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Record updated 29-Jan-08
Born in Santa Fe province, Argentina, the career of Luis Enrique Brosutti Fantini covered more than 25 years of racing in his homeland.
His first success was a class win on the improvised city-circuit at Sante Fe in 1925 and he went on to race Willys and other cars into the 1930s.
But it was in a Mercedes-Benz SSK that he made his name, especially in the grueling 500 Millas Argentinas at Rafaela. He finished second there in the 1936 and 1937, before finally winning it in 1938.
He came second again at Santa Fe on November 15, 1936 and was 3rd in Tres Arroyos in 1938. He also had top-three placings in six other major races before WWII intervened.
After the war he concentrated his activities on his beloved 500-mile Rafaela race. He dusted off the old Mercedes-Benz SSK and won the Rafaela again in 1948 at an average speed of 164.851 kph, and followed that with third places in the tragic 1949 race, when 2 drivers and 10 spectators were killed, and in 1950 when he was beaten only by the Grand Prix Talbots of Fangio and Rosier.
He finished second again at Rafaela in 1954 still driving his trusty SSK. The race was now run of a five and a half mile long clay and soil oval track in an anti-clockwise direction. An Argentine magazine of the time reported this feat as follows:
'... An outstanding performance by this glorious driver from Santa Fe, Mr. Luis Brosutti, who - although not driving the best machinery on tracks today - showed what is made of to finish in a brilliant second position. The winner of the race, Roberto Bonomi, was at the wheel of the Ferrari which had been driven by Gigi Villoresi in the 1952 Mexican Panamericana Race.'
In 1955 he acquired a Maserati 4CLT that was first raced in 1948 by Alberto Ascari in San Remo. The car was subsequently driven by Fangio and Jose Froilan Gonzalez. Luis installed a Studebaker V8 and with it finished 2nd in the 1957, 7th in 1958 and 3rd in 1959 again with the Maserati-Studebaker. He also finished 5th in 1963! His brothers Fernando and Carlos were also active drivers at that time.
Today one area of the pits at the Rafaela Circuit is named Brosutti.
With thanks to David McKinney and Maximiliano Catania