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The 1958-'61 South American Triangular Tournaments
- Where front-engined Formula One went to die
Part 5: Final words

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Who?

Fritz d'Orey, Jesús Iglesias

What?

Ferrari-Corvette 375, Pian-Chevrolet

Where?

Buenos Aires

When?

XV Gran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires (March 1, 1959)

 Fritz d'Orey, Jesús Iglesias, Ferrari-Corvette 375, Pian-Chevrolet, Buenos Aires 1959
Why?

In addition to political reasons, other simpler and more understandable reasons help to explain why there was no effort to reintegrate the Triangular into the Latin American sporting calendar from 1962 onwards. The financial difficulties experienced by Brazilian drivers began to be felt also by Argentinians and Uruguayans, who had difficulty maintaining their old vehicles in minimum racing conditions. Ten years of continuous use were enough for even the robust Maserati and Alfa to feel the weight of age on their shoulders.

With scarce resources, it was up to each individual institution to do the best they could to maintain single-seater motorsport as a valid and relevant category in its respective national contexts. Argentina proved to be the quickest to react to this situation, planning in 1962 to replace the Fuerza Libre with what would be called Fórmula 1 Mecánica Argentina, returning almost entirely to formula-spec cars built in Argentina. The only parts of these vehicles that were imported were those related to the mechanical components, such as engines and transmissions.

In Brazil, the solution was to continue holding mixed events, in which Mecânica Nacional cars raced in the same handicapped events as sportscars. Many of the most recent ex-F1 vehicles imported to Brazil, such as the Maserati 250F, still had a long life on Brazilian circuits, with records showing that the last appearance of a 250F in a Brazilian race was in 1964. But, as an independent category, few pure Mecânica Nacional events took place, with the peak being the period 1959-1961. From the middle of the decade onwards, much of the effort in Brazilian motorsport had shifted on to production and saloon cars, which were much cheaper and accessible.

The longest-lasting case of Fuerza Libre/Mecânica Nacional in its original form was in Uruguay, with documented races in the category happening until 1964. In the end, even the last survivor of this formula had to give way to the new times, with the Fuerza Limitada (based on lower displacement engines up to 3000cc) taking the standard of the main single-seater category in the country with the celestial flag. As in the case of Brazil, Uruguay later also left single-seaters in the background, prioritising the most widespread events for production cars.

This final explanation defines the culminating factor in the discontinuity of the Triangular since 1961. Political games, as always present in any sport, in addition to three different perspectives on how to face the challenges of the sixties demonstrated that perhaps the end of the championship was inevitable, even if the 1961 edition had been a success. Despite Triangular's melancholic end, it is undeniable that it was a huge, albeit forgotten, contribution to South American sport. As mentioned, it demonstrated how a simple alignment of ideas could be beneficial in the great macro-objective of pushing forward Latin-American motorsport which had become isolated again after drivers like Fangio and González had retired.

Although far from the highest European and North American standards, which coast boast being the meccas of cutting-edge motorsport, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina could be proud of their commitment to creating their own international single-seater championship, stretching the scarce resources available in each of these countries to the maximum. Technology may not have been the word to define what the Triangulares were from 1958 to 1961, but creativity, ingenuity and persistence can be considered some of the most appropriate epithats that fit this pioneering championship.

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