Gonzalo Rodriguez Fatal Crash

Gonzalo Rodríguez died on Saturday, 11 September 1999, during qualifying session for the Honda Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca, 17th round of the 1999 CART Championship. He failed to brake before the notorious double plunging Corkscrew corner, his car went off the track at full speed, bounced over the short gravel trap and crashed into a concrete barrier which was lined by only a small layer of tyres. The car cartwheeled over the barrier and landed upside down on the other side of the wall, Gonzalo Rodríguez was killed instantly by a basilar skull fracture caused by the impact with the wall. He was transferred to the Community Hospital of Monterey, where doctors Robert Keaney and Steve Olvey verified his death. The practice session was immediately suspended. The cause of the crash remained unknown, whether it was a mechanical failure or a driver error.