Carlos Pairetti, a legend of Argentine motorsports, has died

Carlos Pairetti passed away at the age of 86. He marked an era in motorsports, for his achievements, he was a TC champion with Orange Thunder, as well as for his charisma. He went beyond the limits of activity and became a very famous personality.

Carlos Alberto Pairetti, one of the great drivers of Argentine motorsports, has died. He was champion of the Turismo Carretera in 1968, driving the prototype Steven Chevrolet 250, known as “Orange Thunder”. He was born in Clusellas, (Santa Fe) on October 17, 1935, although he adopted the city of Arrecife as his place. In recent times he has been facing various health problems. At the weekend, he was transferred from Arrecifes to Pergamino, because he had lung and heart complications.

***

“Do you know how I felt when I arrived in places like Mendoza, with the Grand Prix, and sped up while people were walking? It was crazy, but those images will stay with me forever”, recalled Carlos Pairetti speaking him about his massive career in Argentine motorsports.

He always maintained the same: “For me, winning a Grand Prix has more value than winning a championship. That’s why I always value the GPs of 1963 and 1966. The title was real in 1968 and with amazing vehicles like ‘Orange Thunder’ propelled me to glory, but I cherish those achievements”.

When I was young I wanted to drive. In Arrecifes, the place he adopted even though his birth certificate indicates that he is from Clusellas, Santa Fe. His passion led him to become chief of aid for Néstor Marincovich, uncle of his friend Carlos. “I used to work with a guy who was an auctioneer and when I told him I was going to dedicate myself to racing cars, he fired me,” he smiles at the memory.

“I liked driving in the dirt or mud. And I knew when I started to run it on those surfaces in my favor. Immediately, he knew how to be the counterpoint of the Gringos de Olavarría, the Emiliozzi brothers, who accelerated at full speed with Ford and Pairetti, wearing the Chevrolet banner.

He is known as “Il Matto” (“The Madman”), a nickname he took after his great experience in Formula 3 at Monza, with the Automundo team. He was driving there first and took a curve without taking his foot off the accelerator, causing an accident. Its sports director Juan Manuel Fangio described it: “It usually happens to speeders. Those who are slow nothing happens to them…”. And what if Pairetti keeps accelerating. That 1968 season began with the Barracuda, the car built by Vicente Formisano and powered by a Chevrolet engine. Although he won at Balcarce, he knew that mechanically he could not face the mighty Torino.

Over a coffee shared with Horacio Steven, the idea of ​​making a car with a Chevrolet heart emerged. And there was born the project of a car that remained in everyone’s memory: the “Orange Thunder”.

“When I said get in one of those cars, they drove me crazy,” Pairetti said. That car was the evolution of Ford’s prototypes, which became the protagonists of several tragic events. “I have a fuel tank on the sides and with a little touch, bye. We put the tank on the back, we put the Chevrolet engine on it and we changed some aspects”, detailed “Il Matto”.

But that car entered the category of legend. And to feed it, there are little stories that sustain it. “The truth is, we can’t paint anything on the car. And as we rushed out, we mixed the colors we had in the workshop, and that orange was so striking. In fact, we never found the same color to repaint it”.

“I was half crazy running, but I didn’t eat a glass. Before using the Thunder I tried about 170 laps. In his debut, because of the rush, he didn’t even qualify, he started last in Buenos Aires, but after a few laps he was among the top 6. And in the same place, at the end of the year, he beat Copello and took the crown.

In Arrecifes, his “place in the world”, Mayor Salvatierra decreed a holiday to celebrate the sporting victory.

Professionalism led him to Ford. He gave the Falcon the first win with Herceg in Hughes and then rode in Dodge. But Pairetti is no longer from a brand. Not motorsport. His figure crossed the boundaries of sports. He ventured into cinema and participated in the film “I will always love you”, where he doubled as Sandro. And then he devoted himself to work on the film “Test Pilot”.

After his time as a driver, he dedicated himself to motorsports, as a promoter and advertising entrepreneur. And he closely followed the development as an athlete of another glory from Arrecife: Norberto Fontana. But among the great memories of glory, there remains a sadness that he will never forget: the fate of “Orange Thunder”. Some gypsies came by, bought the car and cut it up to sell it as scrap metal. What a pity…”.

Pairetti’s memories appear in an autobiographical book, summarizing his glory days in motorsports. Carlos Pairetti, a historical reference in Argentine motor sport.

AWARDS

He was born on October 17, 1935, in Clusellas (Santa Fe)

TC debut: March 25, 1962, at the Vuelta de Pergamino.

CT Champion: 1968

CT wins: 22

August 18, 1963 Mar del Plata Chevrolet

October 6, 1963 Vuelta de Tres Arroyos Chevrolet

December 7, 1963 Chevrolet Argentine Grand Prix

June 14, 1964 Tour of San Antonio de Areco Chevrolet

September 20, 1964 500 Miles Mercedinas Chevrolet

January 6, 1965 Villa Carlos Paz Chevrolet

January 17, 1965 Villa Carlos Paz Chevrolet

August 21, 1966 Rojas Chevrolet Lap

September 25, 1966 Chevrolet Parchment Return

December 11, 1966 Chevrolet Argentine Grand Prix

August 6, 1967 Hughes Chevrolet Lap

September 17, 1967 Vuelta de Olavarría Chevrolet

April 28, 1968 Lap of Balcarce Chevrolet

Jul 14, 1968 Alta Gracia Chevrolet

August 18, 1968 Alta Gracia Chevrolet

September 29, 1968 Buenos Aires Chevrolet

November 24, 1968 Buenos Aires Chevrolet

May 25, 1969 Buenos Aires Ika Hare

October 12, 1969 Return of San Nicolás Ika Hare

July 4, 1971 Scroll Ford

August 29, 1971 The Ford Condors

March 26, 1978 Mendoza Dodge 1500