Buenos Aires
The Gran Premio Internacional Standard Supermovil YPF (Touring Car Grand Prix) was a race like few others. In spite of it's name the event was no Grand Prix, as we would know it. It was actually a long distance rally, held over ten days in the rugged Argentine plains.
On October 7th 1962 Ewy Rosqvist and Ursula Wirth set out from Frankfurt as part of the Mercedes team which would tackle the sixth running of this gruelling, marathon event, starting out from Buenos Aries, and travelling a grand total of 4,626km to return to the capital.
Touching down in Buenos Aires the next day, Rosqvist and Wirth found the press fascinated by the first female team to enter the event, but dismissive of their chances of even completing the course, never mind actually being competitive. In truth the two ladies came very close to not even starting the race when they were both stricken with food poisoning on a pre-race reconnaissance trip.
Food Poisoning
From Rosqvists own diary
In the evening it happened. Ursula can hardly stay upright, she empties her stomach of its contents. She is mortally ill.
"What do we do if I get sick?" she moans.
"First, you're already sick," I say. "Secondly, I do not know what to do."
A moment later I lie in my room and am as pitiful as Ursula in hers. At midnight I call Karl Kling.
I can imagine how he is now rushing to get the best doctor in Buenos Aires. It won't be long before the doctor is with us. He examines us, takes the temperature and checks the pulse. Then he goes to the phone. It goes so fast so I can only perceive one word: hospital.
An hour later we are in a room with two beds in a private clinic that is spotlessly clean and ultra-modern.
Later in the evening, Karl Kling comes to see how we are doing.
"Do you think you can drive? Today is the nineteenth, in five and a half days it begins. What should I do if you can't start?"
"I don't know," I say resigned.
The athletic, white haired leader of our team closes the door to the sick room. The day goes by. Two days. Three days.
Time and time again we come to the same question. Can we start?
NIN-1962 Buenos Aires
| 10112 | x1 |
| 10105 | x8 |
| 10104 | x2 |
| 10103 | x3 |
| 10102 | x11 |
| 10115 | x4 |
| 10108 | x1 |
| 10107 | x3 |
| 10106 | x3 |
Buenos Aires
The Buenos Aires circuit has had a number of different titles over the years, starting life as Autódromo 17 de Octubre, and currently being officially called Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez. But in 1962, when Ewy Rosqvist finished her marathon drive with a ceremonial finish at the track, it was called Autódromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires.
The circuit is located in a park in the southern part of the city, and is situated on flat lands surrounded by large grandstands, giving most spectators an excellent view of the whole circuit. Built in 1952 under president Juan Perón, the track has a multitude of possible configurations.
The Buenos Aires Autodrome has hosted twenty Formula One Argentine Grand Prix races, seven 1000km de Buenos Aires sports car races, ten Argentine motorcycle Grand Prix races and nearly fifty Buenos Aires Grands Prix, under various rules.
The Start
On the afternoon of their fourth day in hospital, October 22nd, Rosqvist and Wirth reluctantly dragged themselves out of bed to attend the technical inspection of the cars at the Autodromo de Buenos Aires. Two and a half days later they started the race.
The first stage, from Buenos Aires to Villa Carlos Paz was a massive 863km long, and took over 6 hours to complete. Though this was the longest leg of the event, none of them were short, with four of the six stages being over 800km, and the shortest being 515km. In spite of their illness just a few days before the two ladies posted the fastest time on the first stage.
The second stage was another six hour stretch of 861km, from Villa Carlos Paz to San Juan, but after posting the fastest time again, Rosqvist and Wirth faced some shocking, and sad news.
Death
From Rosqvists own diary
Karl Kling sits gravely in the vestibule waiting for us. When we collapse, he rises politely and stays until we are seated.
"How's Manfred doing?" Ursula asks breathlessly. "Is it true that he is dead?"
"Manfred?" says Karl. "No, he is injured, but he is alive and has been taken to hospital. He may have suffered a severe shock, but he may return to Buenos Aires in a few days."
"Thank God!" we both say. A stone falls from our chest. "And what about Hermann? Is he also injured?" Karl Kling takes a deep breath.
"You must find out sooner or later. You have to make yourself familiar with the idea that Hermann no longer exists."
At first, I can't understand what he's saying, and Ursula looks petrified at Kling. When I see that she has tears in her eyes, I make a decision.
"I'm not going on. I give up."
Kling and Ursula look at me as if I had said something terrible.
"You can't do that," says Ursula.
"I first have to be alone for an hour," I say. "Forgive me! I go up to my room."
From Ewy Rosqvist's book "Speed from start to finish"
I still can't cry. Still, I know that it would help me get rid of that creepy cramp in my throat. What an absurd idea to run a rally and race! What has driven me to it? Why haven't I stayed home at the pots as many reporters have asked?
What made me choose this extreme profession that brought me all the way to Argentina? I open my eyes and stare up at the white ceiling. This is the "moment of searching," when I have to decide whether to continue with this profession or whether to give up.
Stars
But Rosqvist did not give up. In fact she and Wirth went on to win every single stage of the race, the first time that had ever been achieved. Not only did they win the race, they won it by over three hours.
Before the start of the race, the newspapers had ridiculed the fact that a women’s team were setting out on the marathon rally through Argentina. When Rosqvist and Wirth chalked up a victory on the first stage, their success was soon praised as a respectable achievement. However, when the duo then also won the second stage, there was no more holding back and the Swedish women were wildly celebrated by the country’s media. According to one newspaper “It was not the Cuban missile crisis, but rather the two blondes from Scandinavia who dominated the headlines in the country’s daily newspapers.”
They arrived back in Buenos Aires as stars.
Success
From Ewy Rosqvist's book "Speed from start to finish"
The sixth stage will soon be completed. The rest of the track, 190 km, we will drive more for the sake of appearances. All remaining participants must go in a convoy with a short distance between each. This giant competition's "symbolic" goal is the autodrome in Buenos Aires where we will arrive in unison to be greeted officially.
"What should we do if we win?" Ursula asks suddenly. It sounds pitiful. I have to laugh.
"Then we should be happy."
Not until now has it dawned on her that the victory is waiting behind the next corner.
Thousands of people have beckoned to us and thrown flowers at us. Now reporters are rushing forward with pencils, cameras, microphones and questions. A large police presence holds back the crowd who want to storm us and lift us up on their shoulders. People are completely out of themselves, they scream, sing, throw up hats and scraps of paper in the air and dance around.
"We did it!" I scream. I embrace Ursula who sits beside me petrified with joy.
"Won!" she rejoices. "I congratulate you, Ewy!"
"And I you, Ursula! Without you, I would never have done it."