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Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a 2.747-mile 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 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 7,500 feet (2,285 m), 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 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 halfway through.

The NASCAR Busch Grand National Series ran a race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the 2005 season, with a chicane on the main straightaway to slow the cars down. Martin Truex Jr. won the race on March 6, 2005.

Formula One history

Season Date Winning Driver Winning Team Report
1992 March 22 Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault Report
1991 June 16 Riccardo Patrese Williams-Renault Report
1990 June 24 Alain Prost Ferrari Report
1989 May 28 Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda Report
1988 May 29 Alain Prost McLaren-Honda Report
1987 October 18 Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda Report
1986 October 12 Gerhard Berger Benetton-BMW Report
1970 October 25 Jacky Ickx Ferrari Report
1969 October 19 Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford Report
1968 November 3 Graham Hill Lotus-Ford Report
1967 October 22 Jim Clark Lotus-Ford Report
1966 October 23 John Surtees Cooper-Maserati Report
1965 October 24 Richie Ginther Honda Report
1964 October 25 Dan Gurney Brabham-Climax Report
1963 October 27 Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Report
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