The
Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as
Autódromo de Interlagos or simply
Interlagos, is a 4.309 km (2.677 mi) motorsport circuit located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It was inaugurated on 12 May 1940, by the federal intervener of the São Paulo province, Adhemar de Barros. The traditional name of the circuit and of the neighborhood itself comes from the fact that it is located in a region between two large artificial lakes, Guarapiranga and Billings, which were built in the beginning of the 20th century to supply the city with water and electricity. In 1985, the circuit was renamed to honor the Formula 1 driver José Carlos Pace, who died in a plane crash in 1977. Attached to its facilities there is a kart circuit named after Ayrton Senna. The circuit runs counterclockwise.