Circuito Cacá Bueno (Galeão)

Circuito Cacá Bueno (Galeão) at a glance

Location

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro

Type

historic circuit (defunct)

Length

3.225 km (2.004 mi)

Turns

7

Surface

asphalt (airport runway/taxiway)

Opened

2022

Owner

Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport (RIOgaleão)

Address

Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport

Track map and layout

A one-off temporary circuit built inside Rio de Janeiro's Galeão International Airport, using part of runway 10/28 and surrounding taxiways, the first time a working commercial airport runway had been used for motorsport in Brazil. The 3.225 km, 7-turn layout named each of its sections after historic Rio motorsport venues: Turn 1 was called Jacarepaguá, Turns 2 and 3 formed the "Barra Complex," Turn 4 was Petrópolis, and the closing turns carried the names Ilha do Fundão, São Gonçalo and Barra da Tijuca, a running tribute to the city's racing heritage built into the track itself.

Named corners and sections

• Jacarepaguá (Turn 1). Named after Rio's demolished former Grand Prix venue, the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet.
• Barra Complex (Turns 2-3). A linked pair of corners named for the Barra da Tijuca district near the airport.
• Petrópolis (Turn 4). Named after the mountain city near Rio long associated with Brazilian motorsport history.
• Ilha do Fundão, São Gonçalo, Barra da Tijuca (final turns). The closing sequence, each corner named for a different piece of greater Rio's racing history.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

The Circuito Cacá Bueno hosted a single Stock Car Pro Series weekend, 8-10 April 2022, marking Stock Car's return to Rio de Janeiro for the first time since the demolition of Jacarepaguá in 2012. It was not repeated: rising commercial flight volumes at Galeão after the pandemic made shutting the runway for racing impractical, and the airport circuit did not appear again in 2023 or afterward.

Getting there and parking

The circuit ran inside Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport itself, so for the one weekend it operated, spectators travelling from elsewhere in Rio used the same routes as any airport visit: taxis, rideshare, the BRT TransCarioca busway to the airport terminal area, or a short drive from the city centre. As the airport remains fully operational for commercial flights, there is nothing circuit-related to visit today.

• Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport (GIG)

Hotels and camping near Circuito Cacá Bueno (Galeão)

Visitors for the 2022 race weekend generally stayed in central Rio (Copacabana, Ipanema, Botafogo) or closer to the airport in the Ilha do Governador area, both within reasonable reach of Galeão. There is no camping, RV or ongoing accommodation culture tied to the site, since it operated for a single weekend and the airport has returned to normal commercial use.

Where to look

Central Rio (Copacabana, Ipanema, Botafogo) or the area near Galeão on Ilha do Governador for a shorter transfer.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

There is no track-day or ride access; the circuit existed for a single Stock Car race weekend in April 2022 on an active airport runway that has since returned entirely to commercial flight operations.

Lap records

Spectator guide

There is no event to attend today; the one-off April 2022 weekend was a novelty date built around Stock Car's return to Rio after a decade away, rather than the start of a recurring fixture.

Weather

• Apr: start of Rio's cooler season, highs typically around 27-29°C (81-84°F)

History of Circuito Cacá Bueno (Galeão)

Racing returns to Rio, on a runway

Rio de Janeiro had gone without top-level national motorsport since the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet at Jacarepaguá was demolished in November 2012 to build 2016 Olympic venues. A decade later, Stock Car Pro Series found an unlikely solution: a temporary circuit built inside Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport, using part of an active runway and surrounding taxiways, the first time a Brazilian commercial airport runway had been converted for motor racing.

Named for a Rio racing legend

The circuit was named the Circuito Cacá Bueno, honouring Rio-born driver Cacá Bueno, a five-time Stock Car Brasil champion and one of the most successful competitors in the category's history. Each of the layout's seven corners was in turn named after a piece of Rio's motorsport heritage, Jacarepaguá, the Barra Complex, Petrópolis, Ilha do Fundão, São Gonçalo and Barra da Tijuca, turning a single lap into a tour of the city's racing past.

One weekend, then back to commercial flights

The Galeão GP ran from 8 to 10 April 2022, drawing strong local interest as Rio's first Stock Car race since 2012, with Daniel Serra setting the circuit's only lap record. The novelty came at a cost: closing an active international runway for racing required significant coordination with airport and aviation authorities, and as commercial flight volumes recovered after the pandemic, the logistics no longer worked. The circuit did not return for 2023 or any season since, and Galeão has operated purely as a commercial airport ever since, leaving the 2022 race as a one-off chapter in Rio's motorsport history rather than a new annual fixture.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Jacarepaguá) · 24 km · historic circuit (defunct)
• São Paulo Street Circuit (Anhembi) · 356 km · street circuit
• Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos) · 366 km · road course
• Autódromo Velo Città · 374 km · road course
• Circuito dos Cristais · 461 km · road course & oval
• Ribeirão Preto Street Circuit · 506 km · historic circuit (defunct)