18/5/1903 - 30/6/1981
Record updated 02-Oct-17
Domingo Marimón was one of the most popular drivers of the Turismo Carretera in the 1930s and 40s. He retired from driving in 1953 and tragically committed suicide in 1981.
Domingo Marimón was a man of means. He smoked big cigars, campaigned against Perón and was one of the most popular drivers in Turismo Carretera, the Argentinian Road Races, in the 1930s and 40s.
He was born in Zárate, one of 4 brothers. He had two children Onofre, also know as 'Pinocho' who raced, and Titina.
He contracted tuberculosis when he was young and in 1922 entered the Sanatorio de Santa María in the Córdoba hills, after two years he returned to Zárate before moving to Cosquín in 1928 where he become the owner of a funeral home.
His first racing car was made using the chassis and engine of a Ford hearse and in his first race at Tablada in 1931 he finished just behind Angel Anticaglia.
In 1938 he took his first victories driving in the Grand Prix at Tablada, Premio Virgilio Greggo, Rafaela and the Gran Premio ACA of 1940.
He raced with his friend and mechanic Pedro Duhalde against the great drivers of the time from the Galvez Brothers to his friend, Fangio.
He was helped by the Municipality of Cosquín and in the Grande Premo Chile of 1947 he was presented with a car by Alejandrina Ortiz Urioste.
His greatest achievenment was winning the Buenos Aires to Caracas race in 1948 after Oscar Galvez was disqualified. The race distance of 9640 Kms was spread over 14 stages. He shared the prize with his friend, Juan Manuel Fangio, who had crashed in the early stages of the race in an accident which killed his co-driver, Daniel Urrutia. In all the race cost ten lives (one driver, two mechanics and seven specatators), left nearly 100 drivers stranded along the road and virtually destroyed 138 cars. Domingo picked up a first prize of 114,000 pesos ($23,450).
Domingo Marimón retired from motorsport in 1953, one of his last races was in the Carrera Panamericana, Mexico in a Lincoln Capri. He failed to finish. He committed suicide in 1981.
hr