Column: Brazilian Stock Cars Are Not As Popular As They Should Be

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Sim racing is objective, each person is going to like different categories and styles of racing. However, one series that I feel is criminally underrated is the Brazillian Stock Car Pro Series.

Automobilista 2 is the go-to place for Brazilian stock car racing with so many different eras represented within the sim. The original 1979 Chevrolet Opala is a stand-out addition alongside the modern Toyota and Chevrolet machinery.

Not only is there variety within the car choice, but also within the track choice. 43 Brazilian track layouts are available within Automobilista 2, so a full championship re-creation is certainly on the cards for those who love to relive the past through sim racing.

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1986 Chevrolet Opala saw the second era of the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series.

What is the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series?​

Originally based upon the road-going Chevrolet Opala, the Brazilian Stock Car Series was born when General Motors separated the dominant Chevrolet Impala from Division 1 racing. The Opala one-make series quickly gained popularity. Many F1 drivers have raced in Stock Car Brasil such as Rubens Barrichello, Felipe Massa, Nelson Piquet Jr., Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta.

After the success of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the late 80s and early 90s saw a decline in popularity for the series. This era isn’t represented in Automobilista 2, mainly due to the regulations being swiftly changed back.

After 1994, the main car was the Chevrolet Omega. Race day tickets were also free to the public. The stands were filled once more and the championship would enjoy a great few years before General Motors sold up in 1999.

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2023 Toyota Corolla

The 2000s brought a new engine to the series, the V8 from JL Racing. More manufacturers came and went and the cars became spectacularly fast for the circuits they raced on. This era of the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series would last until 2019 when Toyota Gazoo Racing would enter with their Corolla.

The series was refreshed for the 2020 season and was called Nova Geração – New Generation. The new-generation cars were redesigned to throw back to the championship’s roots. The cars are still based on the JL09 chassis that was used throughout the 2010s.

Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series In Automobilista 2​

Single-player racing in Automobilista 2 can be so immersive and rewarding. Especially when cars and tracks that are period-correct are used. The 1979 Chevrolet Impala mixed with a classic layout of Interlagos is unbelievably fun.

The cars are controllable with just the right amount of horsepower partnered with a 4-speed H-pattern gearbox. The door-to-door touring car-style racing is blood-pumping and full of hard racing. The cars are tough and can withstand punishment. Do not be afraid to get your elbows out!

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1979 Chevrolet Opala saw the inception of the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series.

Automobilista 2 is famous for its immersive VR experience. These basic and analogue cars fit the bill for immersion perfectly.

Use an H-pattern shifter and clutch pedal if you have them. Whilst not essential, using a shifter and clutch adds a level of realistic control that you will lose out on if you drive it like a modern sequential car. Driving quickly and slightly sideways seems to be the best way to drive these old beasts. Clutch control and being in the right gear are important to reach that level of control.

There are online challenges and time trials that include the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, but online races are few and far between. Open lobbies are often chaotic, but they are not all the same. Check out our other Automobilista 2 column to discover how open lobbies can be great fun!

iRacing And A Lack Of Players​

iRacing is often considered the pinnacle of online sim racing. The Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series was added to the service in March 2022. Since its inception, the series hasn’t been a mainstay on many users’ calendars.


When the series was released, community races and events were plentiful. However, the series’ fate already seemed sealed only a month after its release. People moved back to the GT classes and the fantastic Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series was lost to the realms of the unpopulated iRacing series’.

The dissipation of popularity seems to stem from the lack of an international viewing audience for the real series. The track calendar normally consists of some of the more obscure and less popular iRacing locations as well, further alienating the user base from the series.

Outside of iRacing and Automobilista 2, the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series does not make an appearance in any modern titles. There is a significant lack of support for this series, somewhat undeserved, but despite this, there are events now and again that form strong grids within Automobilista 2 – if you can find them.

What do you think about the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series? Let Us Know your Experiences on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
About author
Connor Minniss
Website Content Editor & Motorsport Photographer aiming to bring you the best of the best within the world of sim racing.

Comments

Can't agree more with the title while I am totally biased, lol.

I fell in love with motorsport when 5-yrs old me was taken to Interlagos (the old one) to watch an Opala Stock Car race in the mid-80s. I was standing atop the boxes when ~30 Opalas turned on their engines and I could not only hear but also feel it in my bones. Unforgettable.

I really enjoy these cars in AMS 1 and 2.

BTW, it reads "Impala" in the article, it's actually "Opala"
 
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It's an interesting case.

Since the 2020 rule changes, these cars move around and slide more, but should be pretty controllable. Downforce was reduced by a lot (until 2019 these cars were a 3rd world DTM) and you can race them closely, doorbanging included, with little fear of damage or loss of control. Setup options are pretty limited. It has a strategic component with P2P. They are lovely presented and look good. The V8 is throaty, produces a good sound, and has nice driveability.

I think many would agree that all of this makes for a nice and popular simracing car right? Right?

But it doesn't. I know that on AMS2 they were problematic until 1.5 update, but I don't think their usage there is a problem. On iRacing they had way less popularity than expected, and I don't understand it.

They added something new that was there before. They are an atractive prospect for high participation. And I don't buy the real life popularity aspect: if GT3s were as popular in real life as on simracing, the series featuring them as main attraction would be behind a paywall and not for free on YouTube as they do now.

Unless the physics are completely borked there, it's beyond me.
 
Premium
I really like the old Stockcars (up until the 1999 cars) but the modern ones feel like boats in my opinion (both AMS2 and Iracing).
 
Premium
Just been racing the 2019 version around Long Beach in VR, great fun, and although its not Sebring the bumps make it quite interesting :)
 
"Outside of iRacing and Automobilista 2, the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series does not make an appearance in any modern titles"

wrong. there is one called Automobilista (1) which has far better physics than either AMS2 or iRacing

...more simple....and now it's correct ;)
 
A great series and fun to drive in the virtual world.

I am happy that both iRacing and AMS represent the series, however they both have issues.

AMS2 I find has the best content to recreate a season, however the physics have changed so many times in AMS2 that it makes the cars even more difficult to master.
In some cases they fell great, in other not so much and slidy.
AI still needs a lot of work.

iRacing, they feel more planted, great AI, audio and visual representation ,FFB is a bit dull but gives the information needed to get around the track....but it lacks the RL tracks to recreate a season.
iRacing is my go to, as it checks a majority of the boxes I look for in a racing title.
They have great content but I wish they would focus and release content related/dlc rather than random content
Ex. Brazilian stock car, release 4-5 Brazilian tracks with it.

In regards to the RL series, it's great but the tracks used for the schedule lack variety and get repetitive visiting the same tracks 2-3 times a season.
 
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A great series and fun to drive in the virtual world.

I am happy that both iRacing and AMS represent the series, however they both have issues.

AMS2 I find has the best content to recreate a season, however the physics have changed so many times in AMS2 that it makes the cars even more difficult to master.
In some cases they fell great, in other not so much and slidy.
AI still needs a lot of work.

iRacing, they feel more planted, great AI, audio and visual representation ,FFB is a bit dull but gives the information needed to get around the track....but it lacks the RL tracks to recreate a season.
iRacing is my go to, as it checks a majority of the boxes I look for in a racing title.
They have great content but I wish they would focus and release content related/dlc rather than random content
Ex. Brazilian stock car, release 4-5 Brazilian tracks with it.

In regards to the RL series, it's great but the tracks used for the schedule lack variety and get repetitive visiting the same tracks 2-3 times a season.
While the lack of Brazilian tracks on iRacing is undeniable, it never stopped the Aussies from building a strong community behind the V8SC, at a time when only Oran Park and Phillip Island were available.

Brazil is a big club on iRacing and has lots of members. Together with the new farm of servers at Sao Paulo, I would have expected for them to unite behind the Stock Car V8 and provide a support that could be built upon. But for some reason it did not happen?
 
Think that’s the whole problem why AMs is not that popular, for potential buyers outside the Brazilian region, they think it’s all about the Brazilian racing scene, driving unknown Brazilian cars on Brazilian circuits only.
 
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D
Brazilian cars and tracks is something hard to associate with for most folks unless you are from that country.
To the rest it's mostly the fantasy, not real motorsport content.
 
The truth is that Brazilian Stock is not as loved either in Brazil, nor among real motorsport fans, the category is unanimous here.

They change the regulations a lot, sometimes trying to imitate F1, sometimes trying to imitate NASCAR, sometimes TC2000 (that's what they're doing at the moment).

The Brazilian tracks are outdated and poorly maintained, only the main squares that appear on TV are better looked after, the others have races in abandoned conditions.

There isn't much renewal of drivers, generally someone who tries a career outside of Brazil, fails and returns to race in Stock Car.

Chevrolet has always supported the category since the beginning, the rest only lends its name and does not give real support. (Now Toyota has entered supporting the category and in 2025 it will debut new cars, they will be SUVs, and a third undisclosed brand will enter).

Maybe it's because of these factors that the category doesn't get as much attention from the world as V8Supercars, for example, which is a shame, even with all these problems it's still fun to watch.
 
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Brazilian cars and tracks is something hard to associate with for most folks unless you are from that country.
To the rest it's mostly the fantasy, not real motorsport content.
Maybe, but I'm Canadian and I knew nothing about Brazilian stock cars before AMS. However, it's a lot of fun to discover new tracks and cars. A lot of Brazilian track are huge fun (Cascavel, Taruma, Brasilia...) It's a nice change from GT3s at Monza. ;)
 
The truth is that Brazilian Stock is not as loved either in Brazil, nor among real motorsport fans, the category is unanimous here.

They change the regulations a lot, sometimes trying to imitate F1, sometimes trying to imitate NASCAR, sometimes TC2000 (that's what they're doing at the moment).

The Brazilian tracks are outdated and poorly maintained, only the main squares that appear on TV are better looked after, the others have races in abandoned conditions.

There isn't much renewal of drivers, generally someone who tries a career outside of Brazil, fails and returns to race in Stock Car.

Chevrolet has always supported the category since the beginning, the rest only lends its name and does not give real support. (Now Toyota has entered supporting the category and in 2025 it will debut new cars, they will be SUVs, and a third undisclosed brand will enter).

Maybe it's because of these factors that the category doesn't get as much attention from the world as V8Supercars, for example, which is a shame, even with all these problems it's still fun to watch.
Thanks for the insight! I can say that as an argentine motorsport fan, trying to copy TC2000 is an awful idea! That series has been on freefall since 2009, reaching new lows every new season.

On the other hand: I wish Turismo Nacional, no matter if brazilian or argentine, would be featured on AMS2. Such fun cars to both drive and race, and are being ignored so far.
 
Thanks for the insight! I can say that as an argentine motorsport fan, trying to copy TC2000 is an awful idea! That series has been on freefall since 2009, reaching new lows every new season.

On the other hand: I wish Turismo Nacional, no matter if brazilian or argentine, would be featured on AMS2. Such fun cars to both drive and race, and are being ignored so far.
Isn't there an Argentinian sim coming out this year? I remember seeing something about that on this site.
 
Iracing will be ten times more fun if they remove GT3... sounds crazy, but yes...
I remember be exciting for racing GT3 in the late 2010's (rfactor or GTR2 at time), it was fun, but in the last decade with the GT3 becoming the standard Series for most of the modern Sims it became just boring, want to race online ? only GT3 lobbies...
Most of my time on AMS/2 is racing with Hot Cars, Endurance Brasil, old Stock, I feel much more alive in this small cars, with no assists, I hope Reiza brings "Turismo Nacional" (or BTCC) for AMS2 and put more historic content.
 

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What's needed for simracing in 2024?

  • More games, period

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  • Advanced physics and handling

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  • New game Modes

  • Other, post your idea


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