Argentine Grand Prix Although the Argentine Grand Prix is no longer on the Formula One calendar, it nevertheless has a long and varied history. Argentine president Juan Perón was the driving force behind the creation of the circuit, after seeing the success of the country's own Juan Manuel Fangio. Built just outside of Buenos Aires on swampland in 1952, the "Autodrome", as it was known, featured a white archway dedicated to the memory of Almirante Guillermo Brown. The circuit opened in March 1952 with the running of the "Peron Cup", which was won by Fangio. In 1953, the Autodrome hosted the first ever Formula One race held outside Europe. The race saw native son Fangio retire his Maserati after 36 laps due to a transmission failure; Alberto Ascari's victory for Ferrari was tragically overshadowed by a stadium accident which killed nine people. The following year, Fangio did reach the top step of the podium, winning his home grand prix on his second attempt; he would go on to win three of the next four grand prix in Argentina. In 1958, Stirling Moss took the win, in what would be the penultimate race in Fangio's distinguished career. With his retirement, and with the exile of Peron (in 1955) leading to several unstable governments, the Argentine Grand Prix disapeared from the F1 calendar in 1961 for over a decade. It wasn't until 1972 that the Argentine Grand Prix returned, with Carlos Reutemann emerging as the new homegrown hero. Reutemann took pole position in his world championship debut, becoming only the second driver to achieved this feat. The race was won by world champion Jackie Stewart. The Grand Prix remained in Argentina through 1981, its demise in 1982 brought on by the Falklands War and by Reutemann's retirement. A private consortium purchased the track in 1991 and began to upgrade it. The modernized Argentine Grand Prix returned in 1995, with victory going to Damon Hill. Hill would win the event again in 1996 (his championship season), and in 1997 Jacques Villeneuve won the race in his championship season. Unfortunately, with the organizers of the event running into financial difficulties, the 1998 race was the last running of the Argentine Grand Prix, the checkered flag waving victory to Michael Schumacher, in what was then only his ninth win for Ferrari. Winners of the Argentine Grand Prix Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_Grand_Prix