By Carlos Paula During the 50’s, Interlagos continued to be Brazil’s single race track, so most racing activity did take place in São Paulo. There was racing in other areas of Brazil, most notably in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The southern racing was, however, more influenced by Argentinean style than the racing in the other areas of Brazil, by that meaning Carreteras – more on that below. Rio continued to host races, including the Gavea race, until 1954. By and large, however, international racing disappeared from Brazil, and the last high level races were held in 1957, in Sao Paulo and Rio, with Fangio winning both. In the early part of the decade, most São Paulo racing was done with pure breed sports cars, mixed with Brazilian racing specials, and the Mecanica Nacional category, which was basically a mixture of old GP cars, left over from the 30’s, equipped with American engines, and Brazilian specials – basically chassis from old cars or built in Brazil, with American e...