Augusto Farfus participated in his first race at the age of six. At the time, his machine of choice was a minibike, which gave the boy from Curitiba a formative experience. He quickly switched from two wheels to four and unveiled the full extent of his talent in the following go-kart races. His path took him first to São Paulo and then to Europe as he won races, became World Karting Vice-Champion and then entered the cockpit of the Formula Renault and Formula 3000. But the man from South America soon found his calling in touring car, GT and prototype racing and has remained true to it to this day – at BMW M Motorsport’s side.
I don’t wake up in the morning to be average, I come to win.
A FAMILY MAN AT THE RACES.
Augusto’s success has taken him to races all over the world: Daytona, Spa, Le Mans, Nürburgring, Qatar, Melbourne – the list of events is long. All of the races and classes he drives are held around the world. That is why the father of two finds balancing his family and career extremely challenging to this day. It is rare that Farfus can spend time in his native Brazil, which is a constant source of stress for the loving family man.
However, his passion for racing has always spurred on the endurance and sprint champion. That is why in 2023 – over 30 years after beginning his career – he entered the cockpit of the completely new BMW M Hybrid V8, which reaches speeds above 320 km/h, to race in the GTP class of the North American IMSA against the stiff competition from Porsche, Cadillac and Acura. Challenge accepted!
Farfus’ passion for maximum speed and the perfect lap doesn’t stop at the end of the racetrack. When his daughter Vicky, now 13, expressed her desire to become a racing driver as well, she could count on her father’s support. At that moment, he began fighting not only for his own success on the track but also for the career of his daughter as a next-generation racing driver. Although she is only a teenager, she emulates her father and is already successfully participating in karting. And she has set a clear goal: She wants to be the first female Formula 1 Champion in history.
THE NEXT GENERATION.
Augusto Farfus – statistics and career phases.
1990 First race on a minibike
1991 Paraná Champion in Paraná, Brazil
1992 Switches to karting
1993 – 1998 Several victories in Brazilian karting divisions
1999 Victories in North American and Italian karting championships
2000 – 2001 Participates and wins the championship in the Formula Renault
2002 Switches to Formula 3000
2003 Enters the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC)
2004 – 2006 Switches to the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)
2007 Inducted into the BMW M works drivers squad, 4th place in the WTCC overall ranking
2008 – present BMW M works driver with victories and spots on the podium 24 Hours Nürburgring, 24 Hours of Le Mans, DTM, FIA GT World Cup and many more
