View source for Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

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! colspan=2 |'''Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez'''
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The '''Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez''' (or in English "'''Rodríguez Brothers Racetrack'''") is a 4.421 km (2.747&nbsp;[[mile|mi]]) race track in [[Mexico City]], [[Mexico]], named for the famous Rodríguez brothers.

Built in a public park in 1962, the circuit hosted its first [[Formula One]] [[Grand Prix motor racing|Grand Prix]] the same year, as a non-Championship race. The following year the [[Mexican Grand Prix]] became a full World Championship event.  The circuit remained part of the F1 calendar through 1970, when spectator overcrowding caused unsafe conditions.  When the track re-opened in 1986, the circuit boasted a new pit complex, as well as improved safety all around.  The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (as of 2006) has been the only venue for the Mexican Grand Prix.

The circuit is located within the public park of the Magdalena Mixhuca in northeast [[Mexico City]]. The circuit is owned by the Government of the City, but is currently operated under concession by Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento, S.A. de C.V. or CIE, through OCESA, one of CIE's subsidiaries. CIE also organizes the [[NASCAR]] and Desafío Corona races in this circuit and rents the circuits to other parties, including race organizers, automobile clubs and track amateurs for fees that are controversial due to their disproportionately high amounts compared to other ex-F1 courses.

The circuit itself has a very bumpy surface, mostly due to Mexico City's location on a geologically active region.  Furthermore, with an elevation of 2,285 [[metre|m]],(7,500 [[Foot (unit of length)|ft]])  the thin air makes breathing more difficult for both the drivers and their cars.  The circuit got its name shortly after it opened when [[Ricardo Rodríguez (Formula One)|Ricardo Rodríguez]] tragically lost his life there in practice for the non-Championship [[1962 Mexican Grand Prix]] (Ricardo's brother [[Pedro Rodríguez (racing driver)|Pedro]] would also lose his life behind the wheel years later).

The circuit has an extremely fast final corner (the ''peraltada'') before a long start/finish straight, and thus reminded some of [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]]; however, unlike Monza's ''parabolica'' curve, the ''peraltada'' curve is slightly banked, allowing even more speed through the corner. It was at this corner that Rodríguez crashed, although it is unclear whether this was due to excess speed or suspension failure. After the last F1 Mexican Grand Prix in 1992, a baseball stadium was built on the innerpart of this curve. When the [[Champ Car]] series began using the track in 2002, the ''peraltada'' curve was partially bypassed by a series of sharp turns entering and exiting the baseball field; re-entering the ''peraltada'' halfway through.

The [[NASCAR]] [[Nationwide Series]] started racing at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the 2005 season, with a [[chicane]] on the main straightaway to slow the cars down. They also introduced a curve between the short course and the Ese del Lago to bypass the latter, but avoiding the stadium detour. [[Martin Truex Jr.]] won the race in 2005, and [[Denny Hamlin]] won in 2006. For the 2007 race, the chicane was removed to increase passing oppurtunities down the front straight and into turn 1, and [[Juan Pablo Montoya]] from [[Bogotá]], [[Colombia]], won the race.

The [[A1 Grand Prix]] series started racing at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the 2007 season using the full-track configuration used by [[Formula 1]]. [[Alex Yoong]] from [[Malaysia]] won the sprint race and [[Oliver Jarvis]] from the [[United Kingdom]] won the feature race.

==The oval track==

In the Autódromo, it's also possible to make an oval track, thanks to a flat turn that goes from the middle of the main straightaway to the beginning of the backstretch. The oval is raced in anti-clockwise direction, as opposed to the road course.

The oval configuration of this Mexico City facility is arguably the most dangerous racetrack in Mexico, because of the limited visibility at the exit of Turns 2 and 4. This is because the [[Foro Sol]] baseball stadium is located inside turns 1 and 2; and several trees are located inside turns 3 and 4.

During the 2006 season, two horrific accidents occurred in the oval track during [[NASCAR Mexico T4 Series]] events, which took several drivers out of the race and even required some of them to be taken to the hospital.

The oval configuration is used at least twice a year, with two double-feature events featuring the [[NASCAR Mexico Corona Series]] and the [[NASCAR Mexico T4 Series]].

==Formula One history==
''Note: Pink background indicates non-Championship year.''
{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:center; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:800px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
|- tr BGCOLOR=darkred
! Season
! Date
! Winning Driver
! Winning Team
! Report
|-
| [[1992 Formula One season|1992]]
| [[March 22]]
| {{flagiconGBR}} [[Nigel Mansell]]
| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]]-[[Renault F1|Renault]]
| [[1992 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1991 Formula One season|1991]]
| [[June 16]]
| {{flagiconITA}} [[Riccardo Patrese]]
| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]]-[[Renault F1|Renault]]
| [[1991 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1990 Formula One season|1990]]
| [[June 24]]
| {{flagiconFRA}} [[Alain Prost]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| [[1990 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1989 Formula One season|1989]]
| [[May 28]]
| {{flagiconBRA}} [[Ayrton Senna]]
| [[Team McLaren|McLaren]]-[[Honda Racing F1|Honda]]
| [[1989 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1988 Formula One season|1988]]
| [[May 29]]
| {{flagiconFRA}} [[Alain Prost]]
| [[Team McLaren|McLaren]]-[[Honda Racing F1|Honda]]
| [[1988 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1987 Formula One season|1987]]
| [[October 18]]
| {{flagiconGBR}} [[Nigel Mansell]]
| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]]-[[Honda Racing F1|Honda]]
| [[1987 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1986 Formula One season|1986]]
| [[October 12]]
| {{flagiconAUT}} [[Gerhard Berger]]
| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[BMW]]
| [[1986 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1970 Formula One season|1970]]
| [[October 25]]
| {{flagiconBEL}} [[Jacky Ickx]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| [[1970 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1969 Formula One season|1969]]
| [[October 19]]
| {{flagiconNZL}} [[Denny Hulme]]
| [[Team McLaren|McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| [[1969 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1968 Formula One season|1968]]
| [[November 3]]
| {{flagiconGBR}} [[Graham Hill]]
| [[Lotus Cars|Lotus]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| [[1968 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1967 Formula One season|1967]]
| [[October 22]]
| {{flagiconGBR}} [[Jim Clark]]
| [[Lotus Cars|Lotus]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| [[1967 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1966 Formula One season|1966]]
| [[October 23]]
| {{flagiconGBR}} [[John Surtees]]
| [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]]-[[Maserati]]
| [[1966 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1965 Formula One season|1965]]
| [[October 24]]
| {{flagiconUSA}} [[Richie Ginther]]
| [[Honda Racing F1|Honda]]
| [[1965 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1964 Formula One season|1964]]
| [[October 25]]
| {{flagiconUSA}} [[Dan Gurney]]
| [[Brabham]]-[[Coventry Climax|Climax]]
| [[1964 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
| [[1963 Formula One season|1963]]
| [[October 27]]
| {{flagiconGBR}} [[Jim Clark]]
| [[Lotus Cars|Lotus]]-[[Coventry Climax|Climax]]
| [[1963 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|- bgcolor="gray"
| [[1962 Formula One season|1962]]
| [[November 4]]
| {{flagiconUK}} [[Trevor Taylor]]/[[Jim Clark]]
| [[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Coventry Climax|Climax]]
| [[1962 Mexican Grand Prix|Report]]
|}

==Champ Car history==
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|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
|- tr BGCOLOR=darkred
! Season
! Date
! Winning Driver
! Chassis
! Engine
|-
| [[1980 CART World Series season|1980]]
| [[October 26]]
| {{flagiconUSA}} [[Rick Mears]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]]
| [[Cosworth]]
|-
| [[1980 CART World Series season|1981]]
| [[October 18]]
| {{flagiconUSA}} [[Rick Mears]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]]
| [[Cosworth]]
|-
| [[2002 CART World Series season|2002]]
| [[November 17]]
| {{flagiconSWE}} [[Kenny Bräck]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]]
| [[Toyota]]
|-
| [[2003 CART World Series season|2003]]
| [[October 12]]
| {{flagiconCAN}} [[Paul Tracy]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]]
| [[Ford-Cosworth]]
|-
| [[2004 Champ Car World Series season|2004]]
| [[November 7]]
| {{flagiconFRA}} [[Sébastien Bourdais]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]]
| [[Ford-Cosworth]]
|-
| [[2005 Champ Car World Series season|2005]]
| [[November 6]]
| {{flagiconENG}} [[Justin Wilson]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]]
| [[Ford-Cosworth]]
|-
| [[2006 Champ Car World Series season|2006]]
| [[November 12]]
| {{flagiconFRA}} [[Sébastien Bourdais]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]]
| [[Ford-Cosworth]]
|-
| [[2007 Champ Car World Series season|2007]]
| [[November 11]]
| {{flagiconFRA}} [[Sébastien Bourdais]]
| [[Élan Motorsport Technologies|Panoz]]
| [[Cosworth]]
|}

==NASCAR Nationwide Series history (formerly Busch Series) ==
{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:center; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:400px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
|- tr BGCOLOR=darkred
! Season
! Date
! Official Race Name
! Winning Driver
! Make
! Model
|-
| [[2005 in NASCAR Busch Series|2005]]
| [[March 6]]
| '''Telcel MOTOROLA Mexico 200 presented by Banamex'''
| [[Martin Truex Jr.]]
| [[Chevrolet]]
| [[Chevrolet Monte Carlo|Monte Carlo]]
|-
| [[2006 in NASCAR Busch Series|2006]]
| [[March 5]]
| '''Telcel Motorola Mexico 200 presented by Banamex'''
| [[Denny Hamlin]]
| [[Chevrolet]]
| [[Chevrolet Monte Carlo|Monte Carlo SS]]
|-
| [[2007 in NASCAR Busch Series|2007]]
| [[March 4]]
| '''Telcel Motorola Mexico 200'''
| [[Juan Pablo Montoya]]
| [[Dodge]]
| [[Dodge Charger|Charger]]
|}

==A1 Grand Prix history==
{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:center; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:400px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
|- tr BGCOLOR=darkred
! Season
! Date
! Winning Driver
! Winning Country
! Chassis
! Engine
|-
| [[2007 A1 Grand Prix Season|2007]]
| [[March 25]]
| [[Oliver Jarvis]]
| [[Team Great Britain]]
| [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]]
| [[Zytek]]
|-
|}

==Current Races==
* [[Panam GP Series]] - [[A1 Grand Prix Mexico City]]
* [[A1 Grand Prix]] - [[A1 Grand Prix Mexico City]]
* [[NASCAR]] [[Nationwide Series]] - [[Telcel-Motorola 200]] presented by Banamex
* [[Champ Car World Series]] - [[Gran Premio de México]]
* [[Champ Car Atlantic Series]] - [[Gran Premio de México]]
* [[NASCAR Mexico Corona Series]] - 2 races in the oval
* [[Copa Turismo México]] - [[Copa Turismo México Presentada por Continental y FIAT]]
* [[Moto Pro México]] - [[Copa Turismo México Presentada por Continental y FIAT]]

==Records==
* A1 Grand Prix Qualifying: [[Alex Yoong]], 86.490 sec. (115.015 mph), [[2007]]
* NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying: [[Scott Pruett]], 87.458 sec. (103.647 mph), [[2007]]
* NASCAR Nationwide Series Race (200 miles): [[Juan Pablo Montoya]], 2 hrs. 45 min. 15 sec. (74.969 mph), [[March 4]], [[2007]] 


The Autódromo is unique in the sense that there is a baseball stadium inside Turn 14. The stadium, called [[Foro Sol]] is home to the [[Diablos Rojos del México]], and also hosts music concerts.

Artists like Madonna, The Rolling Stones, U2, and Paul McCartney are just a few of the names that have played there.

The Coca-Cola Zero Festival will be held at the racetrack on April 12, 2008. (http://coca-colazero.com.mx/) Acts include The Smashing Pumpkins, The Mars Volta, My Chemical Romance, My Morning Jacket, Belanova, Bright Eyes, Kinky, Miranda, La Gusana Ciega, Jumbo, Division Minuscula, Timo Maas, Quiero Club, The Faint, Chetes, Le Baron, and Austin TV.

==Trivia==
* Pope [[John Paul II]] gave mass to nearly 2 million faithful at the Autódromo in 1999.

*'''Mexique''' is one of the racing circuits available for the ''[[Formula Dé]]'' board game.

*1/4 mile drag racing events are also held here on occasion, on the main straightaway.

*The Government of [[Mexico City]] organizes a marathon and bicycle races on the circuit.

==External links==
* [http://www.autodromohermanosrodriguez.com.mx/ Official Track Page]
* [http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ahr/ Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Page] on the [[NASCAR]] site
* [http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/cir-043.html Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Page] at GrandPrix.com (focusing on [[Formula One]] history)
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&hl=en&ll=19.401984,-99.09183&spn=0.015402,0.026822&t=k Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Google Maps]
* [http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Autodromo_Hermanos_Rodriguez Trackpedia's guide to driving and facts about Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez]


{{Formula One circuits}}
{{A1GP Circuits}}
{{Champ Car Tracks}}

[[Category:Motorsport venues in Mexico|Hermanos]]
[[Category:Mexican Grand Prix]]
[[Category:Champ Car race tracks]]
[[Category:Formula One circuits|Hermanos]]
[[Category:NASCAR tracks|Hermanos]]
[[Category:A1 Grand Prix venues]]