Víctor Rosso
Victor Rubén Rosso | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960 Argentina |
| Occupation(s) | Racing professional, Team Principal |
| Years active | 1978–2012 (driver), 1994–present (team principal) |
| Known for | Argentine racing driver and motorsport team principal |
Victor Rubén Rosso (born 1960) is an Argentine racing professional with an international career spanning from 1978 to 2012, currently holding the position of Team Principal in the motorsport industry.
Early and personal life
Originating from Argentina, Rosso initiated his involvement in karting in 1973. In pursuit of advancing his racing ambitions, he moved to Europe in 1982, coinciding with the period of the Falklands War.
Career
Rosso made his first appearance in Fórmula Renault at age 18 and, within two years, became both the division’s inaugural champion and its youngest national titleholder. His competitive tenure between 1975 and 2002 included participation across Argentina, England, Germany, and Japan. Notably, he achieved pole positions ahead of Ayrton Senna at circuits such as Mallory Park and Brands Hatch.
Shifting focus from driving to management, Rosso established a professional racing team that competed in Formula 3, rally events, and the TC2000 series. His roster featured distinguished drivers including Dario and Gustavo Ramonda, Jorge Recalde, Pablo Peón, and Luis Soppelsa. Entering Formula 3 Sudamericana in 1994, his team secured a second-place championship finish with Omar Martinez. Between 1995 and 1997, his teams participated in South American Formula 3 and National Rally Championships under the Pro Rally banner. Rosso was instrumental in introducing imported vehicles into TC2000 competition, leading to four drivers’ championships won by Omar Martinez (1998), Juan Manuel Silva (1999), and José María "Pechito" Lopez (2008 and 2009).
From 2002 onward, Rosso has served as Team Principal across various motorsport disciplines including Rally Master events. Between 1996 and 2011, he directed Honda Racing’s TC2000 efforts, capturing four drivers’ titles along with six manufacturers’ championships. Under his guidance, the Honda Civic achieved a record-breaking 92 victories in TC2000 and attained a significant market share alongside Ford, Chevrolet, and Renault within Argentina.
Between 1998 and 2010, Rosso’s teams earned six manufacturers’ championships (1998, 1999, 2003, and consecutively from 2008 to 2010). In 2012, leading Renault as Team Principal in Súper TC2000, he secured the manufacturers’ title for the first time in nearly two decades. His impact extends throughout Super TC2000 official teams—including Peugeot, Fiat, Chevrolet, Toyota, and Renault—many of which employ personnel who developed within his Víctor Rubén Rosso organization.
1980s
Rosso clinched his initial championship title in the Argentina Renault Formula series in 1980, shortly after Renault launched its domestic team. The following year saw him compete in the British Marlboro Formula 3 series representing a fully Argentine team; he also participated in European Formula 3 events at Silverstone. In 1982, he contested eight British Formula Ford 2000 races with two wins at Brands Hatch and triumphed at the European Championship event held at Hockenheim, Germany. He finished as runner-up at Donington Park during the 1983 Radio Trent competition and secured the Superguard championship at Donington in 1984.
In 1985 Rosso earned the German Formula Ford 2000 championship title and followed this by placing third overall in the German Formula 3 series with the Dallara team in 1986; that year he also competed in the Macau Grand Prix. Racing for Volkswagen’s official squad in German Formula 3 during 1987, he won at Nürburgring within the Formula 3 EFDA Euroseries and concluded the season as runner-up.
The year 1988 marked Rosso’s ambition to lead a team running a fully Argentine-designed carbon fiber vehicle powered by the Berta F3 engine model 088. This project involved collaboration with Córdoba’s military aircraft manufacturing facility and engine expert Oreste Berta. Despite competing initially, financial constraints prevented completion of that season. In 1989 he returned to German Formula 3 competition driving for the Russian-German EUFRA outfit managed by Franz Tost.
1990s
In 1990, Rosso secured fourth place at the Fuji World Cup and participated in the Japan Formula 3 series during 1990-1991, achieving a fourth-place finish in 1991. Between 1990 and 1992, he competed for Tom's Toyota official team, driving a Toyota Corolla in the Tourism Group "A" category. Additionally, in 1993, he took part in two TC2000 races held in Argentina with Tom's Toyota. By 1995, Jorge Recalde was acting as Rosso's driver for rally events across South America and Argentina.
Rosso introduced a TC2000 initiative to Honda in 1996, which led to his involvement with the manufacturer from 1997 onward, where he earned victories alongside teammates Omar Martinez (1998) and Juan Manuel Silva (1999).
In 1999, Pro Racing expanded its facilities by constructing advanced garages capable of supporting multiple automotive brands and established the Córdoba Racing Research Model Workshop dedicated to preparing high-performance vehicles. That December, Pro Racing launched a rally circuit that hosted Rally Master Argentina events (1999-2000) as well as several Super Special Stages for WRC Rally Argentina.
Esteemed drivers invited to test this circuit included Markku Alen, Miki Biasion, Stig Blomqvist, Timo Salonen, Ari Vatanen, Jorge Recalde, Gabriel Raies, Gustavo Trelles, Jimmy McRae, Alister McRae, Bruno Thiry, Uwe Nittel, Manfred Stohl, Giggi Galli, Miguel Campos, and Jani Paasonen.
2000s
Throughout the 2000s decade, Rosso consistently participated in the TC2000 championship representing Honda, securing numerous pole positions and race victories annually. Noteworthy achievements involve winning the 2003 TC2000 manufacturers title with Honda and capturing both manufacturer and driver championships in 2008 alongside José María López.
After Honda exited the TC2000 series due to disagreements over new engine regulations, the team was renamed Team Petrobras from 2009 through 2011. Despite this transition, Rosso maintained competitive success by clinching the 2009 manufacturers’ title with Honda Racing and José María López earning the drivers’ championship.
2010s
In 2010, Rosso collaborated with Felipe McGough to finalize José María López’s signing with the USF1 Formula One Team—a project backed by Argentine government investment. However, USF1 never entered competition due to developmental setbacks and loss of critical funding.
Rosso continued his strong presence in TC2000 by securing the manufacturer championship with Honda Racing in 2010. In 2012, he joined forces with Renault’s Racecraft team and contributed to winning that year’s manufacturer championship under Renault LoJack. The following season saw Rosso finish second in both manufacturer and driver standings.
During 2013, Rosso acted as Honda’s representative at FIA meetings focused on shaping regulations for the 2014 World Touring Car Championship. Although Honda Argentina withdrew amid internal restructuring, Honda’s European and Japanese divisions maintained their participation.
Team drivers
- 1997: Honda – Luis Soppelsa, Omar Martínez
- 1998: Honda – Juan María Traverso, Omar Martínez, Juan Manuel Silva
- 1999: Honda – Juan Manuel Silva, Omar Martínez, Chiqui García, Gabriel Raies, Marcelo Bugliotti, Lucas Armellini
- 2000: Honda – Omar Martínez, Juan Manuel Silva, Marcelo Bugliotti, Anibal Zaniratto
- 2001: Honda – Juan Manuel Silva, Oscar Larrauri
- 2002: Honda – Juan Manuel Silva, Guillermo Ortelli, Martín Basso, Esteban Tuero
- 2003: Honda – Juan Manuel Silva, Guillermo Ortelli, Martín Basso
- 2004: Honda – Juan Manuel Silva, Martín Basso, Fabián Yannantuoni
- 2005: Honda – Juan Manuel Silva, Martín Basso, Fabián Yannantuoni
- 2006: Honda – Juan Manuel Silva, Diego Aventín, Fabián Yannantuoni, Carlos Okulovich
- 2007: Honda – Herny Martin, Cacá Bueno, Juan Manuel Silva, Carlos Okulovich, José María López
- 2008: Honda – José María López, Juan Manuel Silva, Leonel Pernía, Carlos Okulovich
- 2009: Honda – José María López, Juan Manuel Silva, Leonel Pernía, Santiago Ventana
- 2010: Honda – Mariano Altuna, José María López, Leonel Pernía, Néstor Girolami
- 2011: Honda – Leonel Pernía, Mariano Altuna, Néstor Girolami, Nazareno López
- 2012: Renault – Leonel Pernía, Mariano Altuna, Guillermo Ortelli, Emiliano Spataro
- 2013: Renault – Leonel Pernía, Guillermo Ortelli, Emiliano Spataro, Fabián Yannantuoni
Other teams
Renault LoJack Team: Marcelo Ambrogio serves as General Director, with Victor de la Rosa as engineer, Oscar Falcinelli handling design, and Alexander Venturi fulfilling the role of Chief Designer. Toyota Team Argentina: Diego Bruna holds the position of Chief Designer. Chevrolet YPF: The team includes Luciano Monti as Chief Designer, alongside engineers Victor Vega and Rafael Croceri. Fiat Petronas: Javier Ciabattari acts as Chief Designer, supported by electronic engineer Alejandro Saparrat and engineer Matías Bustos. Peugeot LoJack Team: Ulises Armellini is General Director, with Andrew Rodriguez working as engineer.