Always looking for the unusual ride, Ronda started in Stock, driving Hudsons and Buicks, early in the 1950s, in Southern California. He switched to a Corvette, like other racers, but was disappointed by the lack of variety from his competition, which also mainly drove Chevrolets. Instead, he picked a / 1960 Ford Starliner. He joined forces with engine builder Les Ritchey. He moved up to Super Stock, where his 1962 Ford Galaxie, with a tri-power, was a match for the, Impalas. At first, he was based at George Newtell's Downtown Fordcar dealership in Los Angeles, where Ronda was a salesman. He changed over to a Galaxie in 1963, but, though it was "one of the quickest and fastest" in the U.S., it was overweight compared to its competition. To be able to more easily collaborate with Ritchey, Ronda moved to Covina midway through 1964, taking a job with Russ Davis Ford. Because Ford had sold more than the fifty required to homolgate the 427 Fairlanes, they were eligible for Super Stock, rather than F/X. Ronda got one, which he had repainted "bright poppy red", like the Mustang. Ronda faced Butch Leal's Thunderbolt in the final of the 1964 Winternationals, and won, recording a pass of 11.78 seconds at. He also took A/FX Mustang, Ronda graduated to Funny Car, driving a Russ Davis Ford-sponsored C/FD Ford Mustang. This car turned "record-breaking" E.T.'s in the eights, on the way to Ronda's win at the 1967 March Meet in Bakersfield, California, that year. Ronda made a brief return to Super Stock in 1968, when Ford introduced the 428 Cobra Jet Mustang, at the Winternats. In 1967, he got a new tube-frame Mustang, again owned by Davis, prepared by Holman Moody; Ronda painted it "poppy red", also. With a stock body, tilt front end, and working doors, it ran a best of 7.90 seconds at, after Ronda added a supercharger toward year's end. This was replaced by Ronda's last, and quickest, car, a Logghe Bros.-chassised Mustang Mach 1, in 1969. The Mach I gave him a win at OCIR's Manufacturers Championships that year, defeating the Chi-Town Hustler in the final round. He won the same event several more times. It was in this car Ronda suffered a career-ending fire, when his engine exploded at the AHRA Winter Nationals at Beeline Dragway in Scottsdale, Arizona, on 25 January 1970. Transmission fluid burned through the car's firewall, severely burning his lower body. It was as a direct result of that accident, that onboard fire extinguisher systems were made mandatory for all funny cars.
It took Ronda close to a year to recover, and he had undergo a number of plastic surgeries to reconstruct damaged areas. The injury provoked him to promise his father, who had never approved of him racing, he would quit. Ronda had a reputation for "being a tough racer but also a true gentleman racer".
After retirement
Ronda took a radically different tack after retiring from drag racing. Four years later, he opened the Funny Car Tavern, located in Azusa, California. In time, he moved to West Covina, establishing a nightclub called Ronda's Gas House, with three bars and two dance floors, right on Interstate 10 east of Azusa Ave. Over the following eighteen years, it kept Ronda so busy, he could not even attend races. Only in the 1990s did he have time to begin becoming involved again, at events like the NHRA Motorsports Museum Hot Rod Reunions, or the 2016 Winternats, where one of his early Funny Cars was on display by NHRA, celebrating 50 years of the class.
Off track
Ronda became a fan favorite among funny car drivers on the U.S. West Coast. When he started racing, Ronda's day job was as a dance instructor. Ronda made it a point to be well-dressed, even in the pits, which made him stand out. In 2014, Ronda suffered a stroke. In 2016, Ronda was made a member of the InternationalDrag RacingHall of Fame. Ronda died of cancer on 25 October 2017. He was 91. Ronda was married to his wife Nina, and had two sons, Gaspar "Gas", Jr., and John, and a daughter, Tyline.
