Isn't that kind of assistance illegal today? Nevertheless, the greatest ---
In all probability, I would agree. I am not familiar with the motorcycle side of racing, however.
A short story about Ricardo Rodriguez (Pedro's brother), one of the fastest drivers ever.
In the first Mexican Grand Prix, (1962) Ricardo, with a privately entered Ferrari, had the fastest qualifying lap during all of Friday and most of Saturday. In the dying moments of the Saturday session, Jim Clark, with the works Lotus, managed to edge Ricardo to take the pole position for Sunday's race.
When Ricardo and his father found out, they asked, (probably, more like demanded), the organizers to allow Ricardo to go out again for one more try. They succeeded.
The mechanics had already put the car away, so they took it out again and in a rush had it ready for Ricardo.
The Mexico City track back then was one of the better built tracks, mid size and a very interesting one. The last corner, was a large corner bringing the driver 180 degrees in direction (like one end of an oval), with a fairly steep embankment. While not a difficult corner, it is fast and important since after it, there is a long straight away, hence it is important to get out of that corner without scrubbing speed since this will determine your final speed at the end of the long straight. In addition, the finish line was at the exit of that corner, in front of the grand stands.
The tires in those days, did not have the super soft racing compounds of the slicks that began to be used a few years later, hence, to bring them up to racing performance temperatures, took a little longer.
In his rush to get out, Ricardo jumped in the Ferrari, never SECURED HIS SEAT BELT, and took off for one last try to regain the pole position in front of his home crowd.
He was flying coming around the embankment of that last corner in the very first lap of his attempt. About mid-way, the car went sideways, hit the guardrail hard, sending him airborne, out of the car. He landed on the guardrail itself, killing himself instantly, about 4 months before his 21st. birthday.
On Sunday, Jim Clark won the race from start to finish, however that first year the Mexican GP was a non-championship event.
Pedro Rodriguez, his brother, continued racing achieving success in the Grand Touring World Championship (Le Mans, Sebring etc), with the Gulf Fords GT-40's and the Gulf-Porsche 917 (long tailed) and 908 winning the championship in 1969 and 1970.
Both drivers, Pedro Rodriguez and Jim Clark were killed in minor races. Jim Clark in 1968 at Hockenheim in a F-2 event, and Pedro in 1971, in a minor GT race in Nuremberg. |
