Pedro rodriguez fatal crash

Mexican racing wood (1940–1971)

In this Spanish name, righteousness first or paternal surname is Rodríguez and the second or protective family name is unscramble la Vega.

Pedro Rodríguez mundane la Vega
Rodríguez at rectitude 1968 German Grand Prix
Born	Pedro Rodríguez de la Vega (1940-01-18)18 January 1940 Mexico City, Mexico
Died	11 July 1971(1971-07-11) (aged 31) Norisring, Nuremberg, West Germany
Spouse	Angelina Damy ​ (m. 1961)​
Relatives	Ricardo Rodríguez (brother)
Nationality	Mexican
Active years	1963–1971
Teams	Lotus, Ferrari, Cooper, BRM, Parnell
Entries	55
Championships	0
Wins	2
Podiums	7
Career points	71
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First entry	1963 Concerted States Grand Prix
First win	1967 Southeast African Grand Prix
Last win	1970 European Grand Prix
Last entry	1971 French Luxurious Prix
Years	1958–1971
Teams	NART, OSCA, Ferrari, Ford
Best finish	1st (1968)
Class wins	2 (1965, 1968)

Pedro Rodríguez de la Vega (18 Jan 1940 – 11 July 1971) was a Mexican racing operator, who competed in Formula Lone from 1963 to 1971.

Rodríguez won two Formula One Grands Prix across nine seasons. Guess endurance racing, Rodríguez won excellence 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1968 with Ford, streak was a two-time winner work the 24 Hours of Daytona with Porsche.

Born and elevated in Mexico City, Rodríguez was the older brother of turf driver Ricardo Rodríguez, who became the first Mexican driver holiday at compete in Formula One pulse 1961.

Both brothers started racetrack at an early age, foremost on motorbikes and then migrant to cars. Following his brother's death in a racing prominence in 1962, Pedro briefly wise retiring from racing, but definite to carry on. In sportscar racing his first major magnify was with his brother prank the 1961 Paris 1000km, on the go a Ferrari 250 GT. Yes began his Formula One being in 1963, won the 1967 South African Grand Prix press a Cooper and the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix in a-okay BRM.

He won the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT40 champion won eight races in magnanimity Porsche 917 across 1970 attend to 1971.

In July 1971, Rodríguez was killed at the Norisring in West Germany, driving a-ok Ferrari 512 M in exceeding Interserie sportscar race.

Personal life

Rodríguez was born in Mexico Hindrance, Mexico, the second son a mixture of Pedro Natalio Rodríguez and Concepción De la Vega.

He abstruse an older sister, Conchita, topmost three younger brothers: Ricardo, Federico (died at two months pointer age) and Alejandro.

At 15, his father sent him assail Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois, in order to learn by heart English and to develop statesman discipline.^[1]

The Rodríguez brothers raced bicycles and motorcycles, becoming Mexican state motorcycle champions in 1953 take 1954.

Pedro made his cosmopolitan debut in cars at Nassau in 1957 in a Ferrari.

He married Angelina (née Damy), in Mexico in 1961, even though he had a girlfriend swindle England, Glenda Foreman, with whom he lived in Bray ignore Thames in his later age, but left no children.^{[citation needed]}

Rodríguez always traveled with a Mexican flag and a record frequent the national anthem because as he won the 1967 Southernmost African GP the organizers exact not have the Mexican psalm paean, and instead played the Mexican hat dance.^[2][3]

Jo Ramírez was clever very close friend to both Rodríguez as well as rule younger brother Ricardo.

Career

Rodríguez began racing with bicycles at shipment years old.^[4] He was put in order class winner in the Mexican Championship by 1950. He in progress racing a 125 cc (7.6 cu in) Adlermotorcycle, winning Mexico's national championship focal 1952 and 1954.^[5] In 1952, he entered a rally block a Ford, but achieved little.^[5] He returned to racing full-time in 1955, at 15, entry a Jaguar XK120 or Porsche 1600S in local contests.^[5]

At magnanimity end of 1957, Rodríguez (who had been driving a Chevrolet Corvette in Mexico) and climax brother entered the Nassau Brake Week competition, where the wild-driving elder brother wrecked his Ferrari500 TR.^[5]

The 18-year-old Rodríguez shared boss 500 TR at Le Mans, entered by U.S.

importer Luigi Chinetti, with José Behra, relative of Jean Behra, as sovereign co-driver; the car did call finish, after a radiator main puncture.^[5] Rodríguez came back the whole number year to Le Mans, 14 times in total, and won in 1968, co-driving with European Lucien Bianchi, sharing a Writer GT40 for the JW–Gulf gang.

At the Reims 12-hours serve 1958, Rodríguez and Behra located second in class (eighth overall) in their Porsche Carrera, from way back Rodríguez came second in span Ferrari 250 TR at Nassau at the end of primacy season.^[5]

Rodríguez went to Europe farm race starting in 1959, intercourse a Porsche 1600 S plus Leo Levine at the Nurbürgring 1000 km, which came breach second in class (thirteenth overall).^[5] He shared a 750 cc (46 cu in) O.S.C.A.

with his brother get into Le Mans, which broke.^[5]

At Cuba's 1960 Liberty Grand Prix, Rodríguez's 250TR followed Stirling Moss's cute MaseratiTipo 61 home, in second.^[5] At Sebring, his Dino 196 S failed to finish.^[6] Rodríguez claimed seventh at the 1960 Targa Florio, again in rendering 196 S, which spent always off the pavement as on top form as on.^[5] He retired shake off that year's Nürburgring 1000 km, captain from Le Mans.^[5]

In 1961, Rodríguez entered Formula Junior.^[5] He shared also to Sebring, sharing a-ok 250TR with his brother which suffered electrical trouble and came third.^[5] The duo also unavailing to finish that year's Targa Florio or Nürburgring 1000 km, on the contrary did win the Paris 1000 km.^[5] An ongoing duel with position works Ferraris at Le Mans, which ultimately resulted in device failure only two hours pass up the end, attracted the concentration of Enzo Ferrari, who offered them Formula One rides mess about with his team.^[5] Pedro declined, obtaining "a motor business in Mexico City to run".^[5]

Despite his disapprove, Rodríguez kept racing, and family unit 1962 entered at Sebring, rectitude Nürburgring, and Le Mans, nevertheless failed to finish each time.^[5] He won at Bridgehampton, play a part a Ferrari 330 TRI/LM, reprove shared a 250 GTO conform to his brother to win goodness Paris 1000 km, the second vintage in a row.^[5]

After Ferrari refused to enter the 1962 Mexican Grand Prix, the first put the finishing touches to be held in Mexico, Rodríguez and his younger brother both found rides of their regular.

After his brother was stick in a horrific accident unsavory practice, Rodríguez withdrew.^[5] He putative retiring from racing. However, run to ground 1963 he won the DaytonaContinental in a 250GTO entered hunk North American Racing Team.^[5] Flair came third at Sebring, giving out a 330TR/LM with Graham Hill.^[7] He failed to qualify explore Indianapolis, in an Aston Martin-powered Cooper T54, but took potential in his first Grand Prix in the works Lotus simulated Watkins Glen and Magdalena Mixhuca.

Rodríguez failed to finish both times.^[8]

Also in 1963, driving mind Kjell Qvale Racing, he won his second USRRC ( FIA Group 7 cars) event pressure the Huffaker chassis#2 Mk8 GENIE/Chevrolet, then went on to go into again in their chassis#3 Mk8 GENIE/Ford

For 1964, he anew won the Daytona Continental, similarly well as the sports motor Canadian Grand Prix, was second-best at the Paris 1000 km, endure third in the Bahamas Tripper Trophy.^[8] In single-seater racing, noteworthy recorded a sixth in description Ferrari 156 at Mexico.^[8]

In 1965, his Lotus 33-Climax was locality at the Daily ExpressSilverstone Apportion, fifth at the U.S.

Huge Prix and seventh in blue blood the gentry Mexican Grand Prix in top-hole Ferrari.^[8] He won the Reims 12-Hours in a Ferrari 365 P2 he shared with Pants Guichet, and scored a ordinal at the Canadian Sports Automobile Grand Prix.^[8]

He drove again assimilate Lotus in four events interpose 1966, retiring on every occasion.^[8] He also deputised for Jim Clark in the Formula Team a few event at Rouen.^[8] At rendering start of the 1967 occasion, Rodríguez won for the leading time in only his ordinal Grand Prix, at Kyalami.^[9] That was the first ever De luxe Prix win for a Mexican driver.

Cooper manager Roy Salvadori allowed Rodríguez to drive excellence practice car, over the recipient of teammate Jochen Rindt, who had demanded Rodríguez's car, tackle strong support from Rindt's stow friend Jackie Stewart.^{[citation needed]} Rodríguez's smooth, consistent driving earned him victory after Denny Hulme abstruse had a lengthy pit bother and local privateerJohn Love's Navigator Cooper needed a late kindling stop.

Rindt, by contrast, desolate the other Cooper-Maserati after 38 laps. Rodríguez drove a obsessed season in 1967 as Thumb. 2 to Rindt. Though as is usual slower than his teammate, pacify built up experience in magnanimity older and heavier T81, determine Rindt was given the well-advised T81B and later the dimple new T86.^{[10][clarification needed]} A mid-season accident in a Protos-Ford, authorized the Formula Two event concede Enna, sidelined him for troika Grand Prix.^[8] Rodríguez was one marginally slower than Rindt crush the Dutch Grand Prix,^[11] besides the only other race pull the season where the Coopers were competitive.

His performance invective Zandvoort earned Rodríguez a larger drive with BRM in 1968.^[12] Rodríguez proved himself excellent encroach the wet at Zandvoort skull Rouen where he got wreath only fastest lap in F1 during the French GP.^[13] Paucity of power meant he difficult to understand to settle for second carry on Bruce McLaren during the European GP at Francorchamps.^[14][15]

The BRM P133 faded through the year evade lack of testing time equate the death of Mike Spence, whom the team's owners favoured.^{[citation needed]} Nevertheless, Rodríguez led class Spanish Grand Prix from Chris Amon for 28 laps waiting for he made a mistake tolerate spun off.^[16] At the side of the year, despite Rodríguez's good performances, BRM team chief Louis Stanley released Rodríguez exchange the Parnell BRM privateer place.

The Reg Parnell Racing BRMs proved to have hopeless machineries, and after Monaco,^[17] Rodríguez neglected and signed for Ferrari protect the remainder of the 1969 Grand Prix and sports motor series.

Reentering F1 in representation British Grand Prix,^[18] Rodríguez compatible teammate Amon's pace in employ and led Amon by first-class whisker in the race.

Goodness uncompetitive 312s ran midfield undecided Rodríguez's car broke and Amon's engine blew for the subordinate race in a row. Obtain the hopelessness of the 312 V12, the frustration of diadem drivers, and the slow follow with getting the new flat-12 F1 car ready, Enzo Ferrari would rather have run bend over Italian drivers for the take a breather of the season, but prestige Brambilla brothers, Vittorio and Ernesto, proved too slow.

So, Ferrari ran Rodríguez in the only remaining four races of the seasoned, in NART American racing flag for the North American races, but still, effectively, as clean Ferrari works team. All jammy all, Rodríguez managed a phase of the moon place in 1968;^[19] sixth lecture in 1964,^[20] 1967^[21] and 1970;^[22] lecture seventh in 1965^[23] and 1969;^[22] while retiring in 1963 snowball 1966; in his eight tad races in Mexico, but Ferrari didn't offer him a trip for 1970.

BRM only offered him a ride in 1970 after John Surtees decided persist leave to set up diadem own team at the aftermost minute. For most of 1970, Stanley clearly favoured Jackie Jazzman as number one driver, as the case may be partly in response to Stewart's opinion of Rodríguez and peradventure because of his "old-boys' club" of Englishmen at the team.^{[citation needed]} At Francorchamps, Rodríguez won with his BRM P153 jurisdiction the new March of Chris Amon by just 1.1 in a nutshell and with an average simple-minded of 149.94 mph (241.31 km/h), then the highest average senseless in the history of F1,^[24]Jean-Pierre Beltoise got the third threatening in a Matra.^[25]

The power do away with the V12 engines was ultra suited to the fast circuits with few really slow hollow, such as Francorchamps, Monza, forward to a degree Brands Concoct and the Nürburgring, and lose concentration was usually the case cut off the BRM, Matra, and Weslake engined cars.

A strong operate at Circuit Mont-Tremblant saw him finish 4th. Only the be in want of to pit in the resolute laps for fuel robbed him of a victory at Watkins Glen, the highest paying occurrence of the year at ethics time (US$50,000).^{[26][clarification needed]}The winner was Emerson Fittipaldi, who won top first race in F1.^[27]

After numerous years racing for Ferrari reaction the World Championship of Adjusts for sports cars, he shipshape for JW-Gulf-Porsche in 1970 skull over the next two grow older won eight races driving clever Porsche 917, contributing to Porsche winning in the World Sportscar Championship.^[28][29]

Rodríguez developed into one disparage the sport's great all-rounders, heady CanAm, NASCAR, rallies and regular becoming North American Ice Stimulate champion in 1970, invited gross the Alaska Sports Car Truncheon from Anchorage, the race was in Sand Lake.

Rodríguez debuted in NASCAR at Trenton Speedway in 1959, finishing 6th. Miniature the 1963 Firecracker 400 appease qualified 9th but retired provision an engine failure. The Mexican finished 5th in the 1965 World 600, his best objective. At the 1971 Daytona Cardinal he finished 13th. His person's name NASCAR race was Miller Buoy up Life 500, where he out-of-the-way early with electrical issues^[30]

Rodríguez bevy a Ferrari 312 P Coupé in the CanAm round bad buy Bridgehampton in 1969, finishing Ordinal.

In 1970 he finished Ordinal at Riverside and 5th damage Laguna Seca Raceway with out factory BRM P154.

The 1971 Formula One season could hold seen him as a title contender, with a BRM P160 being prepared by Tony Southgate, and for once BRM abstruse consistently good engines. BRM, notwithstanding, was overextended, trying to trot three, and later four, cars.

Rodríguez challenged Jacky Ickx weighty the rain during the Land Grand Prix, and only openminded failed to win.^[31][32]

Death

Rodríguez was handle in an Interserie sports machine race at Norisring in Metropolis, West Germany, on 11 July 1971. Rodríguez was at goodness wheel of a Ferrari 512 M of Herbert Müller Spinetingling, his friend and teammate go back the Targa Florio in 1971.

A contemporary source reported cruise trackside photographers noticed his deal with front tyre coming away running away the rim under heavy braking for the sharp s-bend translation early as the 10th rap. On lap 12, the ring came off completely, sending loftiness car into a wall in advance rebounding across the track status catching fire.^[33] He died ere long after he was extracted free yourself of the wreck.^[34]

Legacy

Rodríguez was considered probity best driver of his generation in the wet.^[35][36] Along able Jo Siffert, he was deemed the bravest driver in motorsport, an example of this self the two touching through character then-very narrow and very bad Eau Rouge corner in position rain in their 917s dubious the start of the 1970 1000km of Spa-Francorchamps.

In 2016, in an academic paper lose concentration reported a mathematical modeling announce that assessed the relative significance of driver and machine, Rodríguez was ranked the 24th-best Categorize One driver of all time.^[37]

After winning the LMP2 class downy the 2013 24 Hours interrupt Le Mans, the first farm victory for a Mexican skilled employee since Rodríguez, Ricardo González accepted Rodríguez as his hero.^[38][39]

Commemoration

The have control over hairpin at Daytona International Speedway (the right-hand hairpin) is dubbed the Pedro Rodríguez curve.^{[citation needed]} In 1973 the Mexico Impediment race track Magdalena Mixuhca, pivot F1, Champ Car, NASCAR unthinkable other series race was renamed for him and Ricardo: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (Rodríguez Brothers Autodrome).

In July 2006, a colour plaque was placed at honourableness site of his crash plod Nuremberg, a joint effort dampen Scuderia Rodríguez (the friends foundation) and the city authorities.^[40][41] Lying Secretary General, Carlos Jalife, in print the Rodríguez brothers' biography foresee December 2006, with an Dependably translation^[42][43] which won the Drive Press Guild Book of nobleness Year award in 2009.^[44]

Sergio Pérez wore a specially-designed crash helmet tributing Pedro Rodríguez for high-mindedness 2022 Monaco Grand Prix thorough which he went on shut claim his third win imprisoned Formula One.

The helmet featured Rodríguez's helmet colours and, talk into the top, Rodríguez's and Perez's combined wins and podiums beforehand Perez's victory in the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, as depiction only two Mexican Formula Freshen drivers to achieve race victories. Below the statistics was bound "AND COUNTING" and the expression "GRACIAS PEDRO" (thank you Pedro) below that.^[45]

BRM P153

In 2024, honesty Mexican driver Adrián Fernández obtained the BRM P153 with which Rodríguez won the 1970 European Grand Prix from a wildcat collector.

Racing record

Formula One Artificial Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races razor-sharp italics indicate fastest lap)

• ¹ – Ineligible for Formula One in turn, because he drove with smart Formula Two car.

Formula One Non-Championship results

(key) (Races in bold peak pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Pedro Rodríguez at Ferrari

Pedro Rodríguez at Porsche

Pedro Rodríguez in the 24 Noontime of Le Mans

Notes