Autódromo Internacional Virgílio Távora

Autódromo Internacional Virgílio Távora at a glance

Location

Eusébio, Ceará

Type

road course

Length

3 km (1.864 mi)

Turns

11

Surface

asphalt

Opened

1969

Owner

Government of the State of Ceará (managed via CearaPar)

Capacity

5,500

Address

Avenida Ayrton Senna, 1

Track map and layout

Known locally simply as the Autódromo de Eusébio, this is the oldest circuit in Brazil's Northeast, a compact 3.0 km (1.864 mi) road course with 11 turns just outside Fortaleza. It is a tight, technical layout by Brazilian standards, better suited to Formula 3-style single-seaters, trucks and smaller GT/touring cars than to the state's biggest series, and its age means facilities are more modest than at newer Stock Car venues. The track has been closed and reopened more than once in its history and, as of this guide's research, the Ceará state government is pursuing a revitalisation plan (including a possible lease or auction of the site) intended to bring it back up to national-series standard.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

The circuit opened in 1969 with the Grande Prêmio Ministro Mário Andreazza and went on to host Formula 3 Sudamericana between 2000 and 2002, plus truck racing and regional touring-car series over the decades. It closed in 1993 and reopened in 1997, and has run intermittently since, without the settled annual national calendar of Brazil's larger circuits. As of this guide's research it does not appear on the Stock Car Pro Series calendar, and local proposals have floated turning part of the site into a multi-use sports arena alongside any motorsport revitalisation.

Getting there and parking

The circuit is in Eusébio, part of the Fortaleza metropolitan region, roughly 20-25 minutes by car from downtown Fortaleza and a similar distance from Fortaleza's international airport. There is no dedicated public transport to the venue; visitors typically drive or take a taxi/rideshare from Fortaleza or Eusébio itself.

• Pinto Martins-Fortaleza International Airport (FOR) · about 25 min drive

Hotels and camping near Autódromo Internacional Virgílio Távora

Most visitors base themselves in Fortaleza, whose beachfront neighbourhoods (Meireles, Praia de Iracema) offer the widest choice of hotels and are a short drive from Eusébio. There is no camping or trackside accommodation associated with this circuit.

Where to look

Fortaleza's beachfront districts (Meireles, Praia de Iracema), roughly 20-25 minutes from the circuit.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

No public track-day or ride-along program is confirmed for this circuit; it has historically been used for competitive racing and regional club events rather than public driving experiences, and its future use is tied up in the state government's revitalisation and possible lease/auction plans.

Lap records

Spectator guide

With a listed capacity of around 5,500, this is one of Brazil's smaller motorsport venues, and events here draw modest, community-scale crowds rather than the tens of thousands seen at Interlagos or Campo Grande.

Weather

• year-round: hot, tropical climate typical of coastal Ceará, highs around 29-31°C (84-88°F) with a wetter first half of the year

History of Autódromo Internacional Virgílio Távora

The Northeast's oldest circuit

The Autódromo Internacional Virgílio Távora opened on 12 January 1969 in Eusébio, just outside Fortaleza, with the Grande Prêmio Ministro Mário Andreazza, making it the oldest permanent motorsport circuit in Brazil's Northeast region. Named after the Ceará politician and engineer Virgílio Távora, the track became the region's focal point for car and motorcycle competition through the 1970s and 1980s.

Closure, reopening, and a lower profile

The circuit closed in 1993 as interest and investment waned, before reopening on 30 November 1997 following renovation work. Its second life brought a run of higher-profile racing, most notably hosting Formula 3 Sudamericana across the 2000-2002 seasons, with future Brazilian stars including Nelson Piquet Jr. setting lap records there. Truck racing series have also used the venue regularly, and it has periodically hosted Stock Car Brasil and other national categories, though never as a fixed annual date the way Interlagos or Campo Grande have.

An uncertain but active present

Compared with Brazil's newer, purpose-built venues, the Eusébio circuit is compact and its facilities have aged, and by the mid-2020s the Ceará state government, through its asset-management arm CearaPar, was pursuing options to revitalise or lease out the site, with public discussion of a possible auction and even proposals to repurpose part of the grounds as a multi-use sports arena. The circuit remains the only motorsport facility of its kind in Ceará, and any modernisation would aim to bring it back to a standard capable of hosting national Stock Car, Formula 4 or Porsche Cup rounds again.

Frequently asked questions