The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (or in English "Rodriguez Brothers Racetrack") is a 4.421 km (2.747-mi) race track in Mexico City, Mexico named for the famous Rodriguez brothers.
Built in a park in 1962, the circuit hosted its first Formula One Mexican Grand Prix one year later. 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 improve safety all around. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (as of 2006) has been the only venue for the Mexican Grand Prix.
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 m,(7,500 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 Rodriguez tragically lost his life here in a non-title event (Ricardo's brother Pedro would also lose his life behind the wheel years later). The name translated to English means 'Automobile race track Brothers Rodriguez'.
The circuit had a blindingly fast final corner (the peralta [a.k.a. peraltada]) before a long start/finish straight, and thus reminded some of Monza; however, unlike Monza's parabolica curve, the peralta curve was slightly banked, allowing even more speed through the corner. After the last F1 Mexican Grand Prix in 1992, a baseball stadium was built on part of this section, so when the Champ Car series began coming to the track in 2002, this was partially bypassed by a series of sharp turns entering and exiting the baseball field, re-entering Peralta, which had now been flattened, halfway through.
The NASCAR Busch Series ran a race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the 2005 season, with a chicane on the main straightaway to slow the cars down and a curve between the short course and the Ese del Lago to bypass that section, but bypassing the stadium detour. Martin Truex Jr. won the race on 2005-03-06.
Mexique is one of the racing circuits available for the Formula Dé board game.
NASCAR Nationwide Series history (Telcel Motorola México 200)[]
| Year | Driver | Started | Car # | Owner | Make |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 2006 | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2007 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 3 | 42 | Chip Ganassi | Dodge |
| 2008 | Kyle Busch | 6 | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
External links[]
- Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Page on the NASCAR site
- Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Page at GrandPrix.com (focusing on Formula One history)
- Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Google Maps