Argentina hails López as its new hero

José María López’s success in the WTCC Drivers’ Championship gave Argentina its first FIA World Champion in circuit racing after a 57-year gap.

In fact, despite the great motorsport tradition of the South-American country, its last World Champion was the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, who took his fifth and last Formula 1 crown in 1957.

Those were the years when Argentine drivers were numerous and successful on the international scene: besides Fangio, other figures of that era include Froilán González (who gave Ferrari its first GP win in 1951 and was the only Argentine to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1954), Óscar Gálvez, Onofre Marimón and Carlos Menditeguy.

Argentina’s splendour at the top of international car racing was revived in the 70s and early 80s by Carlos Reutemann, who was a top driver in F.1 for a decade, clinching 11 GP wins and missing narrowly the world title in 1981.

Since then, Argentine drivers shining at international level have been scarcer, as the country’s motorsport somehow developed in autarchy, due also to the swinging fortunes of its economy. Only six Argentines made it, and rather episodically, to F1 since the late ‘70s: Ricardo Zunino (1979-81), Miguel Ángel Guerra (’81), Óscar Larrauri (1988), Norberto Fontana (1997), Esteban Tuero (1998) and Gastón Mazzacane (2000-01). Moreover, only one Argentine win in a FIA World Championship racing event can be recorded, when Larrauri took the WSC round at Jerez de la Frontera in 1986, in a Porsche 962 shared with Spaniard Jesús Pareja.

It is no surprise then that López’s crowning has been followed with euphoria back at home, as Argentine fans (the ‘tuercas’, as they say there) have been waiting for long such a moment.
“Despite the time difference, twelve hours, many fans have not gone to bed to follow the TV and radio live broadcasts from Suzuka,” confirmed stalwart journalist Jorge Legnani of the Campeones magazine and radio program, “Expectation has been growing and growing in recent weeks and Pechito’s success is going much beyond the sports circles. He is now a public figure known by everybody. We can expect huge celebrations upon his return at home and you can be sure he’ll be invited to all TV talk shows.”

What Pechito’s title means to his country and how he is valued at home is perfectly reflected by the comments of two other great names of Argentine motorsports, Óscar Larrauri and Norberto Fontana, who both reached Formula 1 and have been touring car stars.

Oscar Larrauri, former F1 driver and SudAm Super Touring champion: “What I want to stress about López is not only his undisputable talent as a racing driver, but also his human qualities. It is always heart-warming when you see these two aspects combined in one same person, that’s what makes a true Champion. I know what I am talking about because I had the opportunity to known him well, as I was his team manager at Honda when he came back to Argentina to compete in TC2000. I was impressed by his serious and professional approach and his integrity. He fully deserved the WTCC title also for what he is out of a racetrack. Pechito has come a long way, he left his home very young to go racing in Europe and had to work hard to climb the ladders. It is nice to see, especially in the current tough times for our country, that someone like him is ambassador of Argentine motorsport, proving that, with talent, efforts and perseverance, one can succeed at global level. I warmly congratulate and thank him for that.”

Norberto Fontana, former F1 driver and TC2000 Champion: “I am very happy about José María López becoming WTCC champion, not only because he is a dear friend, but also and foremost because it is a recognition for the entire Argentine racing community and something we can be proud of. It means that Argentine motorsports can be again at the top in the world, after so many years. We know he had the best car and perfect conditions at Citroën, but his merits are significant, because he beat every other driver, including his two highly competitive and acclaimed team-mates. I am happy that he got this chance to shine in WTCC, after his F1 plans got truncated in the frustrating way they were. As a rival, he is a very difficult driver to beat, although it is a pleasure to compete against him because he is a very fair driver. In Termas, last year, I had the pleasure to duel with him in a TRV6 race. We fought very closely, being never split by more than a second or a few centimetres. I am sure that the time he spent racing in touring cars in Argentina, competing almost every weekend, has been instrumental in making of him a better touring car driver, and this is quite flattering with regard to the level of Argentine motorsport.”