Yeah, I know Y'all are expectin' some Hot-Hot-Hot
Tamales regarding Mexico's F1 talents here, with Formula 1 having just
contested their first Mexican Grand Prix in 23yrs, but I'm swerving across the
blend-line by briefly giving a Shout-out to their lesser known Brethren. As
perhaps it's got something to do with eating the worm; Hooah! Or having just
celebrated The Day of The Dead...
Naturally,
Mexico's rejoicing over their second Formula 1 hope, the former Sauber
F1 Piloto' EG;, (Esteban Gutierrez) who's currently one
of Ferrari's stable of reserve driver's, having just been announced as Haas
F1's second racing driver for 2016 alongside the talented Frenchman Romain
Grosjean.
As hopefully la Scuderia will be smart enough
to grant the 24yr old an outing at Autodromo
Hermanos Rodriguez Friday morning, which naturally would bring rousing applause
at the Sold Out event - which I still recall fondly, thy overly enthusiastic
Fans being referred to as Guacamole Headz' during the Champ Car Dazes...
Although I don't
think la Scuderia has run a reserve driver during Friday morning FP1 so far -
unless this was cleverly negotiated as part of this year's "Simulator
Jockey" duties. As I'd highly doubt that Seb' Vettel would be giving up
any seat time, but perhaps Kimi could go off for another ice cream, Ci?
And instead of trying to reinvent the wheel
so to speak, I’ll defer to my previous post scribbled years ago that briefly
details Mexico’s past Formula 1 involvement, (excluding the following two
current Gran Premio Pilotes') plus Hector rebaque, The Rodriguez Brothers, Pedro
& Ricardo and Moises Solana.
Where I've also briefly chronicled the Mexican Grands Prix history circa' 1963-70,
and 1986-92 previously in;
Meanwhile, I've previously left out the
unheralded Jo
Ramírez, known best for his long association at
McLaren International as Team Coordinator during the Prost-Senna era thru the
"Mika-the-Finn" (Hakinen) and DC era before retiring in 2001.
VIDEO: Jo RamirezInterview
As mentioned above, our most recent Mexicali
addition to Formula 1, Esteban Gutierrez who'll be making his return next year was previously
chronicled here at No Fenders in 2013 when making his F1 debut for Sauber.
Esteban Gutierrez joins the MexicanF1 Drivers Hat dance!
Whilst I’m certain many are already aware of past
Sauber, McLaren and current Force India F1 driver Sergio Perez. As the Guadalajara
native returned Mexico onto the F1 Grid in 2011, after a three decade absence -
as I first became aware of Sergio's nicknamed "Checo" when paired with
Bloody 'JENSE (Button) at McLaren in 2012. As NO idea if Perez's '09 world
champion team-mate coined the moniker or not?
Although there certainly was NO love-loss
over 'Checo's departure from Woking - as the two seem less than enamored with
each other since their year's outing at McLaren.
As Perez has just been confirmed to his third
consecutive season at Vijay-duh-Playah's (Force India) Silverstone outfit for
2016, as I previously scribbled ‘bout Sergio upon his rookie season for Sauber
'Wayback some four years ago: CRIKEYS! Or was I-T three? Which means it'll be
somewhat amazing when he cracks the 100-starts barrier early next season...
Formula 1 winners
Pedro Rodriguez:
2-wins; 1967 South African GP, 1970 Belgian GP.
Yet suffice it to say, Mexico has had
many great Open Wheel Racing drivers over the years, albeit sadly, there are
none currently competing in Indy Cars. Where arguably 'Yo Adrian (Fernandez)
was surely its most successful Stateside; Ariva-Ariva-Ariva! Being Mexico's
only driver to record double-digit victories, for which I witnessed his first
team 'W at some 'lil 'Ol racing circuit in Portland, Oregon...
MEXICO CITY
(1980-81)
Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) took
the bold step of running an IndyCar style race in Mexico City at the famed
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuito, the first time an IndyCar race had been
held in Mexico, in 1980 when 25-entrants
made a Run for The Border; Ariva-Ariva-Ariva!
Naturally, Mexican drivers wished to
participate in their home race, which saw Juan Carlos Bolaños, Michele
Jourdain, Sr. and Daniel Muniz taking part, albeit
with less than stellar results as "Rocket Rick" Mears won the
inaugural event aboard his Cosworth powered Penske.
The following year, a further tres Mexicali's
participated, the totally unknown Oreo Trice aboard the unheralded No. 66 Rager
Racing entry, primarily campaigned by Roger Rager, a multi-time Knoxville
Nationals winner. While that year's Indy 500 Rookie Of the Year Josele Garza
drove for his self-entered (Garza Racing) team with Michele Jourdain Sr. running
a "One-off" event in his home city again. As the second and final
Copa Mexico 150's saw the same outcome with
Rick Mears being victorious for El 'Capitano. (Roger Penske)
MONTERREY MEXICO (2001-06)
CART began racing at Fundidora Park,
a temporary Street Circuit situated in an industrial complex presumably to try
re-establishing itself in foreign markets after a two decade absence in Mexico.
The inaugural winner of the Tecate/Telmex Grand Prix of Monterrey was
"Shorty," aka Cristiano da Matta driving for Newman Haas, who'd
eventually record the most wins with five. As da Matta won the first two
events, with Newman Haas's duo of le 'Hamburgular and Whineybag' sweeping the final
three events. With Bruno Junqueira sandwiching Sebastain Bourdais's two
victories, whilst Paul Tracy was the only non Newman Haas Racing winner during
his 2003 championship winning season for Forsythe...
MEXICO CITY
(2002-07)
Apparently I'd forgotten that CART and then
its successor CCWS, nee the Champ Car World Series, which towards its demise I
regularly took to calling Chump Carz'; but I digress - raced at the renovated
Mexican Grand Prix circuit which was spearheaded by Gerald "Whiner"
Forsythe with the Indy Cars inaugural winner being thee "Brackster,"
nee Kenny Brack driving for Cheep' (Ganassi) in Target red, which is funny
since I always think of the Swede' in Team Rahal yellow & white livery instead!
Although I do recall that I took notice of a
fine Mexicali Pilote' who seemingly never got his due, (chance) as I became a
fan of David Martinez during his short stay at Forsythe Racing.
And how could I forget that my Numero Uno
IndyCar driver Justin B-I-G' UNIT Wilson won his second of his four Champ Car
races in Mexico, having won the 2005 Grand Premio Tecate, while he should have
definitely won the '06 race when leading virtually the entire way from Pole with
a broken wrist before le 'Hamburgular, nee SeaBass, aka Sebastain Bourdais gave
him the patented Paul Tracy Chrome Horn treatment on the race's final lap en
route to stealing another victory!
INDY 500 (1981-2013)
Apparently there's only been an Tecate "Six
Pack" to date to have raced at Mother Speedway, with the likes of the
aforementioned Adrian Fernandez, Josele Garza, Carlos
Guerrero, Bernard Jourdain and Nephew Michele Jourdain, Jr. - the last Mexicali
to race at Mother Speedway in 2012 as Taku-san's (Takuma Sato) Wingman at Rahal
Letterman Lanigan Racing as a rookie after having not contested the Indy 500
since 1996! As Jourdain was unable to qualify the following year as RLLR's
third entry. Along with ex-Formula 1 Piloto Hector Rebaque.
CART: 1979-2003)
The following (further) Doce Mexicano's contested
races in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series: Mario Dominguez and Memo
Gidley, although I typically think of Gidley as an American, he was born
in La Paz, Baja California Sur and made his CART debut in 1999 and has been
recovering from a major Sports Car accident the past year plus.
While Mario "BOOM BOOM" Dominguez;
Hey, that one's easy! As Dominguez, who dubiously won a rain-drenched Surfers
Paradise race Down Under in Bloody Oz for the late Tony Bettenhausen Jr's
Herdez Competition racing team, later got fired for hitting Gerald Forsythe's
team leader PT', nee Paul Tracy not once, but twice on the first lap at Milwaukee,
the final Champ Car race held on an Oval Wayback in Twenty-oh-Six! As this led
to the three card Monty playing out appropriately NO less than at my Home track,
C'mon say I-T Carpets; Hya! Portland International Raceway that summer, Round-5
of that year's championship...
CHAMP CAR: 2003-07
The following (further) four drivers
contested races in the Champ Car World Series: Luis Díaz, Roberto
González Valdez, Rodolfo Lavín and David Martinez -
the latter who I've already noted my admiration for - having been inked to a
partial drive alongside the irrepressible
'PT (Paul Tracy) on the basis of there being two motor races South of thee
Border.
Yet the Mexican Adventure came to a crashing
Halt at the end of Twenty-oh-Seven' upon the ultimately long overdue
Mergification' of Champ Car and the IRL in 2008 and Indy Cars unwisely spurned
Mexico ever since. Although it was hoped that Mexico City would revive an
IndyCar race as its season opener in 2016, it won't happen until 2017 at the
earliest, if at all?
As I'd ARSE-sume
the Sanctioning Fees are mucho Grande' for Formula 1 vs. IndyCar, along with
wunderin' how the turnout would be for Indy Cars vs. F1?
IndyCar winners
Adrian Fernandez: 11-wins
(8) CART: 1996 Molson Indy Toronto; Exhibition
Place, Ontario; 1998 Budweiser 500; Twin Ring Motegi, Japan; 1998 Miller Lite
200, Mid Ohio Sports Car Course; Lexington, Ohio; 1999 Firestone Fire hawk 500k;
Twin Ring Motegi, Japan; 1999 Marlboro 500 Preasented by Toyota; Fontana,
California; 2000 Rio 200, Autodromo Nelson Piquet; Rio de JanAeiro, Brazil; 2000 Honda
Indy 300; Surfers Paradise, Australia; 2003 The G.I. Joes 200; Portland,
Oregon.
(3) IRL: (2004 Season) Belters Casino Indy 300, Kentucky
Speedway; Delphi Indy 300, Chicagoland Speedway; Toyota Indy 400, Auto club
Speedway; Fontana, CA.
Michele Jourdain, Jr.: 2-wins; 2003 Milwaukee Mile
Centennial 250; West Allis, Wisconsin, 2003 Molson Indy Montreal; Circuit
Gilles Villeneuve, Quebec.
Mario Dominguez: 2-wins; 2002 Honda Indy
300; Surfers Paradise, Australia; 2003 Grand Prix Americas; Miami, Florida.
Hector Rebaque: 1-win; 1982 Road America 200;
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
(Inaugural Road America IndyCar race)