Autódromo General San Martín

Overview

Autódromo General San Martín is the permanent circuit of Comodoro Rivadavia, a city of Chubut on the Atlantic coast of Patagonia whose fortunes rest partly on oil. The track lies on the southern edge of the city alongside Ruta Nacional 3, next to the small aerodrome of the Aeroclub Comodoro Rivadavia. For decades it has been the southernmost regular stop of Argentina's national touring car series, and it is the home of the Chubut provincial championship, whose classes such as TC Austral, TC Patagónico, TP 1100 and TP Gol 1.6 race there several times a year.

Technical Specifications and Track Features

The asphalt circuit can be run in several configurations. The classic course of 3.764 km, used for the most recent national visits, includes the S-bends known as the Viborita, laid out when the track was first paved. The long version of 4.170 km swaps the Viborita for a slower infield complex added in 2006. Being close to the ocean, the venue is fast and often wind-swept, and sudden gusts, changes of temperature and reduced visibility are a real part of the challenge. The lap records on the classic course belong to Turismo Carretera, with 1:15.269 set by Agustín Canapino in 2022, while TC2000, TC Pick Up and Turismo Nacional have also set reference times there.

Facilities and Specialized Areas

The paddock is overlooked by a three-storey tower that gives a view over the whole complex, and the same site holds the Kartódromo Costila, a separate kart track. A shorter course of 3.100 km cuts off the part of the lap that reaches towards the ocean. Southbound traffic on the dual carriageway of Ruta Nacional 3 cannot cross the central reservation, so visitors coming from the north continue to the next roundabout and turn back.

History

Before the circuit existed, Turismo Carretera raced on public roads around the city, and in the mid-1960s on a short course in the industrial district that became too narrow for the growing fields. The Auto Moto Club de Comodoro Rivadavia began building a dirt track on the present site in 1966. In the spring of 1969, under club president Raúl Andrés Vilariño, the members themselves did much of the work to pave it, and the new 3.764 km course followed the dirt track apart from the new Viborita esses. It opened on 14 December 1969 with the final round of that year's TC championship, won by Luis Rubén Di Palma in a Torino. Fórmula 1 Mecánica Argentina visited in 1970 and from 1972 to 1974, and TC2000 made its first visit in 1991. Turismo Carretera returned for four seasons from 2004, joined by Top Race V6 and again TC2000. The 2007 TC meeting saw a multi-car accident that cost the life of Guillermo Castellanos, which led the category to end its tradition of carrying co-drivers. TC came back in 2013, 2015 and 2017, when Luis José Di Palma, grandson of the first winner, took the victory, and again in 2022, followed by Turismo Nacional and TC Pick Up in 2023.