Great Mexican Endurance racers – A history
Frida Kahlo, Oscar De La Hoya, Guillermo del Torro, Emiliano Zapata, Salma Hayek and Hugo Sanchez – just some of the many iconic Mexicans, who have made an impact on the world in so many different areas.
When it comes to endurance racing, the country has an equally rich and varied history with many notable performers. The 2016 Mexico City 6 Hours presented by AT&T will be the 37th round of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the first to be held at the mile-high Autodromos Hermanos Rodriguez. With the WEC heading to this Latin American country it is the perfect opportunity to look back at its endurance history and driving heroes.
Ricardo Gonzalez is the most accomplished Mexican driver in WEC history and is also the promoter of his home race. His brother, Roberto, returns to the WEC, following a one-off appearance with Greaves in 2012. Ricardo was the LMP2 champion in 2013 and has enjoyed two race victories in the class, Le Mans in 2013 and this year at Silverstone. Ricardo has made a total of 28 WEC starts and in addition was the 2011 Prototype Challenge champion in the American Le Mans Series.
Four other Mexicans have participated in WEC races thus far. Whilst the country’s involvement in the WEC has been limited, each of these four drivers are highly accomplished in the world of sports car racing. Adrian Fernandez made four WEC appearances in 2012. In sports car racing circles he is best known for fielding his own team in the Grand-Am series in 2006, racing a Riley-Pontiac DP to one victory that season. He and the team switched to a series of Acuras from 2007 through 2009, earning the ALMS LMP2 championship in 2009. For 2010 and 2011 Fernandez raced a Lola-Aston Martin prototype in the ALMS before entering a GT Pro class Aston in the WEC in 2012
Fernandez’s co-champion of 2009 in the ALMS was Luis Diaz, who raced once in the WEC in 2012. Diaz also had considerable experience in the two American sports car series, including an overall victory in Mexico City with a Riley-Lexus when the Grand-Am series visited the circuit in 2006. ‘Chapu’ as he is affectionately known will join Roberto González and Bruno Junqueira in the guest Greaves entry next weekend.
Memo Rojas was a four time Grand-Am DP champion as well as the 2013 North American Endurance Champion in that series. He raced once in the WEC, at Bahrain in 2013. Mexican driver Rudy Junco, Jr. raced at the Circuit of the Americas WEC round in the same year after several seasons in the American Le Mans Series, mostly in the PC class where he had two victories.
There has been a dearth of domestic sports car racing in Mexico over the past few decades which meant drivers had to gain experience elsewhere, mostly north of the border. Among those most active in the ALMS and Grand-Am during the 2000s and 2010s were Mario Dominguez (who also raced in the FIA GT series in 2009), Martin Fuentes (Starworks Motorsport, 2012-2014), Michel Jourdain, Jr. (Doran Racing and Fernandez Racing, 2006-2008), and Randy Wars (Dick Barbour Racing, 2000-2001).
Mexico and Mexican drivers played key roles in the old World Sportscar Championship which ran from 1953 through 1992. The incredible Carrera Panamericana pre-dated that series, having started in 1950 and then continued through 1954, it was a round in the championship for the last two editions. An event like the Carrera is almost unfathomable in today’s clinical modern era. It was a week-long open road race of over 3,000 kilometers that started in Tuxtla Gutierrez on the Guatemalan border and ended at Ciudad Juarez across from Texas. Cars ran against the clock in distinct stages each day, crossing jungles, mountains, deserts, small villages and big cities. Fields of about 200 cars were divided into sport and stock car groups with the likes of Ferrari, Lancia, and Porsche running in the former category and all the American manufacturers in the latter. Porsche enjoyed significant success in the smaller classes and would henceforth name a model in honour of the race. Over 130 Mexican drivers and co-drivers competed in the Carrera Panamericana.
Mexico would not host another championship round until 1989 when the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez began a three-year run of qualifying rounds. The next international sports car race to be held there was in 2005 when Grand-Am began a four-year tenure. The circuit in the park, in existence since 1962, has hosted 16 Formula One Grands Prix, held discontinuously during the 1960s, late 1980s, and revived last year.
In addition to those Mexican drivers involved in the Carrera Panamericana, a total of 55 Mexicans have participated in at least one round of the old World Sports Car Championships. By far the most famous were the Rodriguez brothers for whom the circuit was named. The younger brother, Ricardo, would sadly die at this track. That accident came just a few weeks after he and brother Pedro (pictured above at Spa in 1970) recorded a victory in the 1962 Paris 1000 Km—the pair’s second consecutive victory at this event. Ricardo also won the 1962 Targa Florio. Pedro had a much longer sports car career, recording 16 overall victories including twice at Le Mans and four times at Daytona. Pedro will always be remembered for his stirring drives in the Porsche 917.
Racing in Mexico has always had a strong family flavour. Current and recent drivers have followed in the footsteps of their fathers and uncles. They have included Michel Jourdain, Sr. and Bernard Jourdain, Rodolfo Junco, Sr., Roberto Gonzalez Snr, Alfonso Toledano Snr and Guillermo Rojas.
Eleven Mexican drivers participated in the late 1980s World Championship rounds. Their sole class win came in 1989 when Giovanni Aloi and Andres Contreras co-drove a Spice to the top of the Group C2 podium. Aloi, upon retiring as a driver, decided to become a successful matador! He now manages the Mexican sailing federation – a much more sedate and safer role.
Sam Smith
