The Rodriguez Brothers
By Carlos Eduardo Jalife-Villalón
In the early 1950s, two young Mexican brothers, Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez began racing motorcycles. Their father, Don Pedro, was a reasonably affluent entrepreneur who badly wanted his young sons to carve a name for themselves in motor sport. While still teenagers, the brothers quickly began racing cars in Mexico and, after winning a wide variety of events and classes, soon made a few forays into sports car racing north of the border—despite not being old enough to hold drivers’ licenses!
What unfolded for the baby-faced duo over the next decade was nothing short of a meteoric rise to international acclaim. At the wheel of Porsche 550 Spyders, the youngsters soon were winning major races like the Bahama Speed Week, and were showing their Spyders’ tails to some very significant and famous drivers. These early international victories soon led to better drives, with top teams like Ferrari, and eventually led to both brothers making their way into Formula One. Tragically, younger brother Ricardo would soon lose his life driving a Ferrari in the 1962 Mexican Grand Prix, while older brother Pedro would eventually lose his life at the wheel of a Ferrari 512M at the Norisring in 1971.
In The Rodriguez Brothers, Carlos Eduardo Jalife-Villalón has amassed an exceptionally detailed history of the brothers’ short but eventful lives. At over 600 pages, with more than 4,000 rare photos chronicling their lives, both on and off the track, this epic tome is a remarkable look into these Mexican legends. If there could be any disappointment, it is only that the author doesn’t delve very deeply into the family dynamics that spurred these young men to take so many risks to please their father. With that said, this book stands as one of the most detailed motor sport biographies of all time, and will be a must have for any fan of the Rodriguez brothers, Ferrari, or racing in the ’50s and ’60s.
Available for US$149.95 at www.bullpublishing.com or by phone at (800) 831-1758.
