Having secured both the Victorian and NSW titles to start the year, the young gun had his eyes firmly set on taking home the national title at Wangaratta Speedway, but ultimately, it wasn’t to be.
Rodriguez won his first two heats and placed fourth in his third heat, positioning him as second on the grid for the final with three-time Australian champion Justin Paull in pole position.
Despite leading for a good portion of the 30-lap title race, Rodriguez stumbled at the final hurdle, blowing his right tyre and spinning out on the last corner with Paull passing him to snag the championship.
While there is sure to be heartbreak for the young driver, he did tally the fastest lap for the race, recording 15.863 seconds, and he and Paull were the only drivers to record laps under 16 seconds.
Rodriguez also won the best presented car and crew award on the day.
For a 16-year-old in his first full season of open compact speedcar racing, Rodriguez has a lot to be proud of and is now the number two ranked compact speedcar driver in Australia.
On Saturday, March 22, Rodriguez switched gears and competed in the 79th Victorian Speedcar Championship at Heytesbury Stockfeeds Simpson Speedway, which was just his second race in a speedcar, as opposed to a compact.
The event was a learning curve for Rodriguez, as he managed to secure fourth in the pole shuffle after two solid heat performances but did not start in the final due to an engine issue.
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