion Alan Jones, who finished second.

The 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix was shrouded in controversy. At the height of the FISA-FOCA war, the winner, 1981 World Champion Nelson Piquet in a Brabham-Ford, and second placed Keke Rosberg (Williams-Ford) were both disqualified after the race for being underweight. France's Alain Prost won the first of his record six Brazilian Grand Prix's (five won at Jacarepaguá) driving a Renault.

Brazilian Piquet officially won his first home Grand Prix in 1983 driving a Brabham-BMW turbo. No second place was awarded after 1982 World Champion Rosberg was disqualified for the 2nd year running after receiving a push start in the pits (his Williams FW08 had caught fire during his pit stop, forcing Rosberg to temporarily abandon the car). Triple World Champion Nikki Lauda finished third in his McLaren-Ford.

Both the 1984 and 1985 races were won by Alain Prost, this time driving the McLaren-TAG Porsche. Prost also won the 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix in a McLaren-TAG Porsche. The only interruption to Prost's run was the 1986 race, won by Nelson Piquet driving a Williams-Honda.

The 1984 race also saw the F1 debut of future triple World Champion Ayrton Senna driving a Toleman-Hart. Senna, who would go on to win 41 Grands Prix and would claim 65 pole positions before his death 10 years later at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, qualified 17th (one position in front of team mate Johnny Cecotto), but was the first retirement from the 61 lap race with turbo failure on lap 8.

In 1988 the Jacarepaguá circuit was named after Brazil's first triple World Drivers' Champion Nelson Piquet. Piquet had won the World Championship in 1981, 1983 and 1987. In his first race on the track since it was renamed after him, Piquet finished 3rd in the 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix driving a Lotus-Honda, finishing behind the McLaren-Honda of Alain Prost, and the Ferrari of Gerhard Berger.

The last Brazilian Grand Prix held at Jacarepaguá was the 1989 race, the first in the new non-turbo era of Formula One that continues as of the 2012 Formula One season. Britain's Nigel Mansell took a surprise win in his V12 Ferrari (complete with F1's first semi-automatic gearbox) from Alain Prost's McLaren-Honda, with Brazilian Mauricio Gugelmin finishing third in his March-Judd. 1988 World Champion Ayrton Senna of Brazil (McLaren-Honda) was the last F1 pole winner at Jacarepaguá with a 1:25.302 of the 5.031 km (3.126 mi) circuit. Senna's time was the fastest ever recorded at the circuit, beating his 1986 pole time of 1:25.501 set in the JPS Lotus-Renault.

The most successful Formula One driver at Jacarepaguá was Frenchman Alain Prost, who recorded five of his record six Brazilian GP wins at the circuit. The four time World Champion won in 1982 for Renault, in 1984, 1985 and 1987 for McLaren-TAG, and 1988 for McLaren-Honda, while finishing 2nd, also for McLaren-Honda, in 1989.

From the 1990 Formula One season, the Brazilian Grand Prix was moved permanently to the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo.

CART

From 1996 to 2000 the CART series staged events at Jacarepaguá in an accessory trapezoid-shaped speedway named Emerson Fittipaldi Speedway having approximately 3 km (1.864 mi) length. The race, originally the Rio 400, before being shortened to the Rio 200 in 1999, was first won in 1996 by Brazilian André Ribeiro.

The circuit record for the Emerson Fittipaldi Speedway was set by Emmo's own nephew Christian Fittipaldi with a time of 38.565 (280 km/h or 174 mph) for the 3 km (1.864 mi) track.

Motorcycle Grand Prix

The circuit also hosted the Rio de Janeiro motorcycle Grand Prix race from 1995 to 2004. Italy's nine time World Champion Valentino Rossi won the most races, winning four from 2000-2003, while Australian five-time World Champion Michael Doohan won the 1996 and 1997 races.

The first Rio Motorcycle Grand Prix was won by Italian Luca Cadalora, riding a Yamaha YZR500. The final race held at the circuit in 2004, was won by Japanese rider Makoto Tamada riding a Honda RC211V.

Honda won seven of the nine Rio Grand Prix's held, with Yamaha winning two.

Other Races

The circuit held the Mil Milhas Brasil endurance race in 1997.

Recent

As of early 2005, there were plans to partially demolish this racetrack to make room for a new sports complex to be used for the 2007 Pan American Games. It would have made the track approximately 1.67 miles (2.69 km) long, thus making it too short for most international racing series. However, the FIA's ruling on a track's minimum length is ambiguous. In 2006, despite rumors of the race being cancelled, the Brazilian Stock Car Rio event was contested on a temporary short circuit combining sections of the oval and normal circuits and the start/finish line was moved to the back stretch, which was cut short to make room for the Pan-American games venues.

Another proposal for the circuit was to have both a club permanent circuit, and an international-length half-permanent, half-car park circuit involving that circuit and an extension which utilises the car parks of the park. That would be have been designed by Hermann Tilke.

In January 2008, it was announced that the track was to be demolished in next years to allow the city to build an Olympic Training Centre venue for the Rio de Janeiro bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics which Rio was successful.

On the other hand, a new circuit will be build at Deodoro neighborhood.

As of 2008, the 3.336 kilometres (2.073 mi) track comprises the original's second half, with a hairpin that connects the previous main straight and back straight. It remains active, with races such as Stock Car's Corrida do Milhão.

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