Colombian Formula 2 Series

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The Colombian Formula 2 Series (English Colombian Formula 2 Series ) comprised two automobile races that were carried out in February 1971 according to the Formula 2 regulations in the Colombian capital Bogotá. Only European teams with drivers from the European Formula 2 championship started . The races of the Colombian Formula 2 series, however, did not have championship status.

background

Won the first Formula 2 race in Colombia: Jo Siffert

The races of the Colombian Formula 2 Series took place on the occasion of the inauguration of the Autódromo Internacional Ricardo Mejía , the first permanent automobile race track in Colombia. The course was in the north of Bogotá. The Colombian entrepreneur Ricardo Mejía built it with the aim of bringing international automobile competitions to the country on a regular basis in the future, which until then had no pronounced motorsport tradition. In the medium term, a run of the Formula 1 World Championship was planned, which would take place between the races in Brazil and Mexico as a World Championship race.

To open the course, the organizers held two invitation races based on Formula 2 criteria. The first race was the Grand Prix of the Republic of Colombia ; a week later, the Grand Prix of the city of Bogotá followed, which was contested in the same place with an identical starting field. The racing drivers were without exception drivers who competed in the European Formula 2 Championship. The organizers booked them through an Italian agency. They included the two-time Formula 1 world champion Graham Hill , Derek Bell , runner-up in the European Formula 2 season in 1970 , as well as Jo Siffert , Rolf Stommelen and Hannelore Werner . Local racing drivers did not compete in Bogotá. The Formula 2 works teams were also not represented in Colombia; Tecno , whose driver Clay Regazzoni had won the European Championship in 1970, was registered, but did not show up for the races. However, some customer teams already had new racing cars of the 1971 model generation. They used the races in Colombia to test the new vehicles. They included Frank Williams Racing Cars with the new March 712M and Jo Siffert with the Chevron B18 .

After the two races in Bogotá, Colombia failed to tie international formula racing to the country. In the following year, there was no second edition of the Colombian Formula 2 series, and there was insufficient interest in a Formula 1 project. One source sees the reason for the increase in violent clashes in the context of the so-called drug war, which has made the country unattractive for foreigners. In the years that followed, mainly touring car and stock car races with local drivers took place on the track.

Ricardo Mejía closed the course named after him in 1978. The track was demolished. Today there is an outlet center on the property.

Results

No. date run place Racetrack winner vehicle
1 7th February 1971 Gran Premio Republica de Colombia 1971 Bogotá Autódromo Internacional Ricardo Mejía SwitzerlandSwitzerland Jo Siffert Chevron B18
2 February 14, 1971 Gran Premio Ciudad de Bogotá 1971 Bogotá Autódromo Internacional Ricardo Mejía United KingdomUnited Kingdom Alan Rollinson Brabham BT30

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The term was already used in contemporary reporting, cf. NN: Columbian F2 Series , Motorsport Magazine, March 1973, p. 23.
  2. ↑ a b c N.N .: Columbian F2 Series , Motorsport Magazine, March 1973, p. 23.
  3. ↑ a b c d N.N .: 45 años del Autódromo Ricardo Mejía. www.motor.com.co, accessed December 17, 2016 .
  4. ^ NN: Latin American motor racing. www.grandprix.com, accessed December 16, 2016 .