Ricardo Londoño, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Ricardo Londoño

Colombian racing driver

Date of Birth: 08-Aug-1949

Place of Birth: Medellín, Antioquia Department, Colombia

Date of Death: 18-Jul-2009

Profession: engineer, racing driver, racing automobile driver, drug trafficker

Nationality: Colombia

Zodiac Sign: Leo


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About Ricardo Londoño

  • Ricardo Londoño-Bridge (8 August 1949 – 18 July 2009) was a 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.
  • Londoño was the first racing driver from Colombia to participate in a Formula One race weekend. Born in Medellín, he raced in stock car and motorcycle speed championships until the 1970s and claimed many victories.
  • Londoño left for the United States in 1979 and took part in IMSA GT Championship races.
  • The following year, he placed seventh overall in the 24 Hours of Daytona and twelfth in the Can-Am standings.
  • Londoño received support from coffee growing and drug trafficking and this enabled him to compete in the season-closing British Formula One Championship at Silverstone where he finished seventh.
  • Despite his inexperience, he was selected by Ensign to compete in the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix mainly for financial purposes.
  • Londoño took part in the Grand Prix's acclimatisation session and recorded fast lap times before hitting Keke Rosberg and was thus not granted a super licence by the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile.
  • He was therefore dismissed from the Ensign team. Londoño's illegal support enabled him to race in three Formula Two events in 1981 with the Docking-Spitzey Team-Toleman and took a best result of ninth at the Pau Grand Prix.
  • Despite the arrest of several of his sponsors which prevented him from participating in the 1982 Can-Am season, he continued to drive in the IMSA GT Championship until 1986 when he withdrew from motor racing.
  • Londoño subsequently returned to Colombia and carried out illegal activities related to drug trafficking.
  • A majority of his property was seized by the Colombian courts in December 2000 and he was murdered nine years later.

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