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{{short description|Uruguayan racing driver}}
{{Short description|Uruguayan racing driver (1971–1999)}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox racing driver
{{Infobox racing driver
| name = Gonzalo Rodríguez
| name = Gonzalo Rodríguez
| image =
| image = Gonzalo Rodriquez, Silverstone British F3000, 1996.jpg
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| caption =
| nationality = Uruguayan
| birth_name = Gonzalo Rodríguez Bongoll
| birth_name = Gonzalo Rodríguez Bongoll
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1971|01|22}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1971|01|22}}
| birth_place = [[Montevideo]], Uruguay
| birth_place = [[Montevideo]], [[Uruguay]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|09|11|1971|01|22}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|09|11|1971|01|22}}
| death_place = [[Laguna Seca Raceway]], [[Monterey County, California|Monterey County]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Laguna Seca Raceway]], [[Monterey County, California|Monterey County]], [[California]], U.S.
Line 18: Line 16:
| wins = 0
| wins = 0
| poles = 0
| poles = 0
| prev series = [[International Formula 3000]]<br>[[British Formula 3000]]<br>[[British Formula Renault Championship|British Formula Renault]]<br>[[Spanish Formula Renault Championship|Spanish Formula Renault]]
| prev series = {{nowrap|[[International Formula 3000]]<br>[[British Formula 3000]]<br>[[British Formula Renault Championship|British Formula Renault]]<br>[[Spanish Formula Renault Championship|Spanish Formula Renault]]}}
| prev series years = 1997–1999<br>1996–1997<br>1994–1996<br>1993
| prev series years = {{nowrap|1997–1999<br>1996–1997<br>1994–1996<br>1993}}
}}
}}


'''Gonzalo "Gonchi" Rodríguez Bongoll''' (January 22, 1972 – September 11, 1999<ref>{{cite web | url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2014037076.html | title=Rodríguez Bongoll, Gonzalo, 1971-1999 - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies &#124; Library of Congress, from LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress) }}</ref>) was a Uruguayan [[racing driver]]. He was killed in an accident at [[Laguna Seca Raceway]] during practice for a [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] race.
'''Gonzalo "Gonchi" Rodríguez Bongoll''' (January 22, 1971 – September 11, 1999)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2014037076.html | title=Rodríguez Bongoll, Gonzalo, 1971-1999 - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies &#124; Library of Congress, from LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress) }}</ref> was a Uruguayan [[racing driver]]. He was killed in a crash at [[Laguna Seca Raceway]] during practice for a [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] race which would have been his second start in the series.


==Career==
==Career==
Line 28: Line 26:


==Death==
==Death==
At the [[Laguna Seca Raceway]] during a practice session for his second CART race, he was fatally injured in a crash. A stuck throttle was initially thought to be the cause for his car overshooting the braking point, leaving the track, striking a tire barrier and slamming into a concrete wall behind the barrier at the entry of the Corkscrew corner. Review of the in-car telemetry refuted this supposition.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rookie driver killed in CART crash |url=http://www.espn.com/auto/cart/news/1999/0911/51424.html |website=ESPN.com}}</ref> 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, an additional tire wall was installed at the end of the straight.<ref>{{cite web |title=ABC broadcast coverage of the Shell 300 from Laguna Seca Raceway |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3GQJxcka-o |website=youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
At the [[Laguna Seca Raceway]] during a practice session for his second CART race, he was fatally injured in a crash. A stuck throttle was initially thought to be the cause for his car overshooting the braking point, leaving the track, striking a tire barrier and slamming into a concrete wall behind the barrier at the entry of the Corkscrew corner. Review of the in-car telemetry refuted this supposition.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rookie driver killed in CART crash |url=http://www.espn.com/auto/cart/news/1999/0911/51424.html |website=ESPN.com}}</ref> 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, an additional tire wall was installed at the end of the straight.<ref>{{cite web |title=ABC broadcast coverage of the Shell 300 from Laguna Seca Raceway |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3GQJxcka-o |website=youtube.com| date=4 December 2020 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>


In 2021, teammate [[Al Unser, Jr.]] released his biography ''Al Unser, Jr.: A Checkered Past,'' written by motorsport author Jade Gurss. Unser noted the nuances of the incident, basing information on what happened to him during various testing and practice sessions during the season. Both he and Rodríguez were driving the [[Lola B99/00]] chassis and not the [[Penske PC-27]] chassis for the weekend, and he specifically noted a mechanical nuance with the Hewland gearbox in the Lola versus the Xtrac used by the Penske and Reynard chassis.
⚫
Rodríguez had a contract in place to compete in the [[2000 CART World Series Season|2000]] CART championship with [[Patrick Racing]].

{{quote|"The Lola would jam into neutral if you tried to downshift too fast. It did it to me a couple of times in testing, which is why I preferred the Penske. Going up the hill (before the Corkscrew), there is a point before you get to the top where you need to get out (of the throttle) to downshift and get the thing stopped. I think he was taking it to the top of the hill like (drivers driving [[Reynard 99I]] chassis vehicles that season). There was a limit on how fast you could downshift the Lola.}}

Unser believed the Hewland gearbox downshifted to neutral in the crash while Rodríguez was making a shift.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gurss |first1=Jade |title=Al Unser Jr: A Checkered Past |date=2021-10-01 |publisher=Octane Press |location=Austin, TX |isbn=9781642340457 |pages=320 |url=https://octanepress.com/book/al-unser-jr-checkered-past |access-date=2024-12-26 |ref=UnserBook}}</ref>

⚫
Rodríguez had a contract in place to compete in the [[2000 CART World Series Season|2000]] CART championship with [[Patrick Racing]], and there were rumours that [[Minardi]] could hire him for the [[2001 Formula One World Championship|2001 Formula One season]].


==Legacy==
==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.{{fact|date=November 2019}} In 2014, a Spanish-language documentary of his life, ''Gonchi'', was released.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-10 |title=Got Netflix? Watch Gonchi — dan is cross |url=http://www.daniscross.co.uk/2015/09/got-netflix-watch-gonchi-documentary/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810163110/http://www.daniscross.co.uk/2015/09/got-netflix-watch-gonchi-documentary/ |archive-date=2016-08-10 }}</ref>
In 2014, a Spanish-language documentary of his life, ''Gonchi'', was released.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-10 |title=Got Netflix? Watch Gonchi — dan is cross |url=http://www.daniscross.co.uk/2015/09/got-netflix-watch-gonchi-documentary/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810163110/http://www.daniscross.co.uk/2015/09/got-netflix-watch-gonchi-documentary/ |archive-date=2016-08-10 }}</ref>


==Racing record==
==Racing record==
Line 39: Line 43:
===Complete International Formula 3000 results===
===Complete International Formula 3000 results===
([[:Template:Motorsport driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
([[:Template:Motorsport driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Year
! Entrant
! Entrant
Line 58: Line 62:
|-
|-
| [[1997 International Formula 3000 season|1997]]
| [[1997 International Formula 3000 season|1997]]
! [[Redman Bright|Redman & Bright F3000]]
! nowrap| [[Redman Bright|Redman & Bright F3000]]
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
| [[Pau Grand Prix|PAU]]
| [[Pau Grand Prix|PAU]]
Line 75: Line 79:
|-
|-
| [[1998 International Formula 3000 season|1998]]
| [[1998 International Formula 3000 season|1998]]
! [[Team Astromega]]
! nowrap| [[Team Astromega]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Motorsport Arena Oschersleben|OSC]]<br>{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Motorsport Arena Oschersleben|OSC]]<br>{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari|''IMO'']]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari|''IMO'']]<br>{{small|3}}
Line 92: Line 96:
|-
|-
| [[1999 International Formula 3000 season|1999]]
| [[1999 International Formula 3000 season|1999]]
! [[Team Astromega]]
! nowrap| [[Team Astromega]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari|IMO]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari|IMO]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Circuit de Monaco|MON]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Circuit de Monaco|MON]]<br>{{small|1}}
Line 115: Line 119:


====CART====
====CART====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Year
! Team
! Team
! No.
! Chassis
! Chassis
! Engine
! Engine
Line 145: Line 150:
|-
|-
| [[1999 CART season|1999]]
| [[1999 CART season|1999]]
! [[Penske Racing|Team Penske]]
! nowrap| [[Penske Racing|Team Penske]]
! 3
! [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] B99/00
! nowrap| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] B99/00
! [[Mercedes-Benz in motorsport|Mercedes-Benz]] [[Ilmor|IC108E]]
! nowrap| [[Mercedes-Benz in motorsport|Mercedes-Benz]] [[Ilmor|IC108E]]
| [[1999 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami|MIA]]
| [[1999 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami|MIA]]
| [[1999 Firestone Firehawk 500K|MOT]]
| [[1999 Firestone Firehawk 500K|MOT]]
Line 164: Line 170:
| [[Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300|CHI]]
| [[Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300|CHI]]
| [[Molson Indy Vancouver|VAN]]
| [[Molson Indy Vancouver|VAN]]
|style="background:#DFC484;"| [[Monterey Grand Prix|LS]]<br />{{small|WD}}
|style="background:#DFC484;"| [[Monterey Grand Prix|LAG]]<br />{{small|WD}}
| [[Grand Prix of Houston|HOU]]
| [[Grand Prix of Houston|HOU]]
| [[1999 Honda Indy 300|SRF]]
| [[1999 Honda Indy 300|SRF]]
Line 172: Line 178:
!<ref>{{cite web|title=Gonzalo Rodriguez|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/rodrigo01/1999/R/|publisher=Racing-Reference|access-date=20 December 2022}}</ref>
!<ref>{{cite web|title=Gonzalo Rodriguez|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/rodrigo01/1999/R/|publisher=Racing-Reference|access-date=20 December 2022}}</ref>
|}
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Expo Automovilismo 2024 - Gonzalo Rodríguez clothing 01.jpg|1999 Penske and Astromega firesuits
Expo Automovilismo 2024 - Gonzalo Rodríguez clothing 04.jpg|1999 Penske helmet
Autódromo Víctor Borrat Fabini de El Pinar - Gonchi Rodríguez monument.JPG|Monument at the Autódromo Víctor Borrat Fabini
</gallery>


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 21:01, 26 December 2024

Gonzalo Rodríguez
BornGonzalo Rodríguez Bongoll
(1971-01-22)January 22, 1971
Montevideo, Uruguay
DiedSeptember 11, 1999(1999-09-11) (aged 28)
Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey County, California, U.S.
CART Championship Car
Years active1999
TeamsPenske Racing
Starts1
Wins0
Poles0
Previous series
1997–1999
1996–1997
1994–1996
1993		International Formula 3000
British Formula 3000
British Formula Renault
Spanish Formula Renault

Gonzalo "Gonchi" Rodríguez Bongoll (January 22, 1971 – September 11, 1999)[1] was a Uruguayan racing driver. He was killed in a crash at Laguna Seca Raceway during practice for a CART race which would have been his second start in the series.

Career

[edit]

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

[edit]

At the Laguna Seca Raceway during a practice session for his second CART race, he was fatally injured in a crash. A stuck throttle was initially thought to be the cause for his car overshooting the braking point, leaving the track, striking a tire barrier and slamming into a concrete wall behind the barrier at the entry of the Corkscrew corner. Review of the in-car telemetry refuted this supposition.[2] 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, an additional tire wall was installed at the end of the straight.[3]

In 2021, teammate Al Unser, Jr. released his biography Al Unser, Jr.: A Checkered Past, written by motorsport author Jade Gurss. Unser noted the nuances of the incident, basing information on what happened to him during various testing and practice sessions during the season. Both he and Rodríguez were driving the Lola B99/00 chassis and not the Penske PC-27 chassis for the weekend, and he specifically noted a mechanical nuance with the Hewland gearbox in the Lola versus the Xtrac used by the Penske and Reynard chassis.

"The Lola would jam into neutral if you tried to downshift too fast. It did it to me a couple of times in testing, which is why I preferred the Penske. Going up the hill (before the Corkscrew), there is a point before you get to the top where you need to get out (of the throttle) to downshift and get the thing stopped. I think he was taking it to the top of the hill like (drivers driving Reynard 99I chassis vehicles that season). There was a limit on how fast you could downshift the Lola.

Unser believed the Hewland gearbox downshifted to neutral in the crash while Rodríguez was making a shift.[4]

Rodríguez had a contract in place to compete in the 2000 CART championship with Patrick Racing, and there were rumours that Minardi could hire him for the 2001 Formula One season.

Legacy

[edit]

In 2014, a Spanish-language documentary of his life, Gonchi, was released.[5]

Racing record

[edit]

Complete International Formula 3000 results

[edit]

(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
Source:[6]

Complete American Open Wheel results

[edit]

(key)

CART

[edit]
Year Team No. Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Rank Points Ref
1999 Team Penske 3 Lola B99/00 Mercedes-Benz IC108E MIA MOT LBH NZR RIO STL MIL POR CLE ROA TOR MIS DET
12 		MDO CHI VAN LAG
WD 		HOU SRF FON 32nd 1 [7]
[edit]
  • 1999 Penske and Astromega firesuits
    1999 Penske and Astromega firesuits
  • 1999 Penske helmet
    1999 Penske helmet
  • Monument at the Autódromo Víctor Borrat Fabini
    Monument at the Autódromo Víctor Borrat Fabini

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Rodríguez Bongoll, Gonzalo, 1971-1999 - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies | Library of Congress, from LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)".
  2. ^ "Rookie driver killed in CART crash". ESPN.com.
  3. ^ "ABC broadcast coverage of the Shell 300 from Laguna Seca Raceway". youtube.com. 4 December 2020.
  4. ^ Gurss, Jade (2021-10-01). Al Unser Jr: A Checkered Past. Austin, TX: Octane Press. p. 320. ISBN 9781642340457. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  5. ^ "Got Netflix? Watch Gonchi — dan is cross". 2016-08-10. Archived from the original on 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  6. ^ "Gonzalo Rodríguez Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Gonzalo Rodriguez". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
[edit]
Preceded by
Unknown driver
 Fatalities in CART/IndyCar
1999 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Gonzalo_Rodríguez_(racing_driver)&oldid=1265416732"