Formula Truck

Formula Truck

The idea for the racing series came from discussions between Aurélio Batista Félix, a truck driver from Santos, and Portuguese journalist Francisco Santos.

The first race took place on 6 September 1987 at the Autodromo Internacional de Cascavel circuit in Paraná. The contest involved 35 competitors, and was named I Copa Brasil de Caminhões ("First Brazilian Trucks' Cup"). It served as a trial contest to ascertain the safety of the new type of racing. However, there was a fatal accident involving one of the participants; Jeferson Ribeiro da Fonseca, a driver who was also the president of Autodromo Internacional de Cascavel. Jeferson Ribeiro's death had a profound impact and led to Francisco Santos leaving Fórmula Truck three years later.

In 1994, a new event for truck drivers and businessmen was created, with safety a top priority, at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo. The contest begun in 1995, with the four trial races held in the cities of Cascavel and Londrina (PR), Tarumã (RS) and Goiânia (GO). In Goiânia, over 120,000 people attended the event.

The first championship with defined rules took place in 1996, and was approved by the Confederação Brasileira de Automobilismo (Brazilian Automobile Confederation). The first official competition took place in Guaporé (RS), and had 13 trucks on the grid.

On 5 March 2008, the creator of Formula Truck, Aurélio Batista Félix, died of a stomach haemorrhage. He had heart problems and suffered a heart attack during the first stage of the 2008 season, which was being held in Guaporé.

In 2010, the organisation announced a South American championship, and Roberval Andrade was crowned champion. In 2011, three races were announced for the South American Championship.