Augusto Farfus was one of the most outstanding drivers during the first season of the PURE ETCR, an innovative series of electric touring cars. With Hyundai, he was in charge of battling until the last day in France to finish second in the standings, only behind champion, Mattias Ekström.
Born on September 3, 1983, in Curitiba, Brazil, Farfus came to the PURE ETCR with a long track record behind him. He has competed in touring and grand touring cars for the official teams of Alfa Romeo and BMW.
He won 15 races at the World Touring Car Championship, finishing third in 2006 and 2009, and fourth in 2005 and 2007. He also achieved four victories at the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), emerging as runner-up in 2013.
Where it all Began
His first encounter with motorsport was on minibikes. Then, he competed in karting where he was Paraná’s Cadet Champion, and from 1993 to 1998, he participated in the Paulista Championship. Then in 1999, he successfully made the leap to Europe and North America.
Farfus switched to single-seater racing in 2000, when he entered the Italian Formula Renault and the Eurocup. He was Champion of the latter in 2001, with four victories in ten races.
The Brazilian moved up to the European Formula 3000 in 2002, ending up ninth, racing for the Draco team. In 2003, he won the tournament by triumphing in four races and finishing on the podium on eight out of nine rounds.
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By 2004, Alfa Romeo, at the European Touring Car Championship, signed Farfus. That year he scored six podiums in 20 races and finished sixth in the championship. The event became the World Touring Car Championship in 2005. The Brazilian continued to race on an official Alfa Romeo 156, placing fourth with a win at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix and four podiums.
In 2007, Farfus made the switch to BMW as an official driver of the World Touring Car Championship. Behind the wheel of one of Schnitzer’s BMW 3 Series, he won three races, finished on the podium in six and ended the year in fourth place. He also won two races in 2008, scored four podiums and finished sixth.
Farfus began racing for the Bavarian brand on the endurance in 2010, participating in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with a BMW Z4. In 2010, he raced the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a GT2 class BMW M3, where he finished fourth and sixth in class, respectively.
One of the Fastest
The Brazilian joined the PURE ETCR adventure in 2021, a tournament that started with uncertainty due to the novelty and the strong restrictions because of COVID-19. However, the competition ended in style in France and Farfus was one of the main protagonists.
The Hyundai representative won two TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophies as the fastest racer, praising the work of his team, which made the Veloster N ETCR a formidable opponent throughout the event.
Written by I Jhonattan González
