Centennial Barreiros Jarama
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Barreiros Centennial at the IV Jarama Classic: Racing and Diesel Industrials

PHOTOS IV JARAMA CLASSIC: UNAI ONA

The Jarama Circuit has not hosted Formula 1 since 1981. But the true importance of a circuit is not to appear in the international media, but to be a reference for motor racing fans. In that sense, very interesting weekends are taking place here. One of the last has been that of June 15 and 16, with the celebration of the IV Jarama Classic.

A very special edition thanks to the fact that it has been combined with the Centennial Barreiros. This allowed the more than 10.000 visitors to enjoy all kinds of vehicles. Mixing diesel trucks with classic sports cars at the Jarama Paddock Club. This initiative allows fans to access previously restricted areas. And it really is cool. Who doesn't love watching the mechanics work on one of their favorite cars?

Among the four races and five trophies, the Iberian Historic Endurance stood out. There we could see the most spectacular classics, complemented by those of Pre 1981 Group 1 or the Mini Trophy. Anyway, the most special thing was seeing the legendary Dodge Dart, Simca 1000 and industrialists from the Villaverde factory on the track. Anyway, we are going to tell you little by little everything we saw at the IV Jarama Classic.

ACTION ON THE TRACK AND OTHER SURPRISES

Something very commendable in the IV Jarama Classic races was the spirit of fun. Obviously everything is timed, but even so there are no tensions derived from the competition at any time. What you breathe is a relaxed atmosphere in the style of British racing.

Although this does not mean that there is no action. In fact, some ended up calling the sheet metal worker. But tell the Portuguese César Freitas and his Ferrari 308 GT4. He disputed the test of the Iberian Historic Endurance and it was great to see him on the track, although he did not come out well.

In addition to the Ferrari, in the test we could see a curious Matra Bonnet Djet -Yuri Gagarin's car- piloted by Eugenio Fernández and Eduardo Fuster. Anyway, the majority were the classics 911 and Alfa Romeo Giulia, among which a Ford Anglia and a Volvo 121 slipped into the replica. And there are sedans and utility vehicles that can have a lot of claw! Something that was confirmed again thanks to the celebration of Mini Trophy.

The Mini Trophy was played at the same time as the Pre 1981 Group 1. An interesting category in which the cars compete in factory condition with the exception of some modifications, especially related to safety. Here it stood out to see a Datsun 1200, the always rabid Ford Scort RS2000 and a striking Jaguar XJS. Even prepared for the circuit, this British is still one of the brand's most classic designs. Brilliant.

As a test for lovers of light cars we had the Super Seven B by Toyo. This is the oldest single-brand trophy in Portugal, which has transferred one of its tests to the IV Jarama Classic. It is ideal for those trying to jump from karting to higher categories as it is done on the Caterham Super Seven. Successor to the Lotus Seven, this car with a very low center of gravity weighs only about 600 kg. In short, perfect for doing mischief in curves. Very Colin Chapman style.

This whole festival of classics was coda with the GT4 South European Series. This category of current cars includes some quite striking GTs, such as the Audi R8, the Mercedes AMG or the Porsche Cayman. It does not hurt to contemplate the most rabid news of the engine after having enjoyed many classics. Nevertheless the IV Jarama Classic was a celebration of the past, especially from the memory of one of the largest industrialists in our country. Eduardo Barreiros.

BARREIROS CENTENARY. YOUR CREATIONS ON THE TRACK

The most exciting part of the IV Jarama Classic was the celebration of the centenary of Eduardo Barreiros. For this they congregated on the asphalt dozens of models from the mythical Villaverde factory. Obviously we saw heavy vehicles, but also a good sample of Simca 1000 and Dodge Dart. In fact from the latter we could see two very special and difficult to find units: a cabrio and another family / station wagon.

Born in 1909 in a small village in Orense, Barreiros' life is that of an industrialist focused on diesel mechanics. Having come out of nowhere, he managed to build a industrial emporium that in 1963 gave about 25.000 direct jobs and about 100.000 indirect jobs. With exports to 27 countries. Something that began when, as a young man in his 20s, he managed to assemble a bus for his father's small transport line from waste items.

An innate ingenuity for mechanics, which had its moment of greatest impact in the post-war era. So he managed to convert gasoline to diesel engines. Something that in an impoverished Spain in need of affordable industrial vehicles was the panacea. It was pure handcrafted mechanics put together allowing the massive conversion to diesel of old gasoline vehicles prior to the war. In fact, the first experiments were made with Kupp engines from Soviet 3HC trucks that had arrived here during the Civil War.

From here, it began to manufacture its own engines, which powered trucks such as the Azor or the Super Azor. A technological development supported by the achievement of contracts such as the supply of trucks to the Portuguese army. But nevertheless all this growth earned him enemies within the state bureaucracy. Hierarchs who viewed with suspicion the rise of this stranger to the large industrial families, who preferred to unite around the National Institute of Industry and its sponsorship of SEAT.

Needing more capital to continue growing, Barreiros went to the bank. The Banco de Vizcaya was opposed to more loans. And the INI denied him permission to produce its own passenger cars. He had no choice but to seek international partners, finally opting for Chrysler. The association with the American multinational brought the manufacturing of the legendary Dodge and Simca, but also the economic asphyxiation of the company.

Spain was not prepared for these cars -especially for the luxurious Dodge-, which was expressed in a financial slump from which Barreiros could only get out by selling all the shares of his company to Chrysler in 1969. A mixture of feuds in the ministries, banking and Chrysler caused him to abandon the leadership of his motor emporium. However, his mood prevented him from being still.

After a period with businesses in sectors such as mining or agriculture, Barreiros won the international competition to manufacture diesel engines in Cuba. Something really interesting, because it shows that, over partisan entanglements, what moved Eduardo Barreiros was to work making industrial vehicles. Although the plan got off to a good start, the project did not succeed. All because of the economic restrictions imposed on the island after the collapse of the Soviet bloc.

Barreiros died in Havana in 1992, and now his legacy is preserved by his daughter through the Foundation and Eduardo Barreiros Museum. An icon of the engine with a movie story. It even slightly reminds us of the biography of Preston tucker. Without a doubt, a figure to remember and celebrate as was done in the IV Jarama Classic.

What do you think?

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Written by Miguel Sánchez

Through the news from La Escudería, we will travel the winding roads of Maranello listening to the roar of the Italian V12; We will travel Route66 in search of the power of the great American engines; we will get lost in the narrow English lanes tracking the elegance of their sports cars; We will speed up the braking in the curves of the Monte Carlo Rally and we will even get dusty in a garage while rescuing lost jewels.

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