Roberto Guerrero

Open wheel racing

Roberto Guerrero got his start in British Formula Ford 1600 in 1978, winning eight races that season. He then moved up to the Vandervell British Formula 3 series, driving an Argo JM3-Toyota for Angila Cars, where he placed ninth in the championship with fifteen points. Guerrero returned to British Formula 3 in 1980 with Argo Racing Cars, this time in an Argo JM6-Toyota. He took five wins that year, with two at Thruxton Circuit and one each at Cadwell Park, Brands Hatch, and Oulton Park.

That performance tied him for second in the standings with Kenneth Acheson, both drivers finishing on 95 points. While racing in British Formula 3, Guerrero also competed in the European Formula Three championship, again driving for Angila Cars in an Argo JM3-Toyota. He scored just two points, ending the season in 25th place. Shifting to European Formula Two, Guerrero joined Maurer Motorsport, piloting a Maurer MM81-BMW.

He won the Jochen Rindt Memorial Trophy at Thruxton Circuit, and his next best results were a pair of fourth-place finishes at the Gran Premio del Mediterraneo in Enna-Pergusa and the Gran Premio dell'Adriatico at Misano Circuit. He finished seventh in the championship with 16 points. Guerrero made his Formula One debut in 1982 with Ensign Racing. He entered the season-opening South African Grand Prix driving a No. 14 Café de Colombia/Moda Caribu Ensign N180B-Ford Cosworth DFV, but failed to qualify.

This was because his Formula Two team, Maurer Motorsport, and its boss Willy Maurer filed an injunction against Ensign team boss Morris Nunn, leading to Guerrero being withdrawn from the race. Nunn issued a press report stating Guerrero was "in an inappropriate physical and mental condition to drive." Guerrero returned for the Brazilian Grand Prix in a new Ensign N181 but again failed to qualify. He did qualify for the United States Grand Prix West, starting 19th and finishing 15th after crashing 27 laps in.

Ensign skipped the San Marino Grand Prix due to the FISA–FOCA conflict, and Guerrero then failed to qualify for the Belgian Grand Prix. At the Monaco Grand Prix, Ensign's tire supplier Avon pulled out of Formula One, leaving the team without tires; they managed to get older ones, but Guerrero still failed to qualify. After Monaco, Michelin began supplying tires, and Guerrero qualified for the Detroit Grand Prix, starting from 11th place.

Stock car racing

In 1988, Roberto Guerrero was picked for the IROC XII series to stand for the CART/PPG World Series, joining Al Unser Jr., Al Unser Sr., and Bobby Rahal, thanks to how he drove in 1987. Every driver, including Guerrero, used the same Chevrolet Camaro. He could not race in the first event at Daytona International Speedway because of injuries from a test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the year before. For the second and third races, at Riverside International Raceway and Michigan International Speedway, Guerrero started from the pole.

At Riverside, he crashed after ten laps and placed eleventh. At Michigan, he led four laps but finished tenth. In the final race at Watkins Glen International, he began twelfth and ended eleventh, ten laps behind the winner. Guerrero ended the season in last place, twelfth overall, with nineteen points and a paycheck of $30,400.

Later, he tried to race in the NASCAR Busch Series. In 2000, he attempted the Carquest Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the Hispanic Racing Team, driving the No. 72 HRT Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo, but did not qualify. After his Indy car career ended, he tried again in 2002 for the same team, this time in the No. 09 Ciclon Energy Drink Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the Aaron's 312 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but again failed to make the field.

Did You Know?

• In 1992, after qualifying on the pole for the Indianapolis 500, Guerrero spun off on the pace lap.
• Guerrero was in a coma for 17 days after a massive accident in 1987.
• He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1989.