Moisés Solana Arciniega (December 26, 1935 – July 27, 1969) was a Mexican
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
. He participated in eight
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 ...
World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on October 27, 1963, and scoring no championship points. He also participated in one non-Championship Formula One race. He also took part in
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 r ...
in with
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar, and sports car racing. Mo ...
at the
Jarama Circuit
The Circuito del Jarama (Circuit of Jarama), formerly known as ''Circuito Permanente del Jarama'' (Permanent circuit of Jarama) is a motorsport racetrack located in San Sebastián de los Reyes, 20 miles (32 km) north of Madrid. It was home to th ...
near
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. His first racing events were in a 1954 special (the "
Solana Sports"), built by Javiér Solana.
Solana was also a proficient
Jai alai
Jai alai (: ) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker ''cesta''. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term ''jai alai'', coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also o ...
player and his racing career was partly funded by this.
In 1968, Solana tested a Formula Two car for
Ferrari. He also drove for
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lol ...
and
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...
in the
USRRC/
Can-Am
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987.
History
Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two races in Canada (''Can'') and four races in the United ...
series between 1966 and 1968, and in March 1968 he won the first point-scoring race of the USRRC Group 7 series in the first international race in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...
. He still holds all the records in the Mexican road race categories and those at the Mexican
Magdalena Mixhuca circuit.
He was the only driver in the history of the Formula One World Championship to start a race in a number 13 car (
Divina Galica
Divina Mary Galica MBE (last name pronounced "Galitsa") (born 13 August 1944) is a British sportswoman. She competed in four Winter Olympics as a skier, captaining the British Women's Olympic Ski Team in 1968 and 1972. She also pursued a ca ...
, in the
1976 British Grand Prix
The 1976 British Grand Prix (formally the John Player Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 18 July 1976 at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, England, United Kingdom. The 76-lap race was the ninth round of the 1976 Formula One se ...
, also attempted a race with the number, but failed to qualify), something he did for
BRM on his Formula One debut in the
1963 Mexican Grand Prix
The 1963 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Ciudad Deportiva Magdalena Mixhuca in Mexico City on October 27, 1963. It was race 9 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formu ...
until
Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta (; born 9 March 1985) is a Venezuelan professional racing driver, who competed in Formula One for the Williams (2011–2013) and Lotus (2014–2015) teams and as a Pirelli test driver until 2017. Before entering Fo ...
adopted 13 as his permanent number in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. Solana was a classified finisher in 11th despite his engine having failed eight laps short of the chequered flag.
On July 27, 1969, Solana was killed in the ''
Hillclimb Valle de Bravo-Bosencheve'' in Mexico, in a fatal accident after his
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...
went wide in a bend and hit a concrete trimming on the edge of the road, overturning the car which landed on top of him and caught fire. The Solana family is still very active in motor racing and
has manufactured handmade sports cars on a mostly one-off basis.
The first chicane at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City (Turns 1-3) are known as the ''Ese Moisés Solana'' ("the Moises Solana Esses").
Complete Formula One World Championship results
( key)
References
External links
Moisés Solana biography
on Solana family official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solana, Moises
1935 births
1969 deaths
Mexican racing drivers
Mexican Formula One drivers
European Formula Two Championship drivers
Racing drivers who died while racing
Scuderia Centro Sud Formula One drivers
Team Lotus Formula One drivers
Cooper Formula One drivers
World Sportscar Championship drivers
Sport deaths in Mexico
Carrera Panamericana drivers