Pedro Rodríguez (racing driver)


Pedro Rodríguez de la Vega was a Mexican Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was the older brother of Ricardo Rodríguez. His most notable successes were in Formula One, where he won the 1967 South African Grand Prix driving a Cooper-Maserati and the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix in a BRM, and in the World Sportscar Championship where he was a principal Porsche factory driver in winning both the 1970 and 1971 titles. He was killed on 11 July 1971 while competing in a Ferrari during an Interserie sports car race in Nuremberg, West Germany.

Personal life

Rodríguez was born in Mexico City, Mexico, the second son of Pedro Natalio Rodríguez and Concepción De la Vega. He had an older sister, Conchita, and three younger brothers: Ricardo, Federico and Alejandro.
At 15, his father sent him to Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois in order to learn English and to develop more discipline.
The 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 married Angelina, in Mexico in 1961, although he had a girlfriend in England, Glenda Foreman, with whom he lived in Bray on Thames in his latter years, but left no children.
Rodríguez always traveled with a Mexican flag and a record of the national anthem because when he won the 1967 South African GP the organizers did not have the Mexican anthem, and instead played the Mexican hat dance.
Jo Ramírez was a very close friend to both Rodríguez as well as his younger brother Ricardo.

Career

Rodríguez began racing with bicycles at eight years old. He was a class winner in the Mexican Championship by 1950. He started racing a Adler motorcycle, winning Mexico's national championship in 1952 and 1954. In 1952, he entered a rally in a Ford, but achieved little. He returned to racing full-time in 1955, at 15, entering a Jaguar XK120 or Porsche 1600S in local contests.
At the end of 1957, Rodríguez and his brother entered the Nassau Speed Week competition, where the wild-driving elder brother wrecked his Ferrari 500 TR.
The 18-year-old Rodríguez shared a 500 TR at Le Mans, entered by U.S. importer Luigi Chinetti, with José Behra, brother of Jean Behra, as his co-driver; the car did not finish, after a radiator hose puncture. 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 JW–Gulf team.
At the Rheims 12-hours in 1958, Rodríguez and Behra placed second in class in their Porsche Carrera, while Rodríguez came second in a Ferrari 250 TR at Nassau at the end of the season.
Rodríguez went to Europe to race starting in 1959, sharing a Porsche 1600 S with Leo Levine at the Nurbürgring 1000 km, which came in second in class. He shared a O.S.C.A. with his brother for Le Mans, which broke.
At Cuba's 1960 Liberty Grand Prix, Rodríguez's 250TR followed Stirling Moss's winning Maserati Tipo 61 home, in second. At Sebring, his Dino 196 S failed to finish. Rodríguez claimed seventh at the 1960 Targa Florio, again in the 196 S, which spent time off the pavement as well as on. He retired from that year's Nürburgring 1000 km, and from Le Mans.
In 1961, Rodríguez entered Formula Junior. He returned also to Sebring, sharing a 250TR with his brother which suffered electrical trouble and came third. The duo also failed to finish that year's Targa Florio or Nur 1000 km, but did win the Paris 1000 km. An ongoing duel with the works Ferraris at Le Mans, which ultimately resulted in engine failure only two hours from the end, attracted the attention of Enzo Ferrari, who offered them Formula One rides with his team. Pedro declined, having "a motor business in Mexico City to run".
Despite his refusal, Rodríguez kept racing, and in 1962 entered at Sebring, the Nurb, and Le Mans, but failed to finish each time. He won at Bridgehampton, in a Ferrari 330 TRI/LM, and shared a 250 GTO with his brother to win the Paris 1000 km, the second year in a row.
After Ferrari refused to enter the 1962 Mexican Grand Prix, the first to be held in Mexico, Rogriguez and his younger brother both found rides of their own. After his brother was killed in a horrific accident in practice, Rodríguez withdrew. He considered retiring from racing. However, in 1963 he won the Daytona Continental in a 250GTO entered by North American Racing Team. He came third at Sebring, sharing a 330TR/LM with Graham Hill. He failed to qualify at Indianapolis, in an Aston Martin-powered Cooper T54, but took part in his first Grands Prix in the works Lotus at Watkins Glen and Magdalena Mixhuca. Rodríguez failed to finish both times.
For 1964, he again won the Daytona Continental, as well as the sports car Canadian Grand Prix, was second at the Paris 1000 km, and third in the Bahamas Tourist Trophy. In single-seater racing, he recorded a sixth in the Ferrari 156 at Mexico.
In 1965, his Lotus 33-Climax was fourth at the Daily Express Silverstone Trophy, fifth at the U.S. Grand Prix and seventh in the Mexican Grand Prix in a Ferrari. He won the Rheims 12-Hours in a Ferrari 365 P2 he shared with Jean Guichet, and scored a third at the Candadian Sports Car Grand Prix.
He stood in for Jim Clark with Lotus at the 1966 French and Mexican Grands Prix, falling out of fourth with oil system failure in the first and third with transmission trouble in the second. He also deputized for Clark in the Formula Two event at Rouen.
At the start of the 1967 season, Rodríguez won in only his ninth Grand Prix, at Kyalami. Cooper manager Roy Salvadori allowed Rodríguez to drive the practice car, over the objections of teammate Jochen Rindt, who had demanded Rodríguez's car, with strong support from Rindt's close friend Jackie Stewart. Rodríguez's smooth, consistent driving earned 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 the older and heavier T81, while Rindt was given the improved T81B and later the brand new T86. A mid-season accident in a Protos-Ford, at the Formula Two event at Enna, sidelined him for three Grands Prix. Rodríguez was only marginally slower than Rindt in the Dutch Grand Prix, also the only other race in the season where the Coopers were competitive.
His performance at Zandvoort earned Rodríguez a better drive with, BRM in 1968. Rodríguez proved himself excellent in the wet at Zandvoort and Rouen where he got his only fastest lap in F1 during the French GP. Lack of power meant he had to settle for second behind Bruce McLaren in Belgian GP at Spa.
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. At the end of the year, despite Rodríguez's good performances, BRM team manager Sir Louis Stanley released Rodríguez to the Parnell BRM privateer team for.
The Reg Parnell Racing BRMs proved to have hopeless engines, and after Monaco, 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, 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 fourth in 1968; sixth in 1964, 1967 and 1970; and seventh in 1965 and 1969; 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 by just 1.1 seconds and with an average speed of 149.94 mph, then the highest average speed in the history of F1, Jean-Pierre Beltoise got the third place in Matra.
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 BRM, Matra, 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 robbed him of a victory at Watkins Glen, the highest paying event of the year at the time, US$50,000. The winner was Emerson Fittipaldi, who got the first victory of his career in F1.
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 world champion driver in the fearsome Porsche 917 together with his co-driver Leo Kinnunen.
Rodríguez 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.
Rodríguez debuted in NASCAR at Trenton Speedway in 1959, finishing 6th. At the 1963 Firecracker 400 he qualified 9th but retired after an engine failure. The Mexican finished 5th in the 1965 World 600, his best result. At the 1971 Daytona 500 he finished 13th. His last NASCAR race was Miller High Life 500, where he retired early with electrical issues
Rodríguez drove a Ferrari 312 P Coupé in the CanAm round of Bridgehampton in 1969, finishing 5th. In 1970 he finished 3rd at Riverside and 5th at Laguna Seca Raceway with a factory BRM P154.
The 1971 Formula One season could have seen him as a championship contender, with a BRM P160 being prepared by Tony Southgate, and for once BRM had consistently good engines. BRM, however, was overextended, trying to run three, and later four, cars. Rodríguez challenged Jacky Ickx magnificently in the rain during the Dutch Grand Prix, and only just failed to win.
with #9 from Rodríguez and Bianchi winners of the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Death

Rodríguez was killed in an Interserie sports car race at Norisring in Nuremberg, West Germany, on 11 July 1971. A contemporary source reported that trackside photographers noticed his right front tyre coming away from the rim under heavy braking for the sharp s-bend as early as the 10th lap. On lap 12, the tyre came off completely, sending the car into a wall before rebounding across the track and catching fire. Other sources state that while he was driving for the lead, a slower car driven by Kurt Hild edged him into the wall and his prototype burst into flames. He died shortly after he was extracted from the wreck. Rodríguez was at the wheel of a Ferrari 512M of Herbert Müller Racing, his friend and teammate at the Targa Florio in 1971.

Legacy

Rodríguez was considered the best driver of his era in the wet. 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 corner in the rain in their 917s at the start of the 1970 1000km of Spa-Francorchamps.
In 2016, in an academic paper that reported a mathematical modeling study that assessed the relative influence of driver and machine, Rodríguez was ranked the 24th-best Formula One driver of all time.
After winning the LMP2 class at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first class victory for a Mexican driver since Rodríguez, Ricardo González recognized Rodríguez as his hero.

Commemoration

The first hairpin at Daytona International Speedway is named the Pedro Rodríguez curve. In 1973 the Mexico City race track Magdalena Mixuhca, where F1, Champ Car, NASCAR and other series race was renamed 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 and the city authorities. 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 in United States, Canada, and England which won the Motor Press Guild Book of the Year award in 2009.

Racing record

Formula One World Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678910111213WDCPts.
1963Team LotusLotus 25Climax V8MONBELNEDFRAGBRGERITAUSA
Ret
MEX
Ret
RSANC0
1964North American Racing TeamFerrari 156 AeroFerrari V6MONNEDBELFRAGBRGERAUTITAUSAMEX
6
22nd1
1965North American Racing TeamFerrari 1512Ferrari V12RSAMONBELFRAGBRNEDGERITAUSA
5
MEX
7
14th2
1966Team LotusLotus 33Climax V8MONBELFRA
Ret
GBRNEDMEX
Ret
NC0
1966Team LotusLotus 33BRM V8USA
Ret
NC0
1966Team LotusLotus F2 44Cosworth Straight-4GER
Ret
ITANC0
1967Cooper Car CompanyCooper T81Maserati V12RSA
1
MON
5
NED
Ret
BEL
9
FRA
6
GBR
5
GER
11
CANITAUSAMEX
6
6th15
1968Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P126BRM V12RSA
Ret
6th18
1968Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P133BRM V12ESP
Ret
MON
Ret
BEL
2
NED
3
FRA
NC
GBR
Ret
GER
6
CAN
3
USA
Ret
MEX
4
6th18
1968Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P138BRM V12ITA
Ret
6th18
1969Reg Parnell RacingBRM P126BRM V12RSA
Ret
ESP
Ret
MON
Ret
14th3
1969Scuderia FerrariFerrari 312Ferrari V12NED
DNA
FRAGBR
Ret
GERITA
6
14th3
1969North American Racing TeamFerrari 312Ferrari V12CAN
Ret
USA
5
MEX
7
14th3
1970Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P153BRM V12RSA
9
7th23
1970Yardley Team BRMBRM P153BRM V12ESP
Ret
MON
6
BEL
1
NED
10
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
AUT
4
ITA
Ret
CAN
4
USA
2
MEX
6
7th23
1971Yardley Team BRMBRM P160BRM V12RSA
Ret
ESP
4
MON
9
NED
2
FRA
Ret
GBRGERAUTITACANUSA10th9

Formula One Non-Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678
1965Team LotusLotus 25Climax V8ROCSYRSMTINT
4
MEDRAN
1967Cooper Car CompanyCooper T81Maserati V12ROC
4
SPCINTSYROULESP
1968Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P133BRM V12ROC
2
INT
Ret
1968Reg Parnell RacingBRM P126BRM V12OUL
4
1969Reg Parnell RacingBRM P126BRM V12ROC
Ret
INT
8
MADOUL
1971Yardley Team BRMBRM P160BRM V12ARGROCQUE
10
SPR
1
INT
4
RINOULVIC

Pedro Rodríguez at Ferrari

YearRaceTeamChassisPositionCo-Driver
1957Nassau TrophyNART500 TRRetSolo
1957Governor's TrophyNART500 TR9Solo
1958Ferrari Classic24 Hours of Le Mans500 TR5José Behra
1958Governor's TrophyNARTTR 584Solo
1958Ferrari ClassicNARTTR582ndSolo
1958Nassau TrophyNARTTR 582ndSolo
1959II Circuito del MoralNARTTR 582ndSolo
195912 Hours of SebringNARTTR58Ret.Paul O'Shea
19591000 km DaytonaNARTTR58DNS
1959VII Circuito AvándaroNART58TR8Solo
1959Kiwanis GP RiversideNART250 TRRetSolo
1959Governor's TrophyNARTTR593rdSolo
1959Nassau TrophyNARTTR5913Solo
1960Cuban GPNARTTR592ndSolo
196012 Hours of SebringNARTDino 196 SRetRicardo Rodríguez
1960Targa FlorioNARTDino 196 S7/3 Sport-2Ricardo Rodríguez
19601000 km NürburgringNARTDino 196 SRetRicardo Rodríguez
196024 Hours of Le MansNARTTRI60RetLudovico Scarfiotti
1960Governor's TrophyNARTTR59/60RetSolo
1960Nassau TrophyNARTTR59/602ndRicardo Rodríguez
196112 Hours of SebringNARTTR59/603rdRicardo Rodríguez
19611000 km NürburgringNARTTRI/602ndRicardo Rodríguez
196124 Hours of Le MansNARTTRI/61RetRicardo Rodríguez
1961I GP Independencia250 GT Cal1stSolo
1961GP Canada SportNARTTRI/612ndSolo
19611000 km MontlhéryNART250 GT SWB1stRicardo Rodríguez
1961Governor's TrophyNARTTRI/611stSolo
1961Nassau TrophyNARTTRI/613rdSolo
196212 Hours of SebringNART246 SPRetRicardo Rodríguez
196212 Hours of SebringNARTDino 246 SRetGrossman x Connell
19621000 km NürburgringNART268 SP2ndRicardo Rodríguez
196224 Hours of Le MansSpA Ferrari SEFAC246 SPRetRicardo Rodríguez
1962Double 400 BridgehamptonNART330 TRI/LM1stSolo
1962GP Canada SportNART330 TRI/LM2ndSolo
19621000 km MontlhéryNART250 GTO1stRicardo Rodríguez
1963Continental 3 Hours of DaytonaNART250 GTO1stSolo
196312 Hours of SebringNART330 TRI/LM3rdGraham Hill
196324 Hours of Le MansNART330 TRI/LMRetRoger Penske
1963Governor's TrophyNART250 P2ndSolo
1963Nassau TrophyNART250 P2ndSolo
1964CC 250 M DaytonaNART250 LMRetSolo
1964Continental 2000 km DaytonaNART250 GTO1stPhil Hill
196412 Hours of SebringNART330 PRet lap 40John Fulp
196412 Hours of Sebring250 GTO7David Piper/Mike Gammino
196424 Hours of Le MansNART330 PRetS. Hudson
196412 Hours of ReimsNART250 GTO11Nino Vaccarella
1964Player's QuebecNART275 P1stSolo
1964Double 500 BridgehamptonNART275 P2ndSolo
1964GP Canada SportNART330 P1stSolo
19641000 km MontlhéryNART250 GTO2ndJo Schlesser
1964GT+22 Oakes FieldNART250 GTO7/1 classSolo
1964Nassau Tourist TrophyNART250 GTO6/1 classSolo
1964Governor's TrophyNART330 P4/1 classSolo
1964Nassau ThophyNART330 GTO3/2 classSolo
1965Continental 2000 km DaytonaNART330 P2RetJohn Surtees
1965Continental 2000 km DaytonaNART275 PRetHansgen
196512 Hours of SebringNART330 PRetGraham Hill
196524 Hours of Le MansNART365 P27/1 classNino Vacarella
196512 Hours of ReimsNART365 P21stJean Guichet
1965Double 500 BridghamptonNART250 GTO2/1 classSolo
1965GP Canada SportNART365 P23rdSolo
196624 Hours of DaytonaNART365 P24Mario Andretti
196612 Hours of SebringNART365 P2RetMario Andretti
19661000 km NürburgringNARTDino 206 S3rdRichie Ginther
196624 Hours of Le MansNART330 P3RetRichie Ginther
1966200 M BridgehamptonNARTDino 206 SRetSolo
1966200 M Laguna SecaNARTDino 206 S18Solo
1966Governor's TrophyNART275 GTB/C7/1 classSolo
1966Nassau TrophyNARTDino 206 S7/1 classSolo
196724 Hours of DaytonaNART412 P3rdJean Guichet
196712 Hours of SebringNART206 SRetJean Guichet
19671000 km MonzaNART412 PRetJean Guichet
196724 Hours of Le MansNART412 PRetGiancarlo Baghetti
196712 Hours of ReimsNARTDino 206 SRetJean Guichet
196824 Hours of DaytonaNARTDino 206 SRetKold
1968Brands Hatch GPNART275 ML5Pierpoint
196912 Hours of SebringNART330 P3RetParsons
19696 Hours of Brands HatchNART312 P4Chris Amon
19691000 km MonzaNART312 PRetSchetty
19691000 km SpaNART312 P2ndDavid Piper
19691000 km NürburgringNART312 P5Chris Amon
196924 Hours of Le MansNART312 PRetDavid Piper
1969200 M BridgehamptonNART312 P5Solo
1970200 M Mid OhioNART512 S11Solo
1970200 M Elkhart LakeNART512 P7Solo
1971200 miles of NorisringPrivate512 MDiedSolo

Pedro Rodríguez at Porsche

YearRaceTeamChassisPositionCo-Driver
197024 Hours of DaytonaJohn Wyer917K1stKinnunen/Redman
197012 Hours of SebringJohn Wyer917K4Kinnunen/ Siffert
19701000km of Brands HatchJohn Wyer917K1stLeo Kinnunen
19701000 km MonzaJohn Wyer917K1stLeo Kinnunen
1970Targa FlorioJohn Wyer908-32ndLeo Kinnunen
19701000 km SpaJohn Wyer917KRetLeo Kinnunen
19701000 km NürburgringJohn Wyer908-3RetLeo Kinnunen
197024 Hours of Le MansJohn Wyer917KRetLeo Kinnunen
19706 Hours of Watkins GlenJohn Wyer917K1stLeo Kinnunen
19701000 km ZeltwegJohn Wyer917KRetLeo Kinnunen
19711000 km of Buenos AiresJohn Wyer917KRetJackie Oliver
197124 Hours of DaytonaJohn Wyer917K1stJackie Oliver
197112 Hours of SebringJohn Wyer917K4Jackie Oliver
19711000 km Brands HatchJohn Wyer917KRetJackie Oliver
19711000 km MonzaJohn Wyer917K1stJackie Oliver
19711000 km SpaJohn Wyer917K1stJackie Oliver
1971Targa FlorioJohn Wyer908-3RetHerbert Müller
19711000 km NürburgringJohn Wyer908-32ndOliver/Siffert
197124 Hours of Le MansJohn Wyer917LH18Jackie Oliver
19711000 km ZeltwegJohn Wyer917K1stRichard Attwood

Pedro Rodríguez in the 24 Hours of Le Mans