Having money is not everything. Not much less. Something perfectly exemplified in motorsports, where in addition to a budget, not a few doses of expertise and knowledge are necessary. Not only in relation to the design or manufacture of the machines, but also in relation to driving and layout design for racing. In this way, the fact that a country circumstantially has a large capital does not mean that it can settle, overnight, sports traditions that do not exist in it. In other words, said in Lorca's terms, it would be like attempting a “unchaste science challenge without roots”.
That said, one could well think of the relationship between the oil monarchies of the Persian Gulf and the world of international sports. However, in this case we are going to go back to the Venezuela of the fifties. Governed in its central years by the military leader Marcos Pérez Jiménez, in it oil money flowed at the pace set by the US economy. Fully inserted in one of its most expansive periods, with motoring at the forefront of mass consumption and urban planning based on private transport. Thus, in the city of Caracas some large fortunes began to settle, guarded in the heat of the extractive industry.
In this way, high-end sports cars became common currency among the most privileged sectors of Venezuelan society. All this with Pérez Jiménez himself at the helm. Promoting the celebration of local races while making contacts with Fangio in order to attract international events. In addition, far from devising all this as a mere advertising showcase for his regime, he himself owned a Mercedes 300SL. In fact, he continued his love of sports even while exiled in Madrid. City where he could be seen aboard his Maserati Ghibli around 1971, straddling La Moraleja and Paseo de la Castellana.
However, returning to Venezuela, the truth is that the importation of Ferrari, Maserati or Mercedes units grew quite a bit there at the beginning of the fifties. Thus, the seasoned businessman and pilot Juan Fernández thought about how lucrative it would be to bring models from the AC house from England. Light, powerful and with all the charm of British sportiness these vehicles were an accessible and solvent option in order to compete in those local races. Races that had their full settlement when, in 1955, the first Venezuelan GP for GT and Sport Prototype vehicles was convened. The germ of the test known as the 1.000 kilometers of Caracas.
1.000 KILOMETERS FROM CARACAS, A PSURREALIST NIGHTMARE
Thanks to the excellent contacts of oil capital, the first edition of the Venezuelan GP was not lackluster at all. In fact, at the starting grid located on the Paseo de los Próceres they met 25 vehicles piloted by the cream of motorsport. In addition, European brands such as Ferrari or Maserati sent official representation even though the event was not scoring for any championship. Thus, the victory went to Fangio and his Maserati 300S while the second place went to Alfonso de Portago with a Ferrari 750 Monza.
All this through a very fast route. With just over four kilometers based on two long parallel straights, some chicanes and three very tight curves. In other words, the perfect place for the most performant mechanics with a penchant for top speed. At this point, the following year's edition had Stirling Moss as the winner aboard one of the maserati 300s of the World of Brands. Another point in favor so that, finally, the third edition could finally be scored in the most important endurance racing series in the world. A fact that put the Venezuelan track together with Buenos Aires, Sebring, Mille Miglia, Nürburgring, Le Mans and Kristianstad during the 1957 season.
However, there was still one crucial fact for the third edition of the Venezuelan GP to be taken completely seriously. We talk about the layout. Which had to be expanded from that circuit of straights in Paseo de los Próceres to a much broader and more diverse one. In addition, doing so would make it possible to increase the mileage of the test. As the 343 kilometers of the two previous editions were completely insufficient for a test of the World Championship. With all this, the government of Pérez Jiménez added part of the Valle-Coche Highway to the route. In this way, it reached almost ten kilometers per lap and more than a thousand in total after completing 101 laps. At last the 1.000 Kilometers of Caracas had been born. The still high point for motor sports in the South American country.
With this promising start, how could it be that that 1957 edition was the first and last of the 1.000 Kilometers of Caracas scoring for the World Cup? The best synthesis is found in the words of Phil Hill. Winner of the test forming a pair with Peter Collins in his official Ferrari 335S. “This is a surreal nightmare”. As simple as that. It was not for less. Well, although the Pérez Jiménez regime had good sums of money, did not have the automobile tradition necessary for the design of a solvent layout. In this way, the 1.000 Kilometers of Caracas registered a multitude of accidents in the middle of a route that seemed designed to burst the gearboxes.
With all this, the truth is that analyzing the photographs of that November 3, 1957 -it was the last test of the calendar- seems to agree with the American pilot. Not in vain, from a Maserati crashed into a lamppost to some really spectacular track exits, everything seems to confirm those words. It's more, the test left the World Cup of Brands immediately so as not to be held again. Something that, for better or for worse, cannot erase the memory of those years in which Caracas was filled with racing cars like this 1956 AC ACE Bristol. One of those competition units with a barchetta body imported by the pilot and businessman Juan Fernandez. With racing history in South America and now for sale at the British specialist Henderson Fellowes.
Photos: Maserati / Henderson Fellowes