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30 de julho de 2013
São Paulo – Centre for Brazilian sport and culture
Brazil is the country that everyone is talking about at the moment, and for excellent sporting reasons. In the next few years the country will be hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games but, before those, comes an important motorsport event…the 6 Hours of São Paulo, the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Football is the biggest sport in Brazil but motorsport rivals the ‘beautiful game’ in the hearts of the Brazilian motorsport fans and the big draw of São Paulo is the country’s most famous racing circuit, the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos).
São Paulo hosts the Brazilian Grand Prix and also will host an IndyCar race. But for fans of Endurance Racing this year’s second visit by the FIA WEC, the first race after the long summer break, promises to be even more popular than in 2012.
With a population of 20 million, the largest city in South America, São Paulo is the economic capital of Brazil and hosts the headquarters of many Brazilian and overseas companies. The city is also proud of its cultural heritage with its many museums, architecture, both past and present, which is envy of the rest of South America and has hosted several important cultural events including Fashion Week.
Aston Martin Racing’s Bruno Senna explains a little more: “São Paulo is a very cosmopolitan city, full of options with something for everyone. One of the best points is the food, the restaurants are amazing – any type you want and great quality. The night life there is always great as well; whenever any racing comes to the city people always enjoy the night life with its clubs, bars and all sorts of different programmes. There’s lots of culture too, many museums and parks and hopefully you can enjoy yourself whatever you want to do.”
As Bruno hints at, there is a diversity of entertainment day and night. From karaoke singing in Japantown to the ubiquitous samba in Barra Funda at night, to making your way to the rooftop of the Banespa Tower for a panoramic view of São Paulo or sitting within the biggest green space in central São Paulo, Parque do Ibirapuera by day. The park is a leafy 2km2 of tranquillity away from all the buildings around it and serves as a thriving centre of the city’s cultural life, with a series of museums, performance spaces and the grounds for São Paulo’s renowned art Biennal.
“There is so much more to São Paulo than people first think,” said Gerard Neveu, CEO of the FIA WEC. “The culture in São Paulo is something that everyone in the paddock enjoys and while it is a busy week for everyone, we will try to take the time to explore the fantastic city during our stay. But don’t forget about Interlagos, the scene of some of the greatest racing battles in South America and the venue for the next round of the FIA WEC. We look forward to seeing the people of São Paulo on September 1st.”
