Potrero de los Funes Circuit
Encyclopedia
The Lago Potrero de los Funes circuit is a race track
originally constructed in 1987, and rebuilt in 2008. It is located 14 km (8.7 mi) from San Luis
, capital city of the San Luis Province
, Argentina
. The circuit is semi-permanent, with a length of 6.27 kilometres (3.9 mi). It was created by modifying the ring road that encircles Lake Potrero de los Funes
, at the course's center.
The circuit has received very high praise from the drivers for its substantial undulations and numerous high speed corners and bends, which provide a great driving challenge.
The track's layout has changed slightly from its original layout. It appears that the curve prior to where the pits are now was tightened to create a more pronounced corner ahead of the pits, and perhaps to reduce speeds on the racing line going past the new pit exit. On the opposite side of the lake, where start/finish used to be located, a chicane has been added at the first high speed bend along that stretch. Also, on the initial descending run along the lake, there has been another chicane added to reduce speeds into the following corner that has limited run-off. Therefore, the original course had slightly shorter length of 6.186km (3.844mi).
On the track's reopening, two major events were hosted in November of 2008. A race weekend was shared by the Argentinian TC 2000
as well as the international FIA GT Championship
. José María López
won the TC 2000 event, while Bert Longin and Anthony Kumpen won the San Luis 2 Hours
in their Saleen S7R.
.
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
originally constructed in 1987, and rebuilt in 2008. It is located 14 km (8.7 mi) from San Luis
San Luis, Argentina
-External links:* * *...
, capital city of the San Luis Province
San Luis Province
San Luis is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country . Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan.-History:...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The circuit is semi-permanent, with a length of 6.27 kilometres (3.9 mi). It was created by modifying the ring road that encircles Lake Potrero de los Funes
Lake Potrero de los Funes
Lake Potrero de los Funes is a reservoir 18 km northeast of San Luis, Argentina.-Overview:The site, originally located in a corral belonging to the prominent Funes family of San Luis, was first dammed in 1860...
, at the course's center.
The circuit has received very high praise from the drivers for its substantial undulations and numerous high speed corners and bends, which provide a great driving challenge.
The track's layout has changed slightly from its original layout. It appears that the curve prior to where the pits are now was tightened to create a more pronounced corner ahead of the pits, and perhaps to reduce speeds on the racing line going past the new pit exit. On the opposite side of the lake, where start/finish used to be located, a chicane has been added at the first high speed bend along that stretch. Also, on the initial descending run along the lake, there has been another chicane added to reduce speeds into the following corner that has limited run-off. Therefore, the original course had slightly shorter length of 6.186km (3.844mi).
Races hosted
According to Damian Vega's account, a meet was held at this circuit on August 15, 1987. The main event was a Turismo Carretera race. During one of the heat races, a crash occurred that resulted in the deaths of two spectators. In the feature race, there was another crash, but the driver survived, though he may have been injured. This was the circuit's only meeting until the FIA GT weekend was held in November of 2008.On the track's reopening, two major events were hosted in November of 2008. A race weekend was shared by the Argentinian TC 2000
TC 2000
The TC 2000 Championship is a touring car racing series held in Argentina since 1979. It's considered the most advanced racing car series in South America and one of the top 10 touring car series in the world.-Rules:...
as well as the international FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
. José María López
José María López
José María "Pechito" López is a race car driver. He raced in the 2006 GP2 Series for the Super Nova team, and previously for the DAMS team, and the CMS team in Formula 3000. He was also at Renault F1 as a test driver...
won the TC 2000 event, while Bert Longin and Anthony Kumpen won the San Luis 2 Hours
2008 FIA GT San Luis 2 Hours
The 2008 FIA GT San Luis 2 Hours was the tenth and final round of the 2008 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the new Potrero de los Funes Circuit in Argentina on 23 November 2008 It is the first time in FIA GT Championship history that an event has been held in South America.-Race...
in their Saleen S7R.
| Year | Race | Category | Winner | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | TC 2000 at Potrero de los Funes | TC2000 |  José María LópezJosé María López José María "Pechito" López is a race car driver. He raced in the 2006 GP2 Series for the Super Nova team, and previously for the DAMS team, and the CMS team in Formula 3000. He was also at Renault F1 as a test driver... |
Results |
| 2008 2008 FIA GT Championship season The 2008 FIA GT Championship season was the twelfth season of the FIA GT Championship. It featured a series for Grand Touring style cars broken into two classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, called GT1 and GT2. Invitational G2 and G3 classes were also allowed to participate but... |
San Luis 2 Hours | FIA GT Championship FIA GT Championship The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South... |
 Bert Longin Anthony Kumpen |
Results 2008 FIA GT San Luis 2 Hours The 2008 FIA GT San Luis 2 Hours was the tenth and final round of the 2008 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the new Potrero de los Funes Circuit in Argentina on 23 November 2008 It is the first time in FIA GT Championship history that an event has been held in South America.-Race... |
| 2009 | Gran Premio Provincia de San Luis | Turismo Carretera Turismo Carretera Turismo Carretera is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and the oldest car racing series still active in the world.... |
Juan Bautista de Benedictis |
Results |
| 2009 | Gran Premio Coronación | TC2000 | Gabriel Ponce de León Gabriel Ponce de León Gabriel Ponce de León is an Argentine racing driver. He has run in different series, with major success in Turismo Carretera and TC 2000.- Career :*1996: Argentine Formula Renault...  Daniel Serra |
Results |
| 2010 | Gran Premio Coronación | TC2000 | Matias Rossi Matías Rossi Matías Rossi is an Argentine racecar driver. He is the youngest person to win back-to-back TC2000 championships, in 2006-2007.... |
Results |
| 2010 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship season The 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship season was the debut season of the FIA GT1 World Championship, a motor racing competition reserved for FIA GT1 cars. The championship was a replacement for the FIA GT Championship which was held from 1997 to 2009... |
San Luis 1 Hour | FIA GT1 World Championship FIA GT1 World Championship The FIA GT1 World Championship is a world championship sports car racing series developed by the SRO Group and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It features multiple grand tourer race cars based on production road cars and conforming with the GT1 regulations competing in... |
 Frédéric MakowieckiFrédéric Makowiecki Frédéric Makowiecki is a French racing driver currently competing in the FIA GT1 World Championship for Marc VDS Racing Team.-Career:... Yann Clairay |
Results 2010 FIA GT1 San Luis round The 2010 FIA GT1 San Luis round was an auto racing event held at the Potrero de los Funes, San Luis, Argentina on 3–5 December 2010, and served as the tenth and final round of the 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship season. The event shared the weekend with the TC 2000... |
| 2011 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship season The 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship season was the second season of the SRO Group's FIA GT1 World Championship, an auto racing series for grand tourer cars complying with Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile GT1 regulations. The championship comprises two titles: GT1 World Champion for... |
San Luis 1 Hour | FIA GT1 World Championship FIA GT1 World Championship The FIA GT1 World Championship is a world championship sports car racing series developed by the SRO Group and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It features multiple grand tourer race cars based on production road cars and conforming with the GT1 regulations competing in... |
 Francesco Pastorelli Yelmer BuurmanYelmer Buurman Yelmer Evert Frans Buurman is a Dutch racing driver.-Formula König:Buurman drove in the German-based Formula König championship in 2002, finishing twentieth in the season standings.-Formula Renault:... |
Results 2011 FIA GT1 San Luis round The 2011 FIA GT1 San Luis round was an auto racing event held at the Potrero de los Funes Circuit, San Luis, Argentina on 4–6 November, and was the final round of the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship season. It was the FIA GT1 World Championship's second race held in Argentina, a week after... |
| 2011 | Gran Premio Province of San Luis | TC2000 | Fabián Yannantuoni |
Results |
Future Races
The FiA GT race did not take place in 2009; however, TC 2000 and Turismo Carretera both visited the circuit. Potrero de los Funes will return to the international racing scene as the final round of the FIA GT1 World Championship for the 2010 season2010 FIA GT1 World Championship season
The 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship season was the debut season of the FIA GT1 World Championship, a motor racing competition reserved for FIA GT1 cars. The championship was a replacement for the FIA GT Championship which was held from 1997 to 2009...
.
External links
- http://www.fiagt.com/eventdetail.php?season=2008&event=10
- http://www.fiagtsanluis.com/circuito.html
- Información turística sobre Potrero de los Funes, San Luís, Argentina.