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 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

in the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix with

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

. Londoño was the first racing driver from Colombia to participate in a Formula One race weekend. Born in Medellín, he raced in

stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

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 IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States, and occasionally in Canada. History The series was founded in 1969 by John and Peggy Bishop, and Bill ...

races. The following year, he placed seventh overall in the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layo ...

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 The British Formula One Championship, often abbreviated to British F1, was a Formula One motor racing championship held in the United Kingdom. It was often referred to as the Aurora AFX Formula One series due to the Aurora company's sponsorship o ...

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 Keijo Erik Rosberg (born 6 December 1948), known as "Keke" (), is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series, as well as the first Finnish ...

and was thus not granted a super licence by the

Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) was the sport governing body for motor racing events, in particular Formula One. The organization's origins dated from 1922, when the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) delegate ...

. He was therefore dismissed from the Ensign team. Londoño's illegal support enabled him to race in three

Formula Two Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009– 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name ...

events in 1981 with the Docking-Spitzey Team-

Toleman Toleman Motorsport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and participated in 70 Grands Prix. Origins The Toleman company was formed in 1926 by Edward Toleman for the purpose of delivering Ford ...

and took a best result of ninth at the

Pau Grand Prix The Pau Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Pau) is a motor race held in Pau, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of southwestern France. The French Grand Prix was held at Pau in 1930, leading to the annual Pau Grand Prix being inaugurat ...

. 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.

Biography

Early career

Ricardo Londoño was born on 8 August 1949 in the Colombian city of Medellín. His racing career began in the Colombian

Stock Car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

and Motorcycle Speed Championships. The extent of Londoño activities in this era of Colombia is rather obscure but several periodicals of that time indicate that he won many races in the country, allowing him to become the national champion in various categories in motorcycle and stock car racing in the 1970s. In his period, he was caught up in the centre of drug trafficking activity that was taking place in the outskirts of the Colombian capital Bogotá and met the drug lord Pablo Escobar for the first time. Londoño moved to North America in 1979 and took part in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Daytona 250 Miles in the

. He shared Porsche 935 Turbo with John Gunn and George Garces in Sebring and failed to finish. Londoño used the same car to finish 18th in Daytona and placed 45th in the Drivers' Championship. In 1980, Londoño raced at Daytona alongside

Mauricio de Narváez Mauricio de Narváez (born 18 May 1941) is a Colombian former racing driver. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1981 and 1985 for Joest Racing, resulting 4th overall in 1983 driving a Porsche 956. He won the 1984 12 Hours of Sebring as ...

and Albert Naon and the trio came seventh overall and second in the GTO class. That same year, with finance from a car dealership in Cali, a sports equipment supplier and private partners, he partook in nine out of ten races of the Can-Am season with his own team, Londoño-Bridge Racing Team and drove a Lola T530. Londoño was competitive throughout the season and took six top ten finishes with a best result of fifth at Mosport Park. He accumulated five points which put him twelfth in the standings.

European tour and Formula One

With support from the

National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, ( es, link=no, Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia), abbreviated as Colombian Coffee Growers Federation or Fedecafé, is a non-profit business organization, popularly known for its ...

and Pablo Escobar, Londoño left for Europe in late 1980 and rented a

Lotus 78 The Lotus 78 was a Formula One racing car used in the and seasons. It was designed by Peter Wright, Colin Chapman, Martin Ogilvie and Tony Rudd, and was the first ground effect car in Formula One. Concept In early 1976, spurred on by a ...

from Colin Bennett so he could participate in the season-closing

round at Silverstone, the Pentax Trophy. Bennett called him "promising". Londoño suffered a major accident in practice but his team's mechanics repaired his car in time for the race. He finished one lap behind race winner Emilio de Villota in seventh having moved up eleven from his starting position. Londoño briefly returned to the United States to compete in the 1981 24 Hours of Daytona for Red Lobster Racing, partnering Kenper Miller and Dave Cowart, but the BMW M1 the trio drove failed to finish, retiring with engine problems after 346 laps. That same year, the Ensign Racing

team had severe financial difficulties after its main sponsor left. After the first race of the season, the United States Grand Prix West, Ensign's owner Mo Nunn sought a driver to help redress the team's situation. Bennett had joined Ensign as a co-owner and suggested to Nunn that he employ Londoño for the Brazilian Grand Prix. As he was virtually unknown in the Formula One world, some believed that Londoño's name was a pseudonym. Formula One was returning to Jacarepaguá for the first time in three years and an acclimatisation session was held for drivers to learn the circuit. As he did not have the necessary super licence to take part in the Grand Prix, Londoño was allowed to drive in the session and did ten laps of the track with his best lap four seconds slower than session leader

Carlos Reutemann Carlos Alberto "Lole" Reutemann (12 April 1942 – 7 July 2021) was an Argentine racing driver who raced in Formula One from to , and later became a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party, and governor o ...

. However,

was irritated at Londoño and braked earlier than expected in front of Londoño and this caused the latter to hit Rosberg. Londoño was not granted his super licence by the

as his team had not provided the necessary information and he was judged to have caused the crash with Rosberg. The refusal of him being granted a super licence was also attributed to Formula One's commercial rights owner Bernie Ecclestone discovering Londoño's links with the

Medellín Cartel The Medellín Cartel ( es, Cartel de Medellín) was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar. It is often considered ...

and Escobar. His team kept the money he brought to them but elected to draft Marc Surer who finished the car in fourth place. Nevertheless, despite the controversy, Londoño was the first Colombian driver to have taken part in a Formula One race weekend.

Final motor racing years

Due to his national support, Londoño participated in three

races for Docking-Spitzey Team-

after managing to convince the team's manager Alan Docking via telephone to recruit him for 1981. Although he qualified last for the

he took advantage of a slippery track and other cars retiring due to mechanical problems to finish ninth. Londoño's next race was at the

Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna. Overview During the 1960s, ...

and retired after twenty-five laps with an engine failure in spite of a good qualifying performance. A mechanical issue sidelined his race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps after fifteen laps, and was unable to start the Donington Park round after crashing in the warm-up session. At the end of 1981, Londoño returned to Colombia, and won the Grand Touring class of the 3 Hours of Medellín. Several of his sponsors were arrested by police before he could partake in a planned 1982 venture into Can-Am and thus did not race in that year. In 1983, Londoño partook in three races of that year's

and did not have a large amount of success apart from a sixth-place finish alongside co-driver John Gunn in a Phoenix JG1 at the Daytona 250 Miles. The following year, he remained as a competitor in the

but was now behind the wheel of a

Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctiv ...

in three races. Londoño's best result was him driving solo en route to finishing fourteenth out of twenty-three cars at the Daytona 250 Miles. He again was entered in three races in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

but failed to attend either the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Thus, his only race of the season in Miami saw him retire his

Pontiac Firebird The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's ...

after eleven laps. Partnering with Diego Montoya (the uncle of two-time

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

winner

Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (; born September 20, 1975) is a Colombian racing driver. He won the International F3000 championship in 1998, the CART FedEx Championship Series in 1999 in his debut year in the series, and the IMSA WeatherTech ...

) for the 1986 24 Hours of Daytona, Londoño eventually dropped out of the race and ended his career in motor racing.

Later life and murder

Upon retirement, he began to sell aircraft, helicopters and boats to recognised drug traffickers and came close to a trafficking ring. It was discovered in November 1998 that one of Londoño's properties contained of cocaine. Despite this setback, in June 1999, he made a brief reappearance in motor racing at a departmental speed motorcycle race in Medellín and won the category for bikes in the range of 1,001 to 2,000cc. In December 2000, the Colombian courts issued a constriction order against Londoño which saw the removal of $10 million worth of vintage cars and property that was acquired illegally through drug trafficking and his links with the Medellín cartel. The operation, named ''Blanco y verde'' ( "white and green"), was conducted in the departments of Antioquia, Córdoba and the Archipelago of San Andrés which saw almost all his property seized. Londoño however avoided spending time in prison. He was staying in his hotel in Cispatá Bay, a nearby seaside resort of San Bernardo del Viento in the Gulf of Morrosquillo where on 18 July 2009 he was murdered along with two consultants of an illicit enterprise. Witnesses reported that six men working in a settlement accounts sponsored by a Colombian drug lord, arose and opened fire. Londoño was shot twelve times including three in his head. He was buried two days later near the parish of St. Mary of the Angels (Parroquia Santa María de los Ángeles) in his hometown of Medellín. The alleged killer, Jasson Erlevis Leudo Chavera, aka "Kevin", a senior member of the criminal gang '' Los Urabeños'' based in San Antero (in the Gulf of Morrosquillo) was arrested in May 2010.

Private life

He was married to Janet Toledo Franco with whom he had four children. Londoño was nicknamed "Cuchilla" which is a rough translation of the word "Razor". In 1980, Carlos Eduardo Uribe made a short film entitled ''Ciento ochenta kilómetros por hora''. The documentary presents the automotive world in Colombia and the country's leading representatives of the era of the sport, Londoño,

Roberto Guerrero Roberto José Guerrero Isaza (born 16 November 1958) is a Colombian-American former race driver. He participated in 29 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 23 January 1982, becoming the first Colombian to start a Formula One Grand Prix. Wi ...

and Pilar Mejía.

Complete Formula One results

( key)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Londono, Ricardo 1949 births 2009 deaths Deaths by firearm in Colombia Colombian racing drivers Colombian Formula One drivers Ensign Formula One drivers British Formula One Championship drivers Colombian murder victims People murdered in Colombia Trans-Am Series drivers Sportspeople from Medellín Alan Docking Racing drivers 20th-century Colombian people