Cristiano da Matta

Cristiano Monteiro da Matta (born 19 September 1973) is a Brazilian former professional racing driver. He won the CART Championship in 2002, and drove in Formula One with the Toyota team from 2003 to 2004.

Cristiano da Matta
Nationality Brazilian
Born (1973-09-19) 19 September 1973
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Achievements2002 CART FedEx Championship Series Champion
Champ Car career
101 races run over 6 years
Years active1999–2002, 2005–2006
Team(s)Arciero-Wells
PPI Motorsports
Newman-Haas
PKV Racing
Dale Coyne Racing
RuSPORT
Best finish1st - 2002
First race1999 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami (Homestead)
Last race2006 Grand Prix of San Jose (Streets of San Jose)
First win2000 Target Grand Prix of Chicago (Chicagoland)
Last win2005 Grand Prix of Portland (Portland Raceway)
Wins Podiums Poles
12 20 7
Formula One World Championship career
Active years2003–2004
TeamsToyota
Entries28
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points13
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry2003 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry2004 German Grand Prix

Career biography

Origins and early career
Da Matta driving for West Surrey Racing at Silverstone during the 1995 British Formula 3 Championship season.

Da Matta's father was Toninho da Matta, a 14-time Brazilian touring car champion. Born in Belo Horizonte, Cristiano da Matta began karting at the age of 16, adopting a helmet design nearly identical to his famous father's helmet. He quickly rose to the top by winning numerous karting championships before winning the 1993 Brazilian Formula Ford championship. In 1994, he continued his successful ways, winning the Formula Three Sudamericana championship. In 1995, da Matta participated in the British Formula 3 series, winning one race and placing eighth in the standings. He then placed 8th in the following year's Formula 3000 championship, with a best finish of 4th at Pau.

North American racing

1997 saw da Matta move to the United States for the Indy Lights racing series, in which he won Rookie of the Year honors. The next year (1998), he won the championship by winning 7 races and securing 4 pole positions. In 1999, da Matta raced in the CART series for Team Arciero Wells, which were running Toyota engines; da Matta drove a Toyota-powered car from then until 2004. His first win came in 2000, and despite some sponsor opposition he joined the front-running Newman/Haas Racing team for 2001. He won the CART drivers' championship in 2002 under Toyota power with the Newman/Haas Racing team, dominating the year with 7 race wins and 7 poles.

Formula One
Da Matta driving for the Toyota team at the 2004 United States Grand Prix.
Cristiano da Matta in 2004.

Da Matta completed his move up the racing ladder in 2003, reaching the pinnacle of motor sport with the Toyota Formula One team. He scored 10 championship points that year, four more than seasoned veteran and teammate Olivier Panis, and soon made a name for himself in Formula One when he spent much of the first half of the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix hounding reigning World Champion Michael Schumacher in the monsoon-hit race before ultimately finishing tenth. He led the 2003 British Grand Prix for seventeen laps after the race was disrupted by a protester who invaded the track and triggered the deployment of the Safety Car. This caused most of the front-running cars to make unscheduled pit stops leaving Da Matta in the lead, ultimately finishing seventh for one of four points-scoring finishes in his debut season. His fortunes took a downturn in 2004, however. Having scored only 3 championship points, da Matta lost his race seat to Ricardo Zonta after the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. This was not only due to performance issues, but also due to Da Matta openly making statements about how uncompetitive the Toyota was.

Return to USA

In 2005, da Matta moved back to the Champ Car World Series, to race for the PKV Racing team. That season he won the race at Portland, and finished 11th overall in the standings. For the 2006 Champ Car season, he switched to the Dale Coyne Racing to drive the No.19 Ford Lola, until 9 June 2006, when he switched teams again, to take over A. J. Allmendinger's seat at RuSPORT.[1] Second place at San Jose left him 6th overall in the series.

Collision with deer during test

On 3 August 2006, da Matta's car was involved in a collision with a deer that ran in front of him as he headed towards turn 6 during Champ Car open testing at Road America. He hit the deer with his right front tire, the deer then flew back and hit da Matta in the cockpit.[2] It is believed when the deer hit da Matta in the cockpit, he was knocked unconscious. He remained unconscious with his foot still on the throttle when the safety crew arrived and extricated da Matta from the car.[3] Da Matta was then airlifted to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wisconsin, where he underwent surgery to remove a subdural hematoma.[4] Following the surgery, da Matta was placed in an induced coma, to allow for the swelling to subside.[5] As of 7 August, da Matta was making "slow but steady progress", while the doctors were working on reducing da Matta's level of sedation.[6] This slow recovery was confirmed on 9 August, as it was reported that da Matta was able to move "all of his extremities spontaneously as well as in response to physical stimulation".[7] On 20 August, da Matta was transferred out of intensive care.[8] On 30 August, da Matta was confirmed to have made steady progress, conversing in English and Portuguese, and walking short distances.[9] On 21 September 2006, da Matta was allowed to leave the hospital after having recovered better than expected.[10]

When the Champ Car World Series returned to race in the Grand Prix of Road America on 24 September, da Matta gave the traditional command - "start your engines". Throughout the next couple of years, he engaged in a training and therapy regime while deciding his racing future.[11]

Comeback

On 20 March 2008, da Matta climbed back into a race car for the first time since his accident, completing a two-day test in a Riley Daytona Prototype prepared by reigning Rolex Sports Car Series champions GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing. He found speed right away, and team owner Bob Stallings said "the comeback has begun."[12] da Matta said, "After the test, I realized I still know how to do this", "The biggest thing I felt was just a sense of relief. For me, it was a big, big relief, bigger than big".[13] da Matta paired with former Champ Car champion, Jimmy Vasser, to enter the Rolex Series racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2008.[14] after a solid race, the pair were classified in 32nd position.

Brazilian Championship Formula Truck

In December 2009, da Matta tested a Fórmula Truck vehicle owned by Iveco,[15] and in January 2010 confirmed that he would run the 2010 Fórmula Truck season for the team.[16]

American Le Mans Series

In 2011 da Matta signed for Rocketsports Racing to race in the American Le Mans Series. He scored 6 points at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.[17]

Post-racing career

Da Matta is no longer racing and is involved in the financial and logistical side of the family Da Matta Design clothing business.[18]

Racing career

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DC Points
1996 Pacific Racing NÜR
9		 PAU
4		 PER
5		 HOC
Ret		 SIL
Ret		 SPA
10		 MAG
5		 EST
7		 MUG
Ret		 HOC
Ret		 9th 7

Complete Indy Lights results

(key)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Points
1997 Brian Stewart Racing MIA
21		 LBH
2		 NAZ
1		 SAV
21		 STL
2		 MIL
4		 DET
26		 POR
5		 TOR
18		 TRO
4		 VAN
1		 LS
1		 FON
4		 3rd 141
1998 Tasman Motorsports MIA
2		 LBH
1		 NAZ
1		 STL
3		 MIL
10		 DET
2		 POR
20		 CLE
22		 TOR
15		 MIS
2		 TRO
1		 VAN
1		 LS
22		 FON
11		 1st 154

Complete CART/Champ Car results

(key)

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Rank Points
1999 Arciero-Wells Racing Reynard 99i Toyota RV8D MIA
14		 MOT
25		 LBH
20		 NAZ
4		 RIO
21		 GAT
17		 MIL
11		 POR
11		 CLE
20		 ROA
21		 TOR
24		 MIC
17		 DET
19		 MDO
9		 CHI
14		 VAN
5		 LS
22		 HOU
11		 SRF
13		 FON
23		 18th 32
2000 PPI Motorsports Reynard 2Ki Toyota RV8E MIA
12		 LBH
25		 RIO
4		 MOT
4		 NAZ
13		 MIL
14		 DET
23		 POR
5		 CLE
3		 TOR
4*		 MIC
17		 CHI
1		 MDO
17		 ROA
13		 VAN
7		 LS
15		 GAT
4		 HOU
14		 SRF
4		 FON
25		 10th 112
2001 Newman/Haas Racing Lola B01/00 Toyota RV8F MTY
1*		 LBH
2		 TEX
C		 NAZ
10		 MOT
25		 MIL
25		 DET
7		 POR
10		 CLE
7		 TOR
15		 MIC
4		 CHI
19		 MDO
10		 ROA
6		 VAN
20		 LAU
26		 ROC
3		 HOU
6		 LS
20		 SRF
1		 FON
1		 5th 140
2002 Newman/Haas Racing Lola B02/00 Toyota RV8F MTY
1*		 LBH
8		 MOT
13		 MIL
11		 LS
1*		 POR
1*		 CHI
1*		 TOR
1*		 CLE
16		 VAN
12		 MDO
13		 ROA
1		 MTL
2		 DEN
3		 ROC
2		 MIA
1*		 SRF
8*		 FON
11		 MXC
2		 1st 237
2005 PKV Racing Lola B02/00 Ford XFE LBH
10		 MTY
6		 MIL
11		 POR
1*		 CLE
16		 TOR
17		 EDM
17		 SJO
10		 DEN
18		 MTL
6		 LAS
12		 SRF
19		 MXC
14		 11th 139
2006 Dale Coyne Racing Lola B02/00 Ford XFE LBH
5		 HOU
9		 MTY
9		 MIL
13		 13th 134
RuSPORT POR
5		 CLE
14		 TOR
5		 EDM
18		 SJO
2		 DEN MTL ROA SRF MXC

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 WDC Pts.
2003 Panasonic Toyota Racing Toyota TF103 Toyota RVX-03 3.0 V10 AUS
Ret		 MAL
11		 BRA
10		 SMR
12		 ESP
6		 AUT
10		 MON
9		 CAN
11†		 EUR
Ret		 FRA
11		 GBR
7		 GER
6		 HUN
11		 ITA
Ret		 USA
9		 JPN
7		 13th 10
2004 Panasonic Toyota Racing Toyota TF104 Toyota RVX-04 3.0 V10 AUS
12		 MAL
9		 BHR
10		 SMR
Ret		 ESP
13		 MON
6		 EUR
Ret		 CAN
DSQ		 USA
Ret		 FRA
14		 GBR
13		 GER
Ret		 HUN BEL ITA CHN JPN BRA 17th 3

† Did not finish the race, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Complete American Le Mans Series results
Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine Tyres 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rank Points
2011 Jaguar RSR GT Jaguar XKR GT2 Jaguar 5.0 L V8 D SEB
ovr:Ret
cls:Ret		 LNB
ovr:12
cls:6		 LIM
ovr:Ret
cls:Ret		 MOS MID AME BAL MON PET 26th 6
gollark: I have an impressive zero-times-stabbed record.
gollark: Okay, I was able to use memetic glyphs on my laptop to make it think it has an internet connection.
gollark: Probably? I've never met any.
gollark: I suppose the cities might be okay.
gollark: You do NOT want to end up with less than 20Mbps.

References
  1. "RUSPORT ANNOUNCES DRIVER CHANGE". Champ Car World Series. 9 June 2006. Archived from the original on 11 October 2006. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  2. "UPDATE: Da Matta In Critical Condition". Speed Channel. 3 August 2006. Archived from the original on 15 August 2006. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  3. "Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Cristiano da Matta Still in Critical Condition", PaddockTalk, 4 August 2006. Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Update on Condition of RuSPORT Driver Cristiano da Matta" Archived 7 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, RuSPORT, 3 August 2006.
  5. "Update on Condition of Champ Car Driver Cristiano da Matta", RuSPORT, 5 August 2006.
  6. "Cristiano da Matta's Condition Continues to Improve", RuSPORT, 7 August 2006.
  7. "Cristiano Da Matta Making Steady Progress", RuSPORT, 9 August 2006.
  8. "Christiano Da Matta Transferred out of Intensive Care", RuSPORT, 20 August 2006.
  9. "More Progress for Cristiano da Matta", RuSPORT, 30 August 2006.
  10. "Da Matta leaves hospital", F1technical, 21 September 2006.
  11. "Da Matta yet to decide on his future". Grandprix.com. 1 December 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2006.
  12. "Motorsport.com: News channel". 12 April 2008. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  13. "Comeback continues for de Matta". The Indianapolis Star. 26 March 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. da Matta Returns to Track in GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Test, Grand-Am, 25 March 2008.
  15. "FÓRMULA TRUCK: Cristiano da Matta testa F-Truck em Brasília (15/12/2009)". www.gpnews.com. 15 December 2009. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
  16. "Cristiano da Matta disputará temporada da Fórmula Truck - Esportes". Estadão.
  17. "2011 American Le Mans Series Presented By Tequila Patron Championship Points Standings" (PDF). www.americanlemans.com/. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2011.
  18. Brown, Allen. "Cristiano da Matta". oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Gil de Ferran		 CART Series Champion
2002		 Succeeded by
Paul Tracy
Preceded by
Tony Kanaan		 Indy Lights Champion
1998		 Succeeded by
Oriol Servià
Preceded by
Fernando Croceri		 Brazilian Formula Three Champion
1994		 Succeeded by
Ricardo Zonta
Preceded by
Colin Edwards
Jeff Gordon
Jimmie Johnson		 Race of Champions
Nations' Cup
2003 with:
Fonsi Nieto
Gilles Panizzi		 Succeeded by
Jean Alesi
Sébastien Loeb
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