In F1 with the money of drug dealers

The Formula 1 It is full of curious and surprising stories. And without a doubt, one of the most notable is the ‘Blade’.

In the first race of the F1 World Championship in 1981, in Long Beach (United States), the average team Ensignestablished by the engineer Morris ‘Mo’ Nunnhad Marc Surer at the wheel of his only single-seater. Surer has hands, but no wallet, and the team is suffering major financial problems, so an immediate need is to find a driver with a sufficient checking account to continue competing.

Back then, something was moving behind the scenes, but it wasn’t known until the second race. We define 1981 F1 Brazilian GP. The then boss of the ‘Great Circus’, Bernie Ecclestonewas surprised to see that the team Ensign showed up for the appointment. They all believed they were broke and couldn’t afford the trip. But there they are. How did they do it? The answer is in the pilot.

A pilot with money

Ensign appeared in Brazil with a new man at the helm, a Colombian pilot named Ricardo Londoño, nicknamed ‘Cuchilla’ in his country for his intelligence on the railways in any vehicle. He competed thanks to the money that supported him from his country, which can be seen in the sole sponsor of that car: Colombia.

Ricardo rode in Colombia on motorcycles and cars and quickly made a big name for himself there. He tried his luck in IMSA in 1979, 7th in the 24 hours of Daytona in 1980, participated in CAN-AM and in Europe he competed in the Aurora F1 Championship. But his good opportunity came in Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro.

He did not debut in the United States because he was not granted a super license. But in Brazil, as it was the first time that Jacarepaguá hosted an F1 event, the FIA ​​gave all the drivers another previous practice session to familiarize themselves with the track. That session should serve ‘Blade’ to show the FIA ​​that he is capable enough to compete in that Grand Prix. This is a test. His participation in the 1981 Brazilian GP was at stake.

A fantastic debut, but…

The most surprising thing is that this person is not just a paid pilot. it is fast and he showed it from the beginning, beating proven pilots. Maybe some don’t feel good that a ‘rookie’ wants to show up so early. An example of this could be the action of Keke Rossberg, who hit the brakes (‘break test’) against Ricardo. If I had more boards and kilometers in a Formula 1, maybe I could have avoided it. But Ricardo ends up crashing into the back of a legend’s car Emerson Fittipaldiat his home GP.

That action was enough for the FIA ​​to deny him a Super License and prevent him from competing in that Grand Prix. Perhaps because then Bernie Ecclestone understood the source of the money that brought the ‘Blade’ to F1. I discovered the cake. that weekend, Sure he returned to the track and put in a spectacular performance, finishing fourth in heavy rain. For his part, Ricardo returned to Europe.

my discovery Bernie says ‘Cuchilla’ is a man associated with the dangerous and fearsome Medellin cartelwhose boss Pablo Escobar. It is said that he is its treasurer. Ecclestone had in the accident caused by Keke the perfect excuse to avoid F1 being involved in a major scandal due to the presence of a pilot with the support of one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world and a pioneer in cocaine trafficking.

bad ending

Londoño’s story will end badly. On July 18, 2009, “Cuchilla” was killed along with two companions at a Caribbean resort in the country. Apparently, Ricardo was enjoying a meal with his family and friends at a restaurant overlooking the sea, when as he prepared to leave, a group of armed men began firing at the pilot, hitting 12 bullets, three of them in the head. According to the local newspaper, the Police indicated that the killing was part of the settlement of scores for drug trafficking. At the age of 60, the short-lived former F1 was killed by drug traffickers