Gonzalo Rodríguez (racing driver)
Gonzalo "Gonchi" Rodríguez Bongoll (January 22, 1971 – September 11, 1999) was a Uruguayan racing driver. He was killed in an accident at Laguna Seca Raceway during qualifying for a CART race.
| Gonzalo Rodríguez | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Uruguayan |
| Born | Gonzalo Rodríguez Bongoll January 22, 1971 Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Died | September 11, 1999 (aged 28) Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey County, California, U.S. |
| CART Championship Car | |
| Years active | 1999 |
| Teams | Penske Racing |
| Starts | 1 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Previous series | |
| 1997–1999 1996–1997 1994–1996 1993 | International Formula 3000 British Formula 3000 British Formula Renault Spanish Formula Renault |
Career
He showed promise in Formula 3000 for three seasons, taking two wins in 1998 at Spa-Francorchamps and Nürburgring, winning the following season in Monaco and finishing third in both championships. Following a rotation of drivers as team mates to Al Unser Jr. in CART Penske Racing's second car, he was given his opportunity at the Detroit Grand Prix in 1999 and scored a point in his only race.
Death
At the Laguna Seca Raceway during the qualification session for his second CART race (in 5th place while qualifying), he was fatally injured in a crash. A stuck throttle was initially thought to be the cause for his car to overshoot the braking point, leave the track and slam into a concrete barrier at the entry of the Corkscrew corner. Review of the in-car telemetry refuted this supposition. The impact caused his car to flip over the barrier and land upside down on the other side of the wall. Rodríguez was killed instantly by a basilar skull fracture caused by the impact with the wall, which was lined by only a thin layer of tires. Because of the incident, runoff was installed at the end of the straight.
Rodríguez had a contract in place to compete in the 2000 CART championship with Patrick Racing.
Legacy
In July 2013, Autosport magazine named Rodríguez one of the 50 greatest drivers never to have raced in Formula One, citing both his mental and physical strength, and his race craft. In 2014, a Spanish-language documentary of his life, Gonchi, was released.[1]
Racing record
Complete International Formula 3000 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Redman & Bright F3000 | SIL DNQ |
PAU | HEL Ret |
NÜR 6 |
PER Ret |
HOC 17 |
A1R 7 |
SPA | MUG 8 |
JER Ret |
22nd | 0.5 | ||
| 1998 | Team Astromega | OSC Ret |
IMO 3 |
CAT 21 |
SIL Ret |
MON 2 |
PAU Ret |
A1R 4 |
HOC 11 |
HUN 7 |
SPA 1 |
PER Ret |
NÜR 1 |
3rd | 33 |
| 1999 | Team Astromega | IMO 5 |
MON 1 |
CAT 2 |
MAG Ret |
SIL 15 |
A1R DNQ |
HOC 4 |
HUN Ret |
SPA 2 |
NÜR | 3rd | 27 |
Complete American Open Wheel results
(key)
References
- Got Netflix? Watch Gonchi Archived 2016-08-10 at the Wayback Machine September 3, 2015.
External links
- Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez - a foundation which promotes child road safety and physical education
- Profile at HistoricRacing.com
- News report and footage of the crash on YouTube
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