In 1961 Luigi Chinetti ordered today’s Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta Compitizione chassis #3005GT and entered it in the Paris 1000kms race held at Montlhéry for the Mexican brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez to drive.

The results of qualifying are not known however the result was an emphatic win for the Mexican’s by thirty seconds over the 250 GT SWB of Willy Mairesse and Lucien Bianchi, infact the first five cars to finish the race were all 250 GT SWB’s including chassis #2729GT driven by Pierre Dumas and Jo Schlesser which featured last weeks Ferrari Friday blog.

Ricardo Rodriguez was also credited with fastest lap at Montlhéry, having impressed Enzo Ferrari a couple of weeks earlier at Monza with a front row qualifying spot Ricardo was given a works contract for 1962 and continued to impress despite being just 20 years old with a string of good results including a win in the 1962 Targa Florio sports car race where he co drove a Ferrari 246SP with Olivier Gendebien and Willy Mairesse. Tragically Ricardo was killed in practice of the 1962 non Championship Mexican Grand Prix driving a Lotus for Rob Walker after Ferrari had declined to enter the race.

Older brother Pedro was equally talented particularly in the rain and behind the wheel of big sports cars like the Gulf Porsche 917, Pedro won two Grand Prix first in the 1967 South African GP where he drove a Cooper Maserati and the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix where he drove a BRM P153, recording a record average speed for any Grand Prix at the time of 149 mph. Like his brother Ricardo Pedro died at the wheel in 1971 at the Norisring where he drove a Ferrari 512M chassis #1008 that burst into flames after an accident.

Today’s featured car meanwhile was sold to Doug Thiem for the 1962 season and he is known to have driven it in at least 14 further US sports car races winning outright at Erkhart Lake / Road America in September 1962.

#3005 stayed in the US until 1980 when Italian Pietro Brigato acquired the car and entered it into classic events in Italy and Germany. In 2011 Lukas Hueni, acquired the car and can be seen at the wheel in the top photo at the 2011 Goodwood Revival and in the bottom photo at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Thanks for joining me on this “Pedro y Ricardo ” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !