It was in 1923, during the second edition of the San Sebastián Trade Sample Fair, that the great races of the San Sebastián Car Circuit began.

This first event – as reflected in the official poster executed by the renowned draughtsman of the period, Eduardo Lagarde – would be called the Great Automobile Week, held from 21 to 26 July, which served to draw European attention to San Sebastián.

Motor sports events were held one after the other at the San Sebastián Car Circuit throughout the years, which most habitués would come to know as the Lasarte Circuit, since it was in this Guipuzcoan town where the start and finish line for the races was located.

2 / Circuit of Lasarte / Kutxa Fototeka / Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0
Circuit of Lasarte / Kutxa Fototeka / Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0

The competitions on this circuit continued to take place up to 1935, except for 1931 and 1932, achieving much fame and renown in Europe and serving to host great challenges such as the Spanish Grand Prix, the European Grand Prix, the San Sebastián Grand Prix or the 12-hour Criterium, among others.

In 1928, at the 6th Motor Circuit, the “pilot car” for the test was the Donosti, an automobile built entirely in San Sebastián by Messrs Mañero and Mendiburu, the owners of Garaje Internacional.

The races of the San Sebastián Car Circuit also served as a driving showcase for cars such as Elizalde, Hispano Suiza, Nazzaro, Delaye, Ford, Talbot, Maserati, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes Benz, Auto Unión, ... driven by renowned pilots like Garnier, Almenar, Basterra, Belven, Satrústegui, Morel, Dubonnet, Nuvolari, Chiron, Varzi, Rosemeyer, Caracciola, Siena, Von Stuck.

Today, we want to commemorate the spirit of those events that were so successfully held at the San Sebastián or Lasarte car circuit, as it is usually known.