Juan Manuel Fangio

Juan Manuel Fangio Biography

Affectionately known as “bandy legs” by his many fans, Juan Manuel Fangio was born in Balcarce, Argentina the son of an Italian immigrant in 1911. After military service he opened his own garage and would race in local events. These “local” events were not the weekend meetings that occur all over England but long-distance races held over mostly dirt roads up and down South America.

Fangio’s first race at eighteen was in a Ford taxi. One particular race, which he won in 1940, the Gran Premio del Norte was almost 10,000 kilometres long. This race between Buenos Aires, up through the Andes to Lima, Peru and back again took nearly two weeks with stages held each day. No mechanics were allowed and any repairs would have to be completed by either the driver or co-driver at the end of each stage.