This tortuous Gávea road course to the south of Rio de Janeiro was known colloquially as Trampolin do Diablo (The Devil’s Springboard). It held the Rio de Janeiro City Grand Prix from 1933-52 that briefly attracted a European participation. From its startline on the Rua Marquês de São Vicente in Gávea, complete with cobblestones and tramlines, the circuit followed the cliff bound coastal Avenida Niemeyer. It then turned into the mountains which included a succession of challenging hairpin curves. Scuderia Ferrari entered the race in 1936 although both its Alfa Romeos retired. The roads were resurfaced in 1937 when Ferrari was challenged by Hans Stuck in an Auto Union C-typ. The rear-engine C-typ proved unwieldly on these tight confines and was beaten by Carlo Maria Pintacuda’s Alfa Romeo 8C-35. European interest continued after World War II and the FIA even listed Gávea as venue for the World Championship Brazilian Grand Prix in 1952, although that intriguing possibility did not go ahead.
