Autódromo Velo Città
Velo Città (these days spelled Velocitta) is the private, hilly road course on a farm in the São Paulo countryside, about 180 km north of the city, that drivers rave about and most fans have only seen on TV. It started life as Mitsubishi’s test ground in Brazil, opened for racing in 2012 and now hosts Stock Car, TCR South America, Porsche Cup and NASCAR Brasil. Here’s what you’ll want to know: the name, the history, how a lap flows, the lap records, what races there and how to actually see it.
Velo Città at a Glance
Length 3.443 km / 2.139 mi competition layout; the original full lap is 3.493 km / 2.170 mi
Turns 12 official count for the competition layout (some sources say 13)
Elevation 45 m / 148 ft change from the lowest to the highest point
Opened June 2012 first race was a Porsche GT3 Cup event
Location & owner Mogi Guaçu, São Paulo founded by Mitsubishi importer HPE’s Eduardo Souza Ramos; run by Spinelli Racing since 2018
Fastest race lap 1:20.142 Guilherme Samaia, F3 Brasil, 2017
Velo Città or Velocitta?
Same place. The track launched as Autódromo Velo Città, and that’s still how Wikipedia and many race reports write it, but the circuit’s own branding now runs it together as Velocitta. You’ll see both, plus Velocittà with the accent, in Brazilian coverage. The circuit doesn’t publish an official explanation of the name, but read as Italian it combines “velo,” as in velocità (speed), with città (city), so think “speed city.”
There’s no sponsor in the name and no widely used nickname. Locals and race broadcasters simply call it “o Velocitta,” and because it sits out in the countryside, you’ll often hear it described by its town, Mogi Guaçu, even though the farm actually straddles the border with Espírito Santo do Pinhal.
One quirky detail fans love: the braking-marker boards feature cartoon chimpanzees that look more and more worried the closer you get to each corner. It’s a small thing, but it tells you this place was built by people who like driving.
Velo Città History
Velo Città didn’t start as a racetrack. It started as a place for Mitsubishi’s Brazilian importer to test cars away from public roads, on a farm full of coffee country hills and lakes. Over a few years that test ground grew into a full road course, and since then it has become a regular stop for Brazil’s biggest national series, plus a favorite spot for car launches and driving events.
- 2000 Mitsubishi’s Brazilian importer, HPE Automotores, buys the farm near Mogi Guaçu to use as a test site for its cars.
- 2007 Planning for a full road course begins, led by HPE’s owner, Eduardo Souza Ramos.
- 2010 Construction starts on the first section and the eastern loop.
- 2011 The western section is finished, completing the original 3.493 km lap.
- 2012 The circuit gets national (CBA) approval and holds its first race in June, a Porsche GT3 Cup event.
- 2013 The FIA inspects the track in October and clears it for touring cars and GTs.
- 2014 A new paddock building opens, with space for around 500 guests.
- 2015 The Caipirinha S-bends and the Ferradura (horseshoe) open in March, creating today’s 3.443 km competition layout, and an off-road course is added.
- 2017 Stock Car races at Velo Città for the first time, in August, and F3 Brasil sets the fastest race lap the track has seen.
- 2018 Guiga Spinelli’s Spinelli Racing, Mitsubishi’s official rally team, takes over running the circuit.
- 2019 Stock Car marks its 40th anniversary season here, with an extra round and a race for its old cars.
- 2022 TCR South America adds Velo Città to its calendar.
- 2025 Stock Car holds three rounds here as the series debuts its new car, and Gaetano di Mauro sets the Stock Car lap record in a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.
- 2026 Porsche Cup Brasil visits in March, NASCAR Brasil in June, and Stock Car and TCR South America share a weekend in July.
The Caipirinha and the Ferradura
If Velo Città has a calling card, it’s these two. In 2015 the circuit bypassed its original Turns 3 and 4 and built a new set of S-bends, nicknamed the Curva da Caipirinha after Brazil’s national cocktail, plus a tight horseshoe called the Ferradura. They turned the original 3.493 km lap into today’s 3.443 km competition layout, the one the big series use.
2015
Opened in March
The S-bends and horseshoe replaced the original Turns 3 and 4 and reworked the final corners.
45 m / 148 ft
Elevation change
The track rises and falls with the farm’s hills, so many corners are taken over crests or into dips.
3.443 km
Today’s race lap
The layout created in 2015 is the one Stock Car, TCR and Porsche Cup use.
What makes them special isn’t raw speed. Velo Città is mostly a medium- and low-speed track, and the Caipirinha is all about rhythm: get the first part wrong and you’re late for every bit that follows. Add the hills, a few blind entries and the fact that the track was laid out by people who wanted it to be fun to drive, and you can see why veteran Stock Car drivers keep naming it among their favorites in Brazil.
Velo Città Track Guide: How a Lap Flows
Velo Città is unusual: the circuit treats its detailed track design as confidential and doesn’t publish an official corner-by-corner list, and only a couple of corners have names you’ll hear on TV. So instead of numbering every turn, here’s how a lap of the 3.443 km competition layout flows, section by section. There’s no free-licence track map we can show you, so the official circuit site is the place to see the layout.
Sector 1
Main straight and pits
The lap starts on the main straight beside the 160 m / 525 ft pit lane and the race control tower. It’s the obvious place to set up a pass, with a hard stop for the first corner at the end.
Sector 2
Caipirinha S-bends
The 2015 S-bends. You flick the car from one direction to the other, and the exit of the last part matters more than the entry of the first. Clip a curb too hard and the whole sequence falls apart.
Sector 2
Ferradura
The horseshoe: a long, tight turn that keeps loading up the front tires. Patience pays here, because rushing the throttle just pushes you wide.
Sector 3
The hills
The rest of the lap follows the farm’s terrain, with climbs, drops and a few blind corners where you commit before you can see the exit. It rewards drivers who know exactly where the road goes.
Sector 3
Back to the line
The final corners were reworked in 2015 to feed the main straight. A clean exit here sets up the run to the line and, in a race, a move into the first corner.
The circuit also has shorter layouts, including an east loop of about 1.83 km and a west loop of about 1.42 km, which are handy for driving courses and manufacturer events when the full lap isn’t needed.
Velo Città Lap Records
Velo Città keeps its class records on the 3.443 km competition layout, and as at any track, only laps set in races count. The numbers below are the race lap records as listed at the end of the 2025 season; the 2026 races could have lowered some of them. Interesting detail: a Porsche Cup car has gone around faster than a Stock Car, which tells you how much the twisty, hilly lap rewards a light, nimble car.
1:20.142
Fastest race lap
Guilherme Samaia in a Dallara F309 during the 2017 F3 Brasil round. No faster race lap has been recorded on the 3.443 km layout.
1:29.283
Stock Car Pro Series
Gaetano di Mauro in a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross-bodied Stock Car, set in the first of the series’ 2025 visits.
1:28.501
Porsche Carrera Cup
Gabriel Casagrande in a Porsche 911 (991 II) GT3 Cup during the 2020 Porsche endurance race.
1:33.027
TCR
Pedro Cardoso in a Peugeot 308 TCR during the 2025 TCR South America round.
Races and Events at Velo Città
Velo Città hosts a handful of big national race weekends a year, and in between it’s busy with manufacturer launches, owners’ club days, driving clinics and private track rentals. Recent years have also brought F4 Brasil, Stock Light, Turismo Nacional, Endurance Brasil and the Mitsubishi Cup. Here are the headline series, with their 2026 visits for reference.
July
Stock Car Pro Series
Stock Car Pro Series Since 2017
Brazil’s top touring-car series has raced here since 2017 and held three rounds here in 2025. In 2026 it visited on July 24–26, when Gaetano di Mauro won race one and Felipe Baptista won race two.
July
TCR South America
TCR South America Touring cars
The South American TCR series has come here since 2022. Its 2026 round shared the July weekend with Stock Car; Tiago Pernía (Honda) and Joaquín Cafaro won the two races.
March
Porsche Cup Brasil
Porsche Cup One-make racing
Porsche raced at Velo Città from day one: the very first race in 2012 was a Porsche GT3 Cup event. In 2026 the series ran its second round here on March 28–29.
June
NASCAR Brasil Series
NASCAR Brasil V8 racing
Brazil’s NASCAR series grew out of the GT Sprint Race, whose Camaros you can see in the photo at the top of this page. Round 4 of 2026 ran here on June 27–28, with wins for Vitor Genz and Galid Osman.
Velo Città Race Calendar: 2026 and 2027
These are the big national race weekends at Velo Città, so you can plan a trip around the series you want to see. The circuit also hosts track rentals, club days and manufacturer events that aren’t open to the public. Dates marked TBA haven’t been announced yet; we’ll add them once they’re confirmed, and it’s always worth checking the series’ own calendars before you book.
2026 season
| Dates | Event | Series | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28–29 | Porsche Cup Brasil, round 2 | Porsche Cup | Done |
| Jun 27–28 | NASCAR Brasil, round 4 | NASCAR Brasil Series | Done |
| Jul 24–26 | Stock Car Pro Series, round 6 | Stock Car Pro Series (with Stock Light and F4 Brasil) | Done |
| Jul 24–26 | TCR South America, round 5 | TCR South America | Done |
2027 season
| Dates | Event | Series | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Stock Car Pro Series round | Stock Car Pro Series | Date TBA |
| TBA | TCR South America round | TCR South America | Date TBA |
| TBA | Porsche Cup Brasil round | Porsche Cup | Date TBA |
| TBA | NASCAR Brasil round | NASCAR Brasil Series | Date TBA |
Velo Città Weather by Season
Mogi Guaçu sits in the São Paulo countryside, where it’s hot most of the year, wet in summer and very dry in winter. Remember the seasons are flipped from North America and Europe, so July is winter. The numbers below are average daily highs and lows for Mogi Guaçu from CIIAGRO (São Paulo state agrometeorology) data for 2016–2021.
31°C
Summer · Dec–Feb
Daily highs around 31°C (88°F) and warm nights with lows of 19–20°C (66–68°F). It’s the wettest time of year, with roughly 180–220 mm of rain a month, often in heavy afternoon storms. Bring a rain jacket and sunscreen.
28–32°C
Autumn · Mar–May
Highs slide from about 32°C (89°F) in March to 28°C (82°F) in May, and lows drop from 19°C to 13°C (66°F to 55°F). Rain falls off fast, from about 150 mm in March to under 60 mm in May. Porsche Cup visited in late March in 2026.
27–28°C
Winter · Jun–Aug
Dry and pleasant by day, with highs of 27–28°C (80–83°F), but nights get cool, down to around 10–12°C (50–54°F). July averages only about 10 mm of rain. The 2026 NASCAR Brasil, Stock Car and TCR weekends all fell in this season, so bring a warm layer for the mornings.
31–32°C
Spring · Sep–Nov
The hottest days of the year, with highs of 31–32°C (87–89°F) and lows of 16–18°C (60–65°F). September is still dry, but the rains return in October and November, at roughly 140–170 mm a month.
Visiting Velo Città: Getting There, Tickets and Tips
Here’s the thing to know up front: Velo Città is a private facility, not a public park with grandstands, and there are no regular visiting days. You get in when a race series or event organizer opens a weekend to the public, so plan around those dates.
Where to watch
- The mirante. The circuit’s 360-degree lookout and natural grass grandstand is the main spectator area on public race weekends, with views over a big chunk of the lap.
- The hills. Because the track follows the terrain, high ground gives you a look at several corners at once. Where you can stand depends on how each organizer sets up the weekend.
- Don’t expect big grandstands. Facilities are built more for teams and guests (there’s an events center for around 500 people and paddock lounges) than for large crowds, so bring a hat and something to sit on.
Tickets
Tickets are sold by each event’s organizer, not by the circuit, so check the series’ own website or social channels for each weekend. Some national race days have had free entry with paid parking, but that varies from event to event, so don’t assume it.
Getting there and what to bring
The circuit is at Rodovia SP-342, km 187, in the Nova Louzã area of Mogi Guaçu, about 180 km / 112 mi north of São Paulo. There’s no public transport to the gate, so you’ll want a car. The nearest big airport is Viracopos in Campinas, about 70 km / 43 mi away, while São Paulo’s Congonhas and Guarulhos airports are about 180 km and 200 km away. Mogi Guaçu and nearby towns have hotels, but book early on a Stock Car weekend.
Out in the countryside, the sun is strong and shade is limited. Bring sunscreen, water, a hat and ear protection, and in summer a rain jacket for the afternoon storms. Winter race days start chilly and get warm, so dress in layers.
Can You Drive Velo Città?
Yes, but not by turning up for an open track day. The circuit says it doesn’t run public track days or sell individual laps. Instead, it offers group experiences on request: driving clinics and courses, experience days, hot laps and drives in a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport R rally car, 4×4 off-road driving on its 20-obstacle course, and exclusive whole-day track rental for groups who bring their own cars. Prices are by quote only.
The easier way in for most enthusiasts is a third-party event. Organizers such as Porsche (Porsche Track Experience), McLaren and independent track-day clubs book the circuit for their own customer days, so if you own a performance car, ask your brand’s club or dealer. Note that the circuit isn’t homologated for motorcycles, so bike track days aren’t allowed, and there’s no kart track on site.
If you’d rather start on a screen, Velo Città is in Automobilista 2, the Brazilian-developed sim, with the full circuit and a shorter club layout. It’s a great way to learn where the blind corners go before you try the real thing.
Talk Velo Città With Other Enthusiasts
Heading to a Stock Car weekend, booking a driving course or chasing a sim lap time? Share what you’ve learned, ask questions and find people going to the same event in the AutoGathering community.
- Stock Car weekends at Velo Città
- Where to watch
- Driving clinics and experiences
- Porsche and McLaren owner days
- Mitsubishi rally rides
- Automobilista 2 lap times
- Road trips from São Paulo
- Hotels in Mogi Guaçu
Velo Città FAQ
Where is Velo Città?
Velo Città (Velocitta) is in Mogi Guaçu, in the countryside of São Paulo state, Brazil, at Rodovia SP-342, km 187. It’s about 180 km north of São Paulo and about 70 km from Viracopos airport in Campinas.
How long is the Velo Città circuit?
The competition layout used by the big series is 3.443 km (2.139 miles) with 12 corners. The original full lap, used before 2015, is 3.493 km (2.170 miles).
What is the lap record at Velo Città?
The fastest race lap is 1:20.142, set by Guilherme Samaia in an F3 car in 2017. The Stock Car record is 1:29.283, set by Gaetano di Mauro in 2025.
Who owns Velo Città?
It was built by Eduardo Souza Ramos of HPE Automotores, Mitsubishi’s representative in Brazil, on a farm the company bought in 2000. Since 2018 it has been run by Guiga Spinelli’s Spinelli Racing.
When did Velo Città open?
The circuit opened for racing in June 2012 with a Porsche GT3 Cup race, after construction started in 2010. The current competition layout dates from 2015.
What races are held at Velo Città?
The Stock Car Pro Series, TCR South America, Porsche Cup Brasil and NASCAR Brasil race here, along with national series such as F4 Brasil and Stock Light.
Can you visit Velo Città?
Only on event days. The circuit has no regular visiting days, so you need to go on a public race weekend, with tickets from the event organizer.
Can you do a track day at Velo Città?
Not as an individual drop-in. The circuit offers group experiences and track rental by quote, and brand clubs and organizers run their own customer days there. Motorcycle track days aren’t allowed.
Explore More Racing Circuits
Velo Città is one of 25 circuits and rally events in our South American racing directory. If you’re in São Paulo state, Interlagos, home of the São Paulo Grand Prix, is about 180 km to the south.
Photo credits
- Header image: Runnerf1, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- A Stock Car Pro Series car on…: NaBUru38, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- A Peugeot 308 TCR in the paddock…: NaBUru38, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- A Chevrolet-bodied NASCAR Brasil Series car being…: Telles98, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- A Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car racing…: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.