Former F1 driver murdered in Colombia

That's true but the driver in question wasn't really a weekend warrior. He was signed with a team, was entered by the team in the race and did a test session for his license which occurred before the race weekend. How many weekend warriors can even come close to saying any of those things have occurred to them, much less all three. Reading into his career a little further reveals that he was not useless at the wheel either. During the test he was faster than Piquet, Arnoux, Daly, etc. He was also within a second of Villenueve, Rosberg, etc. There goes your theory about this being a private test.

http://www.f1rejects.com/drivers/londono-bridge/biography.html

 

Yes to the first part (about the weekend warriors), no to the second part. In fact I just read an interview with Marc Surer who replaced him at that race. Surer had no idea, but was in Rio anyway. After the test Nunn showed up in his hotel (after a night out) and told Marc to do the Friday practice etc. Surer doesn't give any details, but it seemed pretty clear that the Columbian didn't cut it. He only did F2 after this weekend.

PS: It was a private test session. The fact that other drivers were present is meaningless. Back in those days they didn't have official test sessions. It was either the official race weekend or a private test session. The De Angelis accident changed that. After it became mandatory to have rescue staff etc on hand.

 

I'd like to see the interview if it's online because it's a bit contradictory to everything I read about the test. Firstly it was allowed by the FIA because that circuit hadn't been used in a while. I don't know if that makes it an official test. Surer was in Brazil for whatever reason, it's unclear, but he did some installation laps and handed the car over to Londono. Londono then ran pretty decent times according to all accounts. His only blot was hitting Rosberg's Fittipaldi. In the end his super license was denied because he had little experience in any of the F1 feeder series, his experience was mainly in IMSA and sportcars.

 

http://www.motorsport-aktuell.com/formel-1/news/tod-in-kolumbien-9889.html

Let me know if you need help with the translation.

 

Didn't one of the F1 teams get busted, or was at least suspected, of using their cars and equipment to smuggle cocaine into Europe during the late 70's/early 80's? I thought it was Ligier but I could be wrong.

 

I understood the basics but I could be wrong on it. I thought Surer said Londono had some problems with his superlicense so Surer completed the test. If my translation was right he also thought Londono would be bck in the car on Thursday?

 

Indeed. That's why Surer went partying on Thursday night.

 

Ahh, well it didn't sound like Surer thought Londono would have his superlicense denied.

 

True and I agree with you that Londono was much closer to a real F1 driver than the weekend wannabees. But if Surer becomes the measurement of all things, then Londono wasn't really that talented (and I say that as Surer's compatriot and fan).

 

Giovanni Lavaggi has a super-licence, and I don´t know, but probably Tom Kristensen has not. But who is a "real" driver?

You can´t compare the guys of the Ferrari days with any professional driver. They aren´t professional and aren´t meant to be, I think.

 

Agreed. But tell that to magazines like "FORZA" who turns them into Gods. They had an entire story about some rich guy who bought his F1 right in Maranello. Good for him, but he is no F1 driver, but they sure made him look that way. Maybe I'm just jealous, but they sure put him on a pedastal I think he didn't belong to.