Gonzalo Rodriguez (born January 22, 1972 in Montevideo, Uruguay;
died September 11, 1999) was a race car driver. He showed
promise in F3000 for three seasons, taking his first win in 1998
at Spa-Francorchamps and winning the following season at the
Monaco Grand Prix. Following a rotation of drivers as team mates
to Al Unser Jr. in Roger Penske's second car, he was given his
opportunity at the Detroit street circuit in 1999 and scored a
point his first race.
Tragically however, on his second start, he was fatally injured
following a crash at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in practice.
His car apparently flipped over catch fencing at the notorious
Corkscrew corner and landed upside down on the other side.
Gonzalo was pronounced dead of a basilar skull fracture. How the
crash happened remains a mystery, whether it was a mechanical
failure or due to driver error. |
