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Revision as of 04:28, 8 December 2022

Gonzalo Rodríguez
NationalityUruguayan
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) was a Uruguayan racing driver. He was killed in an accident at Laguna Seca Raceway during practice for a CART race.

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 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.[1] 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.[2]

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.[citation needed] In 2014, a Spanish-language documentary of his life, Gonchi, was released.[3]

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)

CART

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Rank Points
1999 Team Penske Lola B99/00 Mercedes-Benz IC108E MIA MOT LBH NZR RIO STL MIL POR CLE ROA TOR MIS DET
12
MDO CHI VAN LS
WD
HOU SRF FON 32nd 1

References

  1. ^ "Rookie driver killed in CART crash". ESPN.com.
  2. ^ "ABC broadcast coverage of the Shell 300 from Laguna Seca Raceway". youtube.com.[dead YouTube link]
  3. ^ Got Netflix? Watch Gonchi Archived 2016-08-10 at the Wayback Machine September 3, 2015.
Preceded by
Unknown driver
Fatalities in CART/IndyCar
1999
Succeeded by