cascavel

The circuit's origins trace back to 1964, when a group of amateur drivers and local enthusiasts led by Zilmar Beux organised test events on the city streets. Beux's group formed a corporation and by 1970 had purchased land on the south-eastern outskirts of Cascavel to build a permanent facility, with early events drawing an estimated crowd of 20,000 — substantial given the city's population of roughly 90,000 at the time.

Disaster nearly struck in 1973 when the Paranaense Automobile Federation banned dirt-track racing on safety grounds. Rather than close, Beux and supporters sold new shareholdings in the facility to fund paving. In just 38 days the autodrome became the first circuit in Paraná state with a sealed asphalt surface, with the city's mayor at the time donating surplus gravel from the city's own paving works.

The opening event on asphalt took place on 24 April 1973, but the occasion was bittersweet for Beux. So consumed had he been with the construction effort that he had no time to prepare a car for himself, and the media's focus fell instead on the new mayor of Cascavel, Pedro Muffato, who was competing as a driver. Reportedly ignored in the coverage of his own creation, Beux stepped away from motorsport and did not return to the circuit for another thirty years.

One of the circuit's signature events was born in 1987 when it hosted an exhibition truck race. Tragically, track president Jeferson Ribeiro da Fonseca was killed during that event. Formula Truck was reborn in 1996, with Cascavel among the founding venues.

Stock Car Brasil visited for the first time in 2001, for which a chicane was inserted ahead of the plunging downhill Bacião corner. In the years that followed, under-investment led major series to migrate elsewhere and the circuit fell back to hosting minor championships, local racing, and driver training programmes.

After 41 years of operation, the Automobile Club of Cascavel — by then chaired by Zilmar's son Miguel Beux — donated the track to city authorities, placing it in public ownership for the first time. The city government then undertook a comprehensive remodelling in 2012: the entire circuit was widened and resurfaced, run-off areas were improved, and FIA-standard kerbing was installed. The start/finish straight was relocated to the former back straight to create a larger paddock with 36 pit garages and a helipad. Spectator facilities were also upgraded with new access tunnels and a restaurant.

The circuit was renamed Autódromo Internacional Zilmar Beux in honour of its founder and reopened in August 2012 with a Formula Truck round witnessed by approximately 50,000 spectators. Cascavel also returned to the Stock Car Brasil calendar in September 2012 and hosted a round of the Moto GP1000 superbike championship.

The current layout is 3.058 km (1.900 miles) long and runs counter-clockwise with eight turns. Its most distinctive feature is the Curva do Bacião, a long sweeping right-hander that demands precision and commitment. The track mixes high-speed sections with a tighter infield sector, and the main straight offers overtaking opportunities into a heavy braking zone at Turn 1. The fastest recorded lap is 1:00.580, set by a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.

The circuit hosted rounds of the Formula 3 Sudamericana until 2013 and the Campeonato Brasiliero de GT in 2012. It has been a regular fixture for Stock Car Pro Series, Copa Truck, Fórmula Truck, and NASCAR Brasil Series events throughout its history. Its name in Portuguese — Cascavel means rattlesnake — gave the circuit an evocative informal identity.

Cascavel became one of four main circuits in Brazil during the 1970s and 1980s, hosting national-level competition across multiple categories. Its refurbishment in 2012 returned it to relevance on the national calendar, though its standing in subsequent years has fluctuated with the movement of major series elsewhere. For Brazilian drivers and fans the circuit represents a connection to the grassroots of domestic motorsport that extends well beyond the headline venues.