About Augusto
Growing up in Brazil, Augusto showed a passion for racing from a very young age. At only six years old he began riding mini-motorcycles in his hometown of Curitiba, quickly establishing his talent and earning himself the moniker ‘Magic Motorcycle Boy’. He progressed to karting in 1992, and by the end of his first season had clinched the Paranaense Championship. After sealing numerous national titles, Augusto progressed into single-seater racing, in which he was crowned European Formula Renault champion in 2001 and European Formula 3000 champion in 2003. Off the back of these successes, he competed in the European Touring Car Championship in 2004, before moving into the World Touring Car Championship in 2005. Augusto spent six seasons in the WTCC, picking up 32 podiums and twice finishing third in the driver’s championship. His next challenge was Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), in which he spent seven years. The highlight of this period was his second place finish in the 2013 season.
In 2019, Augusto joined Hyundai to race our i30 N TCR in the World Touring Car Cup, picking up two podiums in his debut season with our team. In the same year, he also claimed victory in the GTLM class at the 24 Hours of Daytona, a feat he then repeated in 2020. Augusto was the test and development driver of our first-ever electric race car, the Veloster N ETCR, and will be behind the wheel for its competitive debut in the inaugural PURE ETCR season in 2021.
Photos
Career
| 2020 | 24 Hours of Daytona |
| 2019 | FIA World Touring Car Cup 24 Hours of Daytona |
| 2018 | Two rounds of FIA GT World Cup |
| 2017 | Two rounds of the FIA GT World Cup |
| 2013 | All rounds of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (10) |
| 2011 | 24h Nürburgring 24h Dubai |
| 2009 | All rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (24) |
| 2008 | 24h Nürburgring |
| 2006 | All rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (20) |
| 2003 | All rounds of the Euro 3000 (9) |
| 2001 | All rounds of Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup (10) |
Q&A
Q1.Who is your motorsport idol?
Ayrton Senna (as I am Brazilian, it’s the standard answer!)
Q2.What are your hobbies?
Family, remote controlled planes / helicopters / drones, running.
Q3.What is your ideal destination for a holiday?
Wherever my family is and wherever I can find warm weather.
Q4.Which profession would you have chosen if you hadn’t become a race driver?
My grandfather invented a Churrasqueira in Brazil and all of my family works in this business. We have many restaurants so this would have been a potential career path for me.
Q5.What is your favorite food?
Food cooked by my wife. She is pretty good! If I wasn’t a professional athlete, I could easily survive on pizza, sushi and ice cream.
Q6.Describe yourself in 3 words
Loyal, honest, racer.
