Gonzalo Rodríguez (racing driver)

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Gonzalo "Gonchi" Rodríguez (born January 22, 1972 in Montevideo , † September 11, 1999 in Laguna Seca ) was a Uruguayan racing driver .

Career

Rodríguez began his motorsport career at the age of 14 in karting . In 1992 he moved to Europe in the Spanish Formula Ford . A year later he went to the Spanish Formula Renault , where he finished third at the end of the season. In 1994 Rodríguez drove in the British Formula Renault, in which he also achieved third place overall. He also started in the Eurocup of Formula Renault, where he reached tenth place in the classification. In 1995 Rodríguez took part in the British Formula 3 championship and was twelfth overall. In 1996 he started in some races of the British Formula 3 championship, but his main focus was on the British Formula 2 championship , in which he was fourth in the overall standings.

In 1997 Rodríguez moved to the Formula 3000 team Redman Bright . In the first run he could not qualify, in the further course of the season he came in sixth once in the points and finished 22nd overall at the end of the season. In 1998 he moved to the Belgian team Astromega and contested his second season in Formula 3000 as a team-mate of Gastón Mazzacane. After a third and a second place, the Uruguayan won the races in Spa-Francorchamps and on the Nürburgring . This secured him third place in the overall ranking. Rodríguez was able to distance his teammate Mazzacane clearly. In 1999 he stayed with Astromega and won the prestigious Monte Carlo race . The Uruguayan had no chance of winning the championship against the dominant Nick Heidfeld , but before the last race he was in second place overall.

Rodríguez also made his debut in the CART series in Detroit for Penske Racing this year . He should start again for Penske in the race at Laguna Seca . However, he had a fatal accident in training for his second race. Before the notorious Corkscrew curve, he lost control of his car and drove at over 225 km / h into the boundary of the road, which was only barely secured with stacks of tires. After the impact, the car took off and landed upside down on the other side of the boundary. Rodríguez died immediately of a fractured skull base .

In the last Formula 3000 race of the season, Jason Watt won the runner-up title. Rodríguez was posthumously third overall. After his death, the Gonzalo Rodríguez Foundation was founded to help Uruguayan street children.

In 2015, a documentary entitled Gonchi la película was made into a film about his life.

statistics

Career stations

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Rodríguez, Gonzalo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rodríguez, Gonchi (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Uruguayan racing driver
DATE OF BIRTH January 22, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH Montevideo , Uruguay
DATE OF DEATH September 11, 1999
Place of death Laguna Seca , United States