Ricardo Londono Bridge has died

[Bleu]

Tragic news: this reject driver (profiled on the website) was apparently murdered.

Link in Spanish but I read information about this on other forum:
http://caracol.com.co/nota.aspx?id=847292

[Yannick]

This is truly sad news. RIP Ricardo.

May I suggest F1-Rejects to play the song "London Bridge" in his honour as part of the next podcast?

[Kuwashima]

What tragic news. My Spanish is non-existent but it seems like a reputable story. Our condolences.

(Yannick, with the German Edition just posted, your suggestion will be taken on board for the next podcast.)

[shinji]

Google Translator of that article:

Police confirmed the killing of Ricardo "blade" Londoño, one of Colombia's most famous car in the mid-eighties and the first incursion into the country, but without success in Formula One

The crime was executed by assassins on facts which occurred in a public venue of San Bernardo del Viento, on the shores of the department of Cordova, where departía with others.

According to preliminary information, to place armed men arrived and shot him and others that were in place. Initially it was said that the attack had occurred in the hotel Cispatá, which was owned by Londoño, but then said that was in another of San Bernardo del Viento.

These same facts were killed and two others wounded one more. Police officers and marines carried out operations in the Gulf of Morrosquillo, the boundaries between the departments of Sucre and Córdoba, to locate those responsible for these deeds of blood.

The story of "blade" Londoño

Ricardo "blade" London Bridge was a pilot produced Antioquian champion of all categories in rural Colombia and track and one step short of the highest category of motorsport world experience that could not be crystallized because he was not adopted as the license pilot team.

Londono was one of the most talented Colombian pilots of all time, very fast, versatile, ran all kinds of cars and motorcycles, and was well known in the automobile in America, participated in 1980 in the United States championships in IMSA and Can-Am, as well as a test of Formula Aurora in Europe.

It is considered the first pilot in the Colombian Formula One, the list also are part José Roberto Guerrero and more recently Juan Pablo Montoya.

In 1980 when I was 31 years and was considered "old" to enter Formula One, but were well recognized for its qualities as a pilot who knew her, both in Europe and America, giving him an opportunity to try to participate in this class.

In December 2000 a dozen buildings and commercial establishments, valued at more than 20 billion pesos, which included the name of the race car Antioquia, were raided in various parts of the country.

The operation called Green and White, in the departments of Cordoba, Antioquia and San Andres Islands, was developed in compliance with the order issued by the National Prosecutor, for the forfeiture of property.

RIP

[TomWazzleshaw]

Ricardo has gone to join the race around the racetrack of heaven.
RIP

[Popi_Larrauri]

What tragic news. My Spanish is non-existent but it seems like a reputable story. Our condolences.

(Yannick, with the German Edition just posted, your suggestion will be taken on board for the next podcast.)

The report basically states that he was murdered by a group of professional murderers wich opened fire at will against a group of people that were with him in a ( it's not clear but it's seems to be), a hotel.

The whole episode seems to be linked with a previous government operation in Colombia that ended seizing ten or more real state properties of Ricardo all along Colombian territory.

So it's seems that he ended in the middle of something in a country where it's seems not easy to not to be involved in the middle of something.

EIDT: well... but someone trnslated exactly the same moment I posted this... so, better make your own conclusions.

[Jack O Malley]

Very sad... May he rest in peace.

[Nuppiz]

Two motorsport death reports during the same day, despite in very different circumstances...terrible!

RIP

[Frentzen127]

I'm not surprised this news were missed, considering he was never in the spotlight in F1.

Ricardo 'Cuchilla' Londoño-Bridge was murdered last Saturday.
Article in Spanish:
http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/caribe ... 49787.html

A shootout took place in a Motel he owned. 2 other people were killed and 4 more were injured.

I'll try to dig up any information available.

A sad week for motor sports as a whole I suppose...

[tristan1117]

RIP

[eytl]

I just stumbled on this article:

http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft21659.html

Worth a read.

[f1-gast]

I just saw this message it's a kind of a rejected f1 driver.
Well he was the first f1 driver from Colombia here the news.

Former Formula One driver Ricardo Londoño was assassinated in the the north of Colombia Saturday. Assassins opened fire at Londoño and his company, killing the racer and two others.

According to Caracol Radio, hitmen entered the Caribbean spa where the Medellin-born racer was and opened fire at everyone present. Caracol reported three deaths and one injured. Newspaper El Tiempo three injured.

According to El Tiempo, the assassination took place in a spa, where the driver had only just arrived. Men on motorcycles then came and shot Londoño and those who were with him.

Police opened an investigation and, together with the Navy, are trying to find the assassins.

'The Spoon' was the first Colombian to enter the Formula one in 1981. He is considered one of Colomba's most talented drivers ever, even though he never really performed it in the Formula One; he was denied the test drive.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-new ... nated.html

[Nuppiz]

Yes, it's very unfortunate.

But, you didn't seem to notice that this is old news?

[f1-gast]

i saw it was from 2009 but i never reached this said news over here

[ADx_Wales]

Its still a rememberance in a way.

There should be a Londono-Bridge day on the forum.

[Faustus]

We had a thread on this last year:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=326&p=11193&hilit=londono#p11193

Nice photo of his Lotus 78, thanks for that. I've been looking for a decent photo so I can build a model of it.

[CarlosFerreira]

Yeah, it was tragic back in the day, and a bit old news by now. I am merging the thread, OK?

And, for the record, "Cuchillo" means knife, not spoon - that's cuchara.

[f1-gast]

We had a thread on this last year:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=326&p=11193&hilit=londono#p11193

Nice photo of his Lotus 78, thanks for that. I've been looking for a decent photo so I can build a model of it.

If you made it can you make pics of it =) ?

[Faustus]

We had a thread on this last year:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=326&p=11193&hilit=londono#p11193

Nice photo of his Lotus 78, thanks for that. I've been looking for a decent photo so I can build a model of it.

If you made it can you make pics of it =) ?

Sure. It's on my long and ever-growing list of models to build. I got a set of decals for it, pretty nice looking ones, but they're not made by a professional and I now need another kit for it because I traded my spare Tameo Lotus 78 kit to a mate so he could do Hector Rebaque's car from 1978.

[UncreativeUsername37]

I think this is ok about F1 rejection,But anyway its so unfortunate to hear about London Bridge.

spambot detected

[RonDenisDeletraz]

Another spammer without links

[beacon44]

So tragic news. Even I never before hear about this.. Seems to be old news I thought.

[Londoner]

So tragic news. Even I never before hear about this.. Seems to be old news I thought.

Spambots seem to have a thing for Ricardo Londono Bridge. What on earth did he get up to when he was alive?

[RonDenisDeletraz]

I remember there were unconfirmed rumours that he was practically funded by Colombian drug cartels...

[FullMetalJack]

So tragic news. Even I never before hear about this.. Seems to be old news I thought.

Spambots seem to have a thing for Ricardo Londono Bridge. What on earth did he get up to when he was alive?

Maybe he was a shoe salesman before his F1 career