Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo

Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo is a racing circuit located near the city of Termas de Rio Hondo, in the province of Santiago del Estero in Argentina.

The track was redesigned soon after the opening

This venue is one of the newest racing tracks in South America as it was opened in 2008, but was completely renovated and resurfaced only four years later. The old track that had only nine turns was changed and the current track, designed by the Italian circuit designer Jarno Zaffelli, is 4.805 km long and has 14 turns. Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo has FIM grade A license, while FIA certified the track with grade 2 which allows organizing of all racing categorized below Formula 1.

One of the turns at Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo

MotoGP and WTCC races are main events

Motorcycle races are still the main events, especially the Moto GP round. The main event under the FIA’s umbrella is the World Touring Cars Championship round which was held for the first time in 2013. National Formula Renault, Porsche GT3 Cup Latin America and Super TC2000 are also regular at Termas de Rio Hondo.

WTCC race at Termas de Río Hondo

Long and fast circuit

This is a pretty fast track with some interesting turns before the start/finish straight and fast 180 degrees turn 1. The backstretch was shortened during rebuilding in 2012 and is now 1070 meters long. There are many spots which present opportunities for overtaking and that’s why this circuit is one of the most popular ones among fans in Argentina.

Map of Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo

During the popular Turismo Carretera racing weekends, more than 60.000 fans attended the races, whereas the Moto GP events in 2014 and 2015 attracted more than 250.000 people to the stands.

Modern and well-equipped facilities

Facilities at Termas de Rio Hondo are not big, but they are modern and well equipped to meet all demands of the teams in all racing series, with capacity for 70 vehicles. The big control tower is located near the pit lanean interesting, and probably a quite unusual feature of the venue is the museum dedicated to the history of local and Argentinian motorsports.

Pit lane and garages at Termas de Rio Hondo circuit

Lap record time for the cars (1:43.119) was set in 2015 during the 2015 Argentinian Super TC 2000 Championship race, while the lap record time for the motorcycles stands at 1:37.683, set in the 2014 MotoGP race.

Video – Lap around Termas de Rio Hondo

The aim is to continue the progression

The future of Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo looks bright. The circuit already hosts two big international events and the aim is to bring more top-class racing events as well as boost further rise of local tourism. Local authorities pointed out that Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo could have a leading role in the development of the regional tourism.

Museum at Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo

Getting there and accommodation

Getting there is not an easy task: the nearest airport is located in Termas de Rio Hondo and it offers a small number of flights over the week. The Vicecomodoro Ángel de la Paz Aragonés Airport at Santiago Del Estero, some one-hour drive south of the circuit, offers more opportunities even though there are only national flights on schedule.

Various types of accomodation are avaliable in Termas de Rio Hondo

The accommodation won’t be a problem as many hotels of different types and at affordable prices are available in Rio Hondo.

Address: Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo, Dep. De Marapa, Santiago del Estero, Argentina
Phone: +54 3468 55 6739
Website: autodromotermas.com