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Pedro_Rodríguez_1968_Nürburgring-1.jpg
Pedro Rodríguez
Born (1940-Template:MONTHNUMBER-18)18 1940
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Died Template:Death date and age
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Formula One career
Nationality 25px Mexico Mexican
Years 1963 - 1971
Rodriguez, Pedro - BRM 1968

Rodríguez in his BRM P133 in German GP 1968

Pedro Rodríguez de la Vega (18 January 1940 – 11 July 1971) was a Mexican Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Mexico City and was the older brother of Ricardo Rodríguez.

Personal[]

Rodríguez was the first son from the marriage of Pedro Natalio Rodríguez and Concepción "Conchita" Rodríguez (née de la Vega), and had three brothers, Federico†, Ricardo, and Alejandro, and a younger sister, Conchita.

At 15, his father sent him to Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois in order to learn English and to get more discipline.[1]

Rodríguez brothers raced bicycles and motorcycles, becoming Mexican national motorcycle champion in 1953 and 1954. He made his international debut in cars at Nassau in 1957 in a Ferrari.

He had been married to Angelina (née Dammy), in Mexico since 1961, although he had a girfriend in England, Glenda Foreman, with whom he lived in Bray on Thames in his latter years, but left no children.[2] Rodríguez disliked driving in urban traffic, which he considered too dangerous, preferring to use a driver.

Rodríguez always traveled with a Mexican flag and a record of the national anthem because when he won the South African GP the organizers did not have the Mexican anthem.[3]

Jo Ramírez was a very close friend to both Rodríguez as well as his younger brother Ricardo.

Career[]

At 18 Rodríguez shared a Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa at 24 Hours of Le Mans, entered by U.S. importer Luigi Chinetti, with José Behra, brother of Jean Behra, as his co-driver. Rodríguez came back every year to Le Mans, fourteen times in total, and won in 1968, co-driving with Belgian Lucien Bianchi, sharing a Ford GT40 for the JWGulf team.

After his brother was killed in a horrific accident while practicing for the 1962 Mexican Grand Prix, Rodríguez considered retiring from racing. However, in 1963 he won at Daytona International Speedway and took part in his first Grand Prix for Lotus at the Watkins Glen and Magdalena Mixhuca. He competed in Formula One sporadically through 1966 with Ferrari and Lotus.

At the start of the new season of 1967, Rodríguez won in only his ninth GP, in South Africa in Kyalami,[4] in 1967. Cooper manager Roy Salvadori allowed Rodríguez to drive in the practice car, over the objections from teammate Jochen Rindt, who had demanded Rodríguez's car, with strong support from Rindt's close friend Jackie Stewart. Rodríguez's smooth, consistent driving him victory after Denny Hulme had had a lengthy pit stop and local privateer John Love's Tasman Cooper needed a late fuel stop. Rindt, by contrast, retired the other Cooper Maserati after 38 laps. Rodríguez drove a controlled season in 1967 as No. 2 to Rindt. Though usually slower than his teammate, he built up experience in a heavier, older chassis the Cooper T81, than that used by Rindt the Cooper T81B and later the brand new Cooper T86[5] and was also slowed up by a mid-season accident. Nevertheless, Rodríguez was only marginally slower than Rindt in the Dutch Grand Prix,[6] also the only other race in the season where the Coopers were competitive.

Rodríguez at 1968 Dutch Grand Prix

Rodríguez at the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix

His performance at Zandvoort earned Rodríguez a better drive with, BRM in 1968.[7] Rodríguez proved himself excellent in the wet at Zandvoort and Rouen where he got his only fastest lap in F1 during the French GP.[8] Lack of power meant he had to settle for second behind Bruce McLaren in Belgian GP at Spa.[9][10]

The BRM P133 faded through the year from lack of testing time after the death of Mike Spence, who team's owners favoured. Nevertheless, Rodríguez led the Spanish Grand Prix from Chris Amon for 28 laps until he made a mistake and spun off.[11] At the end of the year, despite Rodríguez's good performances, BRM team manager Oliver Stanley released Rodríguez to the Parnell BRM privateer team for, to some, inexplicable reasons, in favour of the inexperienced Jackie Oliver.

The Reg Parnell Racing BRMs proved to have hopeless engines, and after Monaco,[12] Rodríguez left and signed for Ferrari for the remainder of the 1969 Grand Prix and sports car series.

Reentering F1 in the British Grand Prix,[13] Rodríguez matched teammate Amon's pace in practice and led Amon by a whisker in the race. The uncompetitive 312s ran midfield until Rodríguez's car broke and Amon's engine blew for the second race in a row. Given the hopelessness of the 312 V12, the frustration of his drivers, and the slow progress with getting the new flat-12 F1 car ready, Enzo Ferrari would rather have run two Italian drivers for the rest of the season, but the Brambilla brothers, Vittorio and Ernesto, proved too slow. So Ferrari ran Rodríguez in the last four races of the season, in NART American racing colours for the North American races, but still, effectively, as a Ferrari works team. In the underpowered car, Rodríguez managed a 4th in 1968;[14] 6th in 1964,[15] 1967[16] and 1970;[17] and 7th in 1965[18] and 1969;[19] places in his six home races in Mexico, but Ferrari didn't offer him a ride for 1970.

BRM only offered him a ride in 1970 after John Surtees decided to leave to set up his own team at the last minute. For most of 1970, Stanley clearly favoured Jackie Oliver as number one driver, perhaps partly in response to Stewart's opinion of Rodríguez and possibly because of his "old-boys' club" of Englishmen at the team. At Spa, Rodríguez won with his BRM P153 over the new March of Chris Amon for just 1.1 seconds and with an incredible average speed of 157.176 MPH (252.951 Km/h), the highest record in the history of F1,[20] Jean-Pierre Beltoise got the third place in Matra.[21]

The power of the V12 engines was particularly suited to the fast circuits with few really slow corners, such as Spa, Monza, and to a degree Brands and Nürburgring, and that was usually the case with the BRMs, Matras, and Weslake engined cars. A strong drive at St Jovite saw him finish 4th. Only the need to pit in the last laps for fuel at Watkins Glen, robbed him of a victory in the United States Grand Prix, the highest paying event of the year at the time, US$50,000.[22] The winner were a young man named Emerson Fittipaldi, who got the first victory of his career in F1, Reine Wisell from Lotus got the third place in the podium.[23]

The 1971 season could have seen him as a championship contender, with a BRM P160 being prepared by Tony Southgate, and for once BRM did have consistently good engines. The BRM team, however, was overextended, trying to run three, and later four, cars. Pedro challenged Jackie Ickx magnificently in the rain during the Dutch Grand Prix, but just failed to win.[24][25]

Rodríguez was considered the best driver of his era in the wet,[26][27] and after many years racing for Ferrari in the World Championship of Makes for sports cars, he signed for JW-Gulf-Porsche in 1970. He became two-time[28] world champion driver in the fearsome Porsche 917 together with his co-driver Leo Kinnunen (the sportscars series was run by teams in shifts). He developed into one of the sport's great all-rounders, racing CanAm, NASCAR, rallies and even becoming North American Ice Racing champion in 1970, invited by the Alaska Sports Car Club from Anchorage, the race was in Sand Lake. In his NASCAR career, Rodríguez earned two top tens, including a 5th in the 1965 World 600.[29] Along with Jo Siffert, he was considered the bravest driver in motorsport, an example of this being the two touching through the then-very narrow and very dangerous Eau Rouge in the rain in their 917s at the start of the 1970 1000 km of Spa.

Rodríguez was killed in an Interserie sports car race at Norisring in Nuremberg, Germany, on 11 July 1971, at the wheel of a Ferrari 512M of Herbert Müller Racing, his Swiss friend and partner at the Targa Florio in 1971.

Commemoration[]

PedroRodriguez-a

Rodríguez at Paul Ricard in 1971

The first hairpin at Daytona International Speedway (the right-hand hairpin) is named the Pedro Rodríguez curve,[30] and the Mexico City autodrome, where F1, Champ Car and other series race is named for him and Ricardo: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

In July 2006, a bronze plaque was placed at the site of his crash in Nuremberg, a joint effort by Scuderia Rodríguez (the friends and family foundation) and the city authorities.[31] The Scuderia keeps alive the memory of both Rodríguez brothers, serving as Register for Rodríguez memorabilia and cars, and certifying them. Its Secretary General, Carlos Jalife, published the Rodríguez brothers' biography in December 2006, with an English translation ready for sale [32][33] in United States, Canada, and England which won the Motor Press Guild Book of the Year award in 2009.

Formula One World Championship results[]

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

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Pts.
1963 Team Lotus Lotus 25 Climax V8 MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA USA
Ret
MEX
Ret
RSA NC 0
1964 North American Racing Team Ferrari 156 Aero Ferrari V6 MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA USA MEX
6
22nd 1
1965 North American Racing Team Ferrari 1512 Ferrari V12 RSA MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA
5
MEX
7
14th 2
1966 Team Lotus Lotus 33 Climax V8 MON BEL FRA
Ret
GBR NED NC 0
Lotus F2 44 Cosworth Straight-4 GER
Ret
ITA
Lotus 33 BRM V8 USA
Ret
MEX
Ret
1967 Cooper Car Company Cooper T81 Maserati V12 RSA
1
MON
5
NED
Ret
BEL
9
FRA
6
GBR
5
GER
11
CAN
ITA
USA
MEX
6
6th 15
1968 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P126 BRM V12 RSA
Ret
6th 18
BRM P133 BRM V12 ESP
Ret
MON
Ret
BEL
2
NED
3
FRA
NC
GBR
Ret
GER
6
CAN
3
USA
Ret
MEX
4
BRM P138 BRM V12 ITA
Ret
1969 Reg Parnell Racing BRM P126 BRM V12 RSA
Ret
ESP
Ret
MON
Ret
14th 3
Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 312 Ferrari V12 NED
DNA
FRA GBR
Ret
GER ITA
6
North American Racing Team Ferrari 312 Ferrari V12 CAN
Ret
USA
5
MEX
7
1970 Yardley Team BRM BRM P153 BRM V12 RSA
9
ESP
Ret
MON
6
BEL
1
NED
10
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
AUT
4
ITA
Ret
CAN
4
USA
2
MEX
6
7th 23
1971 Yardley Team BRM BRM P160 BRM V12 RSA
Ret
ESP
4
MON
9
NED
2
FRA
Ret
GBR
GER
AUT
ITA
CAN
USA
10th 9

Pedro Rodríguez in Ferrari[]

Ferrari 330 TRI-LM 1962 red vr TCE

Ferrari 330 TRI-LM winner of 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans, bought by the Rodríguez's through N.A.R.T., Pedro raced several times on it

Year Race Team Car Pos. Co-driver
1957 Nassau Trophy NART 500 TR Ret. Solo
1957 Governor´s Trophy NART 500 TR 9 Solo
1958 24 Hours of Le Mans NART 500 TR 5 José Behra
1958 Governor´s Trophy NART TR 58 4 Solo
1958 Ferrari Classic NART TR58 2 Solo
1958 Nassau Trophy NART TR 58 2 Solo
1959 II Circuito del Moral NART TR 58 2 Solo
1959 12 Hours of Sebring NART TR58 Ret. Paul O'Shea
1959 1000 Km Daytona NART TR58 No started
1959 VII Circuito Avándaro NART 58TR 8 Solo
1959 Kiwanis GP Riverside NART 250 TR Ret. Solo
1959 Governor's Trophy NART TR59 3 Solo
1959 Nassau Trophy NART TR59 13 Solo
1960 Cuban GP NART TR59 2 Solo
1960 12 Hours of Sebring NART Dino 196S Ret. Ricardo Rodríguez
1960 Targa Florio NART Dino 196S 7/1 Sport-2 Ricardo Rodríguez
1960 1000 km Nürburgring NART Dino 196S Ret. Ricardo Rodríguez
1960 24 Hours of Le Mans NART TRI60 Ret. Ludovico Scarfiotti
1960 Governor's Trophy NART TR59/60 Ret. Solo
1960 Nassau Trophy NART TR59/60 2 Ricardo Rodríguez
1961 12 Hours of Sebring NART TR59/60 3 Ricardo Rodríguez
1961 1000 km Nürburgring NART TRI/60 2 Ricardo Rodríguez
1961 24 Hours of Le Mans NART TRI/61 Ret. Ricardo Rodríguez
1961 I GP Independencia 250 GT Cal 1 Solo
1961 GP Canada Sport NART TRI/61 2 Solo
1961 1000 km Monthley NART 250 GT SWB 1 Ricardo Rodríguez
1961 Governor's Trophy NART TRI/61 1 Solo
1961 Nassau Trophy NART TRI/61 3 Solo
1962 12 Hours of Sebring NART 246 SP Ret. Ricardo Rodríguez
1962 12 Hours of Sebring NART Dino 246S Ret. Grossman x Connell
1962 1000 km Nürburgring NART 268 SP 2 Ricardo Rodríguez
1962 24 Hours of Le Mans SpA Ferrari SEFAC 246 SP Ret. Ricardo Rodríguez
1962 Double 400 Bridgehampton NART 330 TRI/LM 1 Solo
1962 GP Canada Sport NART 330 TRI/LM 2 Solo
1962 1000 km Monthley NART 250 GTO 1 Ricardo Rodríguez
1963 Continental 3 Hours of Daytona NART 250 GTO 1 Solo
1963 12 Hours of Sebring NART 330 TRI/LM 3 Graham Hill
1963 24 Hours of Le Mans NART 330 TRI/LM Ret. Roger Penske
1963 Governor's Tophy NART 250 P 2 Solo
1963 Nassau Trophy NART 250 P 2 Solo
1964 CC 250 M Daytona NART 250 LM Ret. Solo
1964 Continental 2000K Daytona NART 250 GTO 1 Phil Hill
1964 12 Hours of Sebring NART 330 P Ret lap 40 John Fulp
12 Hours of Sebring 250 GTO 7 Piper/xGammino
1964 24 Hours of Le Mans NART 330 P Ret S. Hudson
1964 12 Hours of Reims NART 250 GTO 11 Nino Vaccarella
1964 Player's Quebec NART 275 P 1 Solo
1964 Double 500 Bridgehamston NART 275 P 2 Solo
1964 GP Canada Sport NART 330 P 1 Solo
1964 1000 km Montheley NART 250 GTO 2 Jo Schlesser
1964 GT+22 Oakes Field NART 250 GTO 7/1 class Solo
1964 Nassau Tourist Trophy NART 250 GTO 6/1 class Solo
1964 Governor's Trophy NART 330 P 4/1 class Solo
1964 Nassau Thophy NART 330 GTO 3/2 class Solo
1965 Continental 2000 km Daytona NART 330 P2 Ret. John Surtees
Continental 2000 km Daytona NART 275 P Ret. Hansgen x
1965 12 Hours of Sebring NART 330 P Ret. Graham Hill
1965 24 Hours of Le Mans NART 365 P2 7/1 class Nino Vacarella
1965 12 Hours of Reims NART 365 P2 1 Jean Guichet
1965 Double 500 Bridghamston NART 250 GTO 2/1 class Solo
1965 GP Canada Sport NART 365 P2 3 Solo
1966 24 Hours of Daytona NART 365 P2 4 Mario Andretti
1966 12 Hours of Sebring NART 365 P2 Ret. Mario Andretti
1966 1000 km Nürburgring NART Dino 206 S 3 Richie Ginther
1966 24 Hours of Le Mans NART 330 P3 Ret. Richie Ginther
1966 200 M Bridgehamton NART Dino 206 S Ret. Solo
1966 200 M Laguna Seca NART Dino 206 S 18 Solo
1966 Governor's Trophy NART 275 GTB/C 7/1 class Solo
1966 Nassau Trophy NART Dino 206 S 7/1 class Solo
1967 24 Hours of Daytona NART 412 P 3 Jean Guichet
1967 12 Hours of Sebring NART 206 S Ret. Jean Guichet
1967 1000 km Monza NART 412 P Ret. Jean Guichet
1967 24 Hours of Le Mans NART 412 P Ret. Giancarlo Baghetti
1967 12 Hours of Reims NART Dino 206 S Ret. Jean Guichet
1968 24 Hours of Daytona NART Dino 206 S Ret. Kold
1968 Brands Hatch GP NART 275 ML 5 Pierpoint
1969 12 Hours of Sebring NART 330 P3 Ret. Parsons
1969 6 Hours of Brands Hatch NART 312 P 4 Chris Amon
1969 1000 km Monza NART 312 P Ret. Schetty
1969 1000 km Spa NART 312 P 2 David Piper
1969 1000 km Nürburgring NART 312 P 5 Chris Amon
1969 24 Hours of Le Mans NART 312 P Ret. David Piper
1969 200 M Bridgehamton NART 312 P 5 Solo
1970 200 M Mid Ohio NART 512 S 11 Solo
1970 200 M Elkhart Lake NART 512 P 7 Solo
1971 200 miles of Norisring Private 512 M Died Solo

Pedro Rodríguez in Porsche[]

Porsche Gulf 917 4

Pedro Rodríguez won the World Champion of Makes in 1970 and 1970 World in this Porsche 917

Year Race Team Car Pos. Co-driver
1970 24 Hours of Daytona John Wyer 917K 1 Kinnunen/Redman
1970 12 Hours of Sebring John Wyer 917K 4 Kinnunen/Siffert
1970 Brands Hatch John Wyer 917K 1 Leo Kinnunen
1970 1000 km Monza John Wyer 917K 1 Leo Kinnunen
1970 Targa Florio John Wyer 908-3 2 Leo Kinnunen
1970 1000 km Spa John Wyer 917K Ret. Leo Kinnunen
1970 1000 km Nürburgring John Wyer 908-3 Ret. Leo Kinnunen
1970 24 Hours of Le Mans John Wyer 917K Ret. Leo Kinnunen
1970 6 Hours of Watkins Glen John Wyer 917K 1 Leo Kinnunen
1970 1000 km Zeltweg John Wyer 917K Ret. Leo Kinnunen
1971 1000 km of Buenos Aires John Wyer 917K Ret. Jackie Oliver
1971 24 Hours of Daytona John Wyer 917K 1 Jackie Oliver
1971 12 Hours of Sebring John Wyer 917K 4 Jackie Oliver
1971 1000 km Brands Hatch John Wyer 917K Ret. Jackie Oliver
1971 1000 km Monza John Wyer 917K 1 Jackie Oliver
1971 1000 km Spa John Wyer 917K 1 Jackie Oliver
1971 Targa Florio John Wyer 908-3 Ret. Herbert Müller
1971 1000 km Nürburgring John Wyer 908-3 2 Oliver/Siffert
1971 24 Hours of Le Mans John Wyer 917LH 18 Jackie Oliver
1971 1000 km Zeltweg John Wyer 917K 1 Richard Attwood

Sources[]

  1. Los Hermanos Rodríguez book, pp.45-46
  2. http://misc.thefullwiki.org/Pedro_Rodriguez
  3. Los Hermanos Rodríguez book, p. 381
  4. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1967/561/
  5. Book: Los Hermanos Rodríguez. 2006, pp. 389 & 395
  6. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1967/563/
  7. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1968/553/
  8. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1968/560/
  9. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1968/552/
  10. Klaus Ewald.
  11. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1968/550/
  12. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1969/539/
  13. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1969/542/
  14. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1968/559/
  15. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1964/606/
  16. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1967/570/
  17. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1970/535/
  18. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1965/597/
  19. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1970/535/
  20. Los Hermanos Rodríguez. 2006, p. 503
  21. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1970/528/
  22. Los Hermanos Rodríguez. 2006, p. 521
  23. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1970/534/
  24. http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr201.html
  25. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1971/517/
  26. http://www.oldracingcars.com/driver/Pedro_Rodriguez
  27. Ramírez, Jo. Mi vida en la Fórmula Uno, pp. 95 & 105; Los Hermanos Rodríguez book, pp.489, 490, 573 & 581.
  28. Book: Los Hermanos Rodríguez. 2006, p. 575
  29. "NASCAR driving career statistics". Racing Reference. http://www.racing-reference.info/driver/Pedro_Rodriguez. Retrieved 29 September 2011. 
  30. http://misc.thefullwiki.org/Pedro_Rodriguez
  31. http://carloscastella.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/pedro-rodriguez-de-la-vega/
  32. http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3200.asp?id=14091
  33. http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Rodriguez-Carlos-Eduardo-Jalife-Villalon/dp/1893618897/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356286581&sr=1-1&keywords=carlos+jalife-villalon

External links[]

Preceded by:
Dan Gurney
A. J. Foyt
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1968 with:
Lucien Bianchi
Succeeded by:
Jacky Ickx
Jackie Oliver
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