http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21655.html Ricardo Londono Bridge, who hoped to become the first Colombian to race in Formula 1, back in the 1980s, has been killed in his native country. The 59-year-old was killed on Saturday along with two associates as they were leaving a spa in the town of San Bernardo del Viento, close to Cispata, where Londono owned a hotel. Two other men were injured in the shooting. Police and soldiers carried out operations track down the killers in the area but no-one was arrested. Londono had lost most of his $10m property empire in 2000 when the Colombian government seized it, claiming that it had been acquired using money made from drug trafficking. Londono's racing career was short but controversial. He started out racing bikes and stock cars in Colombia and in 1979 raced a Porsche in the IMSA series before moving on to a Lola in CanAm in 1980. At the end of the year he took part in one round of the Aurora AFX British F1 Championship in a Colin Bennett Lotus. He raced in the Daytona 24 Hours in 1981 and then signed a deal to race for the Ensign F1 team in Brazil. He took part in an pre-event acclimatisation session at the Jacarepagua circuit in Rio, on the Wednesday before the race, setting some decent times, ahead of some better known drivers but ended up having a collision with Keke Rosberg's Fittipaldi. After that he was denied the all-important superlicence by the FIA and Ensign replaced him with Marc Surer, who not only went on to qualify, but finished fourth. Although he did not practice Londono was officially the first Colombian Grand Prix driver as an entry was made and accepted in his name. Later that year he did some Formula 2 races before disappearing back to IMSA. He retired in 1985.
Londono Bridge? What an odd name. Never heard of him. It sounds as though he fell in with the wrong crowd.
Police confirmed the killing of Ricardo "blade" Londoño, one of Colombia's most famous car in the mid-eighties and the first incursion into the country, but without success in Formula One The crime was executed by assassins on facts which occurred in a public venue of San Bernardo del Viento, on the shores of the department of Cordova, where departía with others. According to preliminary information, to place armed men arrived and shot him and others that were in place. Initially it was said that the attack had occurred in the hotel Cispatá, which was owned by Londoño, but then said that was in another of San Bernardo del Viento. These same facts were killed and two others wounded one more. Police officers and marines carried out operations in the Gulf of Morrosquillo, the boundaries between the departments of Sucre and Córdoba, to locate those responsible for these deeds of blood. The story of "blade" Londoño Ricardo "blade" London Bridge was a pilot produced Antioquian champion of all categories in rural Colombia and track and one step short of the highest category of motorsport world experience that could not be crystallized because he was not adopted as the license pilot team. Londono was one of the most talented Colombian pilots of all time, very fast, versatile, ran all kinds of cars and motorcycles, and was well known in the automobile in America, participated in 1980 in the United States championships in IMSA and Can-Am, as well as a test of Formula Aurora in Europe. It is considered the first pilot in the Colombian Formula One, the list also are part José Roberto Guerrero and more recently Juan Pablo Montoya. In 1980 when I was 31 years and was considered "old" to enter Formula One, but were well recognized for its qualities as a pilot who knew her, both in Europe and America, giving him an opportunity to try to participate in this class. In December 2000 a dozen buildings and commercial establishments, valued at more than 20 billion pesos, which included the name of the race car Antioquia, were raided in various parts of the country. The operation called Green and White, in the departments of Cordoba, Antioquia and San Andres Islands, was developed in compliance with the order issued by the National Prosecutor, for the forfeiture of property.
with a name like that, I got a tad curious and did the customary google search - the name is legit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Londo%C3%B1o Carol
Former F1 driver? The guy never got a super license. Given his "credentials" there is a huge pool of "former F1 drivers". Heck I could call that myself. After all getting selected by Ensign required about as much as doing a F1 joyride today: Money. And not much else.
Well he did take part in the race weekend (kinda) so I guess it counts. Why not, Giovanna Amati is listed as an F1 driver as well and she never made it out of pre-qualifying.
Giovanna therefore reached a higher level of participation: Pre-qualifying is part of the official race weekend. What this guy did was a private test session: "He took part in an pre-event acclimatisation session at the Jacarepagua circuit in Rio, on the Wednesday before the race" No super license, no F1 driver.
He may not have made F1 but I do remember him over here in the US in IMSA for a couple of years. Ok, so that was the period when many IMSA drivers (Paul, Whittington, Lanier) had drug connections. Cheers
Weed and coke pretty much kept IMSA going in those days. A friend of mine was a sheetmetal fabricator for one on the top IMSA/Indy teams....he was astounded by the amount of cash and the way it was thrown around. Jack.
Yes Giovanna did reach a higher level of participation. And the conjuncture on how she did so is well known. It wasn't down to skill. Well in the race car at least.
Actually, looking it over, what he did was a pre-race test session for his super license which would have to be FIA sanctioned in some way. If it were a private test he wouldn't have been able to hit Rosberg's Fittipaldi for the FIA to deny him the license. He had been signed by the team to race so that's good enough for me. The FIA super license is a joke regardless. How could a kid that never did any testing in an F1 car other than straight line testing even be granted one? The first time he will drive the car around the circuit will be in practice session 1. It should be entertaining and not in a good way for the idiot running STR.
I disagree: This could have been a private test (as I think it was) and the FIA can still deny him the license. Doesn't make a difference to them whether you screw up on an official test/race or a private track. A team that primarily was interested in the paycheck of the driver. Not good enough for me. I respectfully disagree. While there are some strange practices, it is the one and only measuring stick that separates the wannabees from the real thing. Being a wannabee myself I find it important that there is a line in the sand. There are so many weekend warriors driving historic F1 cars that I think it is necessary to be able to distinguish. BTW: I don't feel too strongly about any of this and we are splitting hairs. Izzallgood.
Lol, I don't either and yes we are. It's a light news week. This is what Wilkipedia says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Londo%C3%B1o Ricardo Londoño-Bridge (8 August 1949 in Medellín - 18 July 2009) was a former racing driver from Colombia. He had an unremarkable international career apart from his one attempt at Formula One in the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix with Ensign. Brought into the little team for financial reasons, Londoño took part in the special acclimatisation practice session held before the Grand Prix weekend. This session was held because the Jacarepaguá circuit had not been used in F1 for some time. He performed reasonably well in the session, but it became irrelevant when the FIA elected not to grant Londoño the necessary licence to take part in the proper practice sessions and the race, due to his lack of experience. Ensign replaced him with Marc Surer, who qualified for the race and finished 4th, amazingly putting in the fastest lap of the race. Even though he did not take part in the official practice sessions, he was entered for the race, so Londoño is officially Colombia's first Formula One driver. He retired in 1985. Londoño was murdered on Saturday July 18, 2009 in the north Colombian Córdoba Department. Two others were also killed in the shooting.[1] Good enough for me, but I still find it mind boggling Algursari gets a superlicense but Londono didn't because of lack of experience. It's a joke.
So he was in that exclusive club of drivers who paid to test with the intent of attempting to pre-qualify for an actual race. But didn't. Talk about your rarified air! In that case, half of the FChat members will deserve to get eulogized in the F1 section.
You got that right. My wife (44) is from Medejin and says his familiy, while upper class, was rife with corruption and ties with the "mafioso". Guess it was a case of "Live by the sword, Die by the sword" JD
I think there after the Repsol money that comes with him.. I have read a rumour that World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb maybe in line for a drive.
Some strange practices? That´s quite... well... Let´s just say that having a super-licence (what a presumptuous name) doesn´t mean much.
I disagree. Strongly. It is what you need to participate in real F1 racing. None of the wannabees weekend F1 "drivers" have it. For a reason. Let's just quickly rewind to the "Ferrari days" at the end of the season (2007 IIRC) where Corse clienti owners drove their F1 cars and then eventually the guys from the Scuderia. Some who have been there reported here that it was day and night.
Of course that's what the teams is thinking. The fact that the FIA is okay with this is what I'm calling into question. It just makes the whole arguement about having a super license meaning you're offically an F1 driver more of a joke.
Mosley is the joke full stop! he should be in prison. The more that comes out the madder it gets me. Bernie has used that sucker for too long and he should follow him..
You could compare the Superlicense to an academic degree like a Doctorate or passing the bar exam: It means you are now allowed to follow that profession (doctor, lawyer etc), but it doesn't mean you will excel at it. You need the superlicense to race in a real GP, but you could be another one of these: http://www.f1rejects.com/drivers/index.html Where coincidentally (or not) "your" Giovanna sits prominently. The reason I'm harking on the super license is because of the weekend warriors. There needs to be something that divides the boys from the men. The superlicense is that something.
