The 1948 South American Grand Prix (Spanish: Gran Premio de la América del Sur del Turismo Carretera), also known as Buenos Aires–Caracas, was a motor race held as part of the 1948 Turismo Carretera championship.
Entry list Driver Co-Driver Marque 1 Juan Manuel Fangio Daniel Urrutia Chevrolet 2 Héctor Suppici Sedes Silvestre Calache Ford 3 Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Federico Herrero Ford 4 Ernesto Hilario Blanco Atilio Plini Ford 5 Arturo Kruuse Juan J. Otero Plymouth 6 Ricardo Leopoldo Risatti F. Hugerza Chevrolet 7 Emilio Karstulović Raúl Cestac Ford 8 Pablo Guille Juan Stroppiana Chevrolet 9 Juan Gálvez Desiderio Avila Ford 10 Daniel Musso Ricardo Grattier Ford 11 G. Rivadeneira Ford 12 Domingo Marimón Pedro Duhalde Chevrolet 13 Luciano Murro Enrique Costa Chevrolet 14 Eusebio Marcilla Miguel Salem Chevrolet 15 Tadeo Taddía Cayetano Cosimano Chevrolet 16 Fernando Nery D.J. Renaud Chevrolet 17 Victor García Hilario Martínez Ford 18 Henry Bradley Roberto Gómez Nash 19 Ricardo López R.J. Fernández Ford 20 Rosendo Hernández Juan A. Grillo Chevrolet 21 Angel Luis Pascuali E. Callegari Ford 22 Jorge Rodrigo Daly Juan Tenaglia Dodge 23 Alberto del Caprio R. Argandona Lincoln 24 Lorenzo G. Varoli Ford 25 Luis Astengo A. J. Salinas Vera Ford 26 Félix A. Peduzzi Alberto Gómez Chevrolet 27 Jordán Senes Humberto Senes Ford 28 Miguel Beltrame V. Rodríguez Ford 29 Vicente Tirabasso A. Matías Ford 30 M. Beltrán Soulé J. Vilarino Chevrolet 31 Antonio Gauthier Juan A. Tenor Chevrolet 32 Atilio Patrignani G. Patrigani Chevrolet 33 Eduardo Della Magiora A. Etchegoyen Ford 34 Luis F. González A. Panatti Ford 35 Francisco Neumayer J.T. Fasci Ford 36 José Froilán González Bernardo Pérez Chevrolet 37 José F. Cafiero Alberto Luchesi Ford 38 Carlos Lagorio M. Bonacorsi Chevrolet 39 José Muñiz Gabino García Ford 40 Aurelio Spinetto José A. Petrone Nash 41 Manuel Merino Remo Gamalero Ford 42 Adolfo F. Fernández H. Gutíerrez Ford 43 Román Balta A. Román Balta A. Chevrolet 44 Benedicto Campos Andres Papaleo Ford 45 Mercurio Guiliano José R. Pereira Ford 46 Eduardo Orcola Guido Aggazani Chevrolet 47 Raúl Jauregui F.A. Quiroga Mercury 48 Atilio Cagnasso G. Gelardi Buick 49 Esteban Sokol E. Cimardi Chevrolet 50 E. Sabbione Daly J.C. Mijailides Lincoln 51 Octavio Moretti G.E. González Chevrolet 52 M.C. de Vasconcellos José Arias Ford 53 Joaquín Salas F. Jorge Sosa V. Ford 54 Rene Nicolás Faure Max E. Metzler Chevrolet 55 Ramón A. Gallo ? Chevrolet 56 Julián Q. Elguea Heriberto Román Ford 57 Guillermo Martín Carlos Jacobs Chevrolet 58 Hermo Orihuela Alberto Orihuela Ford 59 Eduardo de Lelis E. Guerrero Plymouth 60 Américo Giménez Luis Tollerutti Ford 61 Enrique Forno Víctor Cornejo Ford 62 Esteban Zamora Juan del Regno Chevrolet 63 Oreste C. Casaroli Florián Ujhelyi Chevrolet 64 Darío D. Ramonda E.P. Suárez Chevrolet 65 Juan Carlos Copello J. Mario Mungari Ford 66 A. Zarantonello E. Martínez Ford 67 "Ampacama" A. Spampinato Chevrolet 68 Juan Carlos Gómez R.J. Morega Chevrolet 69 Domingo D'Angelo Salvador Figlioli Chevrolet 70 Daimo Bojanich H.H. Piassalle Ford 71 Luis Santos Pascual Bosio Ford 72 Herminio Magaracci José Racchumi Ford 73 José A. Rapetti José P. Morelli Ford 74 Félix Palacios Ruben Adámoli Mercury 75 Manuel Cobas Rafael Melen Ford 76 Alberto Fouiloux A.M. Fernández Ford 77 José L. Rodríguez M.C. Ortiz Ford 78 Rafael Leizán F.J. Leizán Chevrolet 79 M. Vinardell Molinero Enrique Bernabé Ford 80 Carlos R. Alisal Jacinto Manso Ford 81 Vicente Alfonsaro Rodolfo Carro Chevrolet 82 Salvador V. Turano Balbino Roldán Chevrolet 83 Angel R. Castano Angel Molinari Ford 84 José Rubiol Roca ? Ford 85 José R. Naves Emilio Tabares DeSoto 86 Ernesto Baronio Dionisio Castelo Ford 87 José Laberguere Oscar Carrero Plymouth 88 Pablo Trincavelli Carlos Grosso Chevrolet 89 Florentino Castellani Ernesto Segura Ford 90 Julio Huasasquiche A. Samaniego Chevrolet 91 Alberto Provera Pablo Arata Chevrolet 92 Alberto Mascarell M. Somerville Chevrolet 93 "Mumiteite" "Teitemumi" Chevrolet 94 Adolfo Mujica Angel Bertello Ford 95 Carlos Benedetti E. San Pietro ? 96 Hugo Lanteri Humberto Jofre Chevrolet 97 F. Fernández Walker Luis A. Ferraris Ford 98 Domingo Sanguinetti Donato Panza Chevrolet 99 Almendor Maiharro José Francia Chevrolet 100 Juacinto Moss Domingo Fancio Ford 101 Domingo Candela Antonio Magoia Chevrolet 102 Hugo de Simone Ernesto Morales Chevrolet 103 Guido A. Maineri E. Giovanini Ford 104 Eugenio Bría Pedro Collazos Ford 105 Enrique Quaglia Rafael Espejo Chevrolet 106 Alfredo Denita Alfredo Rozón Ford 107 Germán Rivera Enzo O. Ferro Chevrolet 108 "Paradavalla" "Mañaz" Ford 109 Jose Manuel López A. Talavera Chevrolet 110 Juan Rodríguez Vera Silvano Ojalvo Chevrolet 111 José Sciarpelletti Manuel Arrouge Chevrolet 112 Eleuterio Schvemier José A. Sanari Chevrolet 113 Italo V. Bizio Luis Repossi Chevrolet 114 Américo Berta E. Bioderbost Chevrolet 115 José Lorenzetti Juan H. Hermida Ford 116 Manuel Cubillos "Tito" Cubillos Chevrolet 117 Juan Marchini Hernando Gallo Ford 118 C. Solveyra Tomkinson ? Chevrolet 119 Bartolomé Ortiz Sanz Julio Castellani Ford 120 René Roux Oscar Otermín Ford 121 Roberto Matassi Marcos Ciani Chevrolet 122 Alberto T. Palacios N. Giachetta Ford 123 José Balcarce V.P. Quevedo Chevrolet 124 Manuel Montes Raúl Márquez Chevrolet 125 Rafael Staccioli D. Zappacosta Ford 126 Pablo Mesples D.A. Braga Ford 127 Martín Berasategui J. Schnarwiller Buick 128 Alberto Fava Gaitán Morello Ford 129 René Nelly Pfister René Barbani Chevrolet 130 Francisco Hernández Juan R. Lucca Ford 131 Salvador Ataguile P.M. Gutierrez Ford 132 Victor O. Roudé Pedro Mazzoni Ford 133 Manuel Balta A. R. Gutierrez Chevrolet 134 Francisco Remondino Luis Zamora Ford 135 Manuel R. Lastra Ernesto Cáceres Chevrolet 136 Eduardo de Lusarreta José Dema Chevrolet 137 Ricardo Harriague M.J. Bergeretti Ford 138 Adolfo Perazzo M. García Rey Chevrolet 139 Ernesto Petrini Jesús Henry Ford 140 Luis Echevarría Carlos Rancales Chevrolet 141 Guillermo Marenghini E. Semperena Chevrolet Source:
Report Stage 1 Two entrants withdrew prior to the race starting – Ernesto Hilario Blanco with illness, and Esteban Sokol having crashed his car before the departure.
The first stage was also the longest; just over 1,000 mi from Buenos Aires to Salta. José Froilán González took the start in a Chevrolet, but withdrew not long after as he allegedly didn't realise the race was going all the way to Caracas and didn't believe such a journey could be done – calling his rivals "crazy". Oscar Alfredo Gálvez and Juan Manuel Fangio led the way, but Fangio's charge was halted with differential problems and the Balcarceño lost four hours repairing it. Gálvez thereafter remained unchallenged to the stage finish, with Fangio's Chevrolet stablemate Domingo Marimón finishing second and Gálvez' brother Juan third.
As soon as the race had started however, problems were already emerging. Large crowds thronged the roads outside of Buenos Aires, resulting in two spectator fatalities – one when Octavio Moretti lost control of his Chevrolet and ran over a group of bystanders, and another when an allegedly drunken man crossed the road in front of Daniel Musso's Ford. A distressed Musso abandoned the race at the end of the stage.
Stage 2 Stage 2 took the crews from Salta to the Argentine border town of La Quiaca. Oscar Gálvez claimed his second successive stage victory on the gravel country roads, but Uruguayan star Héctor Suppici Sedes crashed in Maimará and immediately withdrew – returning home to Montevideo.
Stage 3 94 crews crossed the La Quiaca River into Bolivia to recommence the race from Villazón. The 460 km route to Potosí was treacherous at over 3,000m above sea level, and ultimately claimed the lives of Ford team Julián Elguea and Heriberto Román – they failed to negotiate a hairpin outside the town of Culpina and fell 200m into a ravine. Elguea's brother-in-law Domingo Fancio was competing as co-driver to Juancito Moss and the crew immediately withdrew from the race. Oscar Gálvez extended his lead with a third-straight stage win, ahead of Pablo Gulle in second and Marimón third.
Stage 4 Juan Gálvez claimed his first stage win on the road from Potosí to the Bolivian capital La Paz as his brother Oscar struck trouble. The #3 Ford hit a rock and required repairs to the steering rack, but he retained the overall lead heading into a rest day.
Stage 5 Fangio had recovered to 40th after his first stage woes, and went on the attack on the fifth stage over the Peruvian border into Arequipa. The Gálvez brothers consolidated the pace across the Altiplano, but Fangio passed 30 cars over the Andes to claim his first stage win and the first for Chevrolet.
Stage 6 The second-longest stage of the race saw competitors descend to the Pacific coast into the Peruvian capital Lima. Fangio – now inside the top-30 overall – continued to press on until a rollover near Nazca forced him to back off, finishing the stage 23rd and still sitting over 6 hours behind leader Oscar Gálvez, who claimed his fourth stage win. The 25,000-strong crowd that gathered in the capital to see the spectacle were rewarded for their support when local driver Arnaldo Alvarado Degregori came home third.
Stage 7 Thursday October 28 was scheduled as a rest day, however the start of Stage 7 was brought forward from 5am on Friday to 10pm that night due to a coup d'état in Peru that resulted in the installation of Manuel Odría as President. Sleep-deprived crews were ill-prepared for the change of plans, with misty coastal roads adding to the challenge of the last 1,000 km+ stage.
Still recovering lost ground, Fangio was pushing hard – so much so that he and co-driver Daniel Urrutia missed a refuelling point and had to backtrack. Just outside of Huanchaco, on the northern outskirts of Trujillo, Fangio lost control on a left-hand bend and rolled down an embankment at 140kph. Co-driver Urrutia was ejected from the car through the windscreen in the incident, and landed heavily in scrubland. Oscar Gálvez, who had been battling Fangio earlier in the stage, witnessed the accident and stopped to help – much to the objection of Fangio, who wanted the race leader to continue. Having found a badly injured Urrutia, Eusebio Marcilla and Luciano Murro then stopped to help transport Fangio and Urrutia respectively to a hospital in Chocope. Urrutia became the events' fifth fatality having suffered cervical and basal skull fractures, whilst Fangio also suffered neck injuries but these were not life-threatening.
Despite many wanting to withdraw from the race after the incident, Fangio urged his rivals to continue. Juan Gálvez eventually led 53 crews to the end of Stage 7 and the halfway point of the event in the Peruvian border town of Tumbes. Fangio's crash was not the only terminal one in the stage, with four other crews – including the hero of Lima, Arnaldo Alvarado Degregori – forced to retire.
Stage 8 A ship then carried the competitors to the Ecuadorian port of Guayaquil, where the race resumed en route to Quito. Juan Gálvez made it back-to-back stage wins to reduce his brother's lead to 1h11m. Pablo Gulle retired from 8th overall with a mechanical failure.
Stage 9 Upon arrival in Quito, the field faced significant economic problems. In order to ensure the race continued, Argentine President Juan Perón personally decreed a donation of AR$100,000 to competitors. Oscar Gálvez led brother Juan over the border into the Colombian town of Pasto to finish 1–2 for Ford. There were further spectator problems in the final kilometres – Víctor García crashed into a crowd killing one and injuring four others, whilst a wooden platform overlooking the finish collapsed and seriously injured multiple.
Stage 10 The tenth stage to Cali proved the race's slowest, with stage winner Juan Gálvez traversing the mountainous route at an average of just under 62kph.
Stage 11