Cristiano da Matta

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Portuguese name Template:Infobox Champ Car driver 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.

Biography

Origins and early career

File:Cristiano da Matta British F3 1995 Silverstone.jpg

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 Brazilian Formula 3 championship against the likes of Hélio Castroneves and Ricardo Zonta. In 1995, da Matta participated in the British Formula 3 series, winning one race and placing eighth in the standings. He then placed eighth in the following year's Formula 3000 championship, with a best finish of fourth 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 seven races and securing four 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 seven race wins and seven poles.

Formula One

File:Damatta usgp 2004 track.jpg

Da Matta driving for the Toyota team at the 2004 United States Grand Prix.

File:Damatta usgp 2004 stage.jpg

Cristiano da Matta in 2004.

Da Matta completed a move to Formula One in 2003, 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 three 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>"Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Cristiano da Matta Still in Critical Condition", PaddockTalk, 4 August 2006. Template:Webarchive</ref> Da Matta was then airlifted to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wisconsin, where he underwent surgery to remove a subdural hematoma.<ref>"Update on Condition of RuSPORT Driver Cristiano da Matta" Template:Webarchive, RuSPORT, 3 August 2006.</ref> Following the surgery, da Matta was placed in an induced coma, to allow for the swelling to subside.<ref>"Update on Condition of Champ Car Driver Cristiano da Matta" Template:Webarchive, RuSPORT, 5 August 2006.</ref> 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.<ref>"Cristiano da Matta's Condition Continues to Improve" Template:Webarchive, RuSPORT, 7 August 2006.</ref> 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".<ref>"Cristiano Da Matta Making Steady Progress" Template:Webarchive, RuSPORT, 9 August 2006.</ref> On 20 August, da Matta was transferred out of intensive care.<ref>"Christiano Da Matta Transferred out of Intensive Care" Template:Webarchive, RuSPORT, 20 August 2006.</ref> On 30 August, da Matta was confirmed to have made steady progress, conversing in English and Portuguese, and walking short distances.<ref>"More Progress for Cristiano da Matta" Template:Webarchive, RuSPORT, 30 August 2006.</ref> On 21 September 2006, da Matta was allowed to leave the hospital after having recovered better than expected.<ref>"Da Matta leaves hospital", F1technical, 21 September 2006.</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> da Matta paired with former Champ Car champion, Jimmy Vasser, to enter the Rolex Series racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2008.<ref name=comeback>da Matta Returns to Track in GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing TestTemplate:Dead link, Grand-Am, 25 March 2008.</ref> 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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in January 2010 confirmed that he would run the 2010 Fórmula Truck season for the team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

American Le Mans Series

In 2011 da Matta signed for Rocketsports Racing to race in the American Le Mans Series. He scored six points at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Film and media

Da Matta and his 1999 car appear in the movie Driven, starring Sylvester Stallone.

Da Matta is a playable character in the video games Formula One 2003 and Formula One 04.

In 2017, a documentary was released about his and his father's lives in motorsport, entitled "Família Gasolina" (Gasoline Family). It is available for free on YouTube.

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Racing career

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
1993	Brazilian Formula Ford Championship	?	?	4	4	?	?	?	1st
1994	Formula 3 Sudamericana	?	?	4	7	?	?	?	1st
1995	British Formula Three Championship	West Surrey Racing	18	1	0	1	3	81	8th
1996	International Formula 3000 Championship	Pacific Racing	10	0	0	0	0	7	9th
1997	Indy Lights	Brian Stewart Racing	13	3	1	4	5	141	3rd
1998	Indy Lights	Tasman Motorsports	14	4	3	4	8	154	1st
1999	CART FedEx Championship Series	Arciero-Wells Racing	20	0	0	0	0	32	18th
2000	CART FedEx Championship Series	PPI Motorsports	20	1	0	0	2	112	10th
2001	CART FedEx Championship Series	Newman/Haas Racing	20	3	0	0	5	140	5th
2002	CART FedEx Championship Series	Newman/Haas Racing	19	7	7	6	11	237	1st
2003	Formula One	Panasonic Toyota Racing	16	0	0	0	0	10	13th
2004	Formula One	Panasonic Toyota Racing	12	0	0	0	0	3	17th
2005	Champ Car World Series	PKV Racing	13	1	0	0	1	139	11th
2006	Champ Car World Series	Dale Coyne Racing	4	0	0	0	0	134	13th
		RuSPORT	5	0	0	0	1
2008	Rolex Sports Car Series	AIM Autosport	2	0	0	0	0	41	45th
2010	Fórmula Truck	Scuderia Iveco	10	0	0	0	0	13	23rd
2011	American Le Mans Series	Jaguar RSR	3	0	0	0	0	6	30th
2017	Fórmula Truck	Scuderia Iveco	2	0	0	0	0	13	13th

Complete British Formula Three Championship results

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

Year	Entrant	Engine	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	DC	Pts
1995	West Surrey Racing	Mugen	A	SIL Template:Small	SIL Template:Small	THR Template:Small	THR Template:Small	DON Template:Small	SIL Template:Small	SIL Template:Small	DON Template:Small	DON Template:Small	OUL Template:Small	BRH Template:Small	BRH Template:Small	SNE Template:Small	PEM Template:Small	PEM Template:Small	SIL Template:Small	SIL Template:Small	THR Template:Small	8th	81

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 Template:Small	PAU Template:Small	PER Template:Small	HOC Template:Small	SIL Template:Small	SPA Template:Small	MAG Template:Small	EST Template:Small	MUG Template:Small	HOC Template:Small	9th	7
Template:Center

Complete Indy Lights results

(key)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Rank	Points	Ref
1997	Brian Stewart Racing	MIA Template:Small	LBH Template:Small	NAZ Template:Small	SAV Template:Small	STL Template:Small	MIL Template:Small	DET Template:Small	POR Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	TRO Template:Small	VAN Template:Small	LS Template:Small	FON Template:Small		3rd	141	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1998	Tasman Motorsports	MIA Template:Small	LBH Template:Small	NAZ Template:Small	STL Template:Small	MIL Template:Small	DET Template:Small	POR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	MIS Template:Small	TRO Template:Small	VAN Template:Small	LS Template:Small	FON Template:Small	1st	154	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Complete CART/Champ Car results

(key)

Year	Team	No.	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	Ref
1999	Arciero-Wells Racing	25	Reynard 99i	Toyota RV8D	MIA Template:Small	MOT Template:Small	LBH Template:Small	NAZ Template:Small	RIO Template:Small	GAT Template:Small	MIL Template:Small	POR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	ROA Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	MIC Template:Small	DET Template:Small	MDO Template:Small	CHI Template:Small	VAN Template:Small	LS Template:Small	HOU Template:Small	SRF Template:Small	FON Template:Small		18th	32	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2000	PPI Motorsports	97	Reynard 2Ki	Toyota RV8E	MIA Template:Small	LBH Template:Small	RIO Template:Small	MOT Template:Small	NAZ Template:Small	MIL Template:Small	DET Template:Small	POR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	MIC Template:Small	CHI Template:Small	MDO Template:Small	ROA Template:Small	VAN Template:Small	LS Template:Small	GAT Template:Small	HOU Template:Small	SRF Template:Small	FON Template:Small		10th	112	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2001	Newman/Haas Racing	6	Lola B01/00	Toyota RV8F	MTY Template:Small	LBH Template:Small	TEX Template:Small	NAZ Template:Small	MOT Template:Small	MIL Template:Small	DET Template:Small	POR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	MIC Template:Small	CHI Template:Small	MDO Template:Small	ROA Template:Small	VAN Template:Small	LAU Template:Small	ROC Template:Small	HOU Template:Small	LS Template:Small	SRF Template:Small	FON Template:Small	5th	140	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2002	Newman/Haas Racing		Lola B02/00	Toyota RV8F	MTY Template:Small	LBH Template:Small	MOT Template:Small	MIL Template:Small	LS Template:Small	POR Template:Small	CHI Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	VAN Template:Small	MDO Template:Small	ROA Template:Small	MTL Template:Small	DEN Template:Small	ROC Template:Small	MIA Template:Small	SRF Template:Small	FON Template:Small	MXC Template:Small			1st	237	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2005	PKV Racing	21	Lola B02/00	Ford XFE	LBH Template:Small	MTY Template:Small	MIL Template:Small	POR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	EDM Template:Small	SJO Template:Small	DEN Template:Small	MTL Template:Small	LAS Template:Small	SRF Template:Small	MXC Template:Small									11th	139	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2006	Dale Coyne Racing	19	Lola B02/00	Ford XFE	LBH Template:Small	HOU Template:Small	MTY Template:Small	MIL Template:Small																		13th	134	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	RuSPORT	10							POR Template:Small	CLE Template:Small	TOR Template:Small	EDM Template:Small	SJO Template:Small	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.
Template:F1	Panasonic Toyota Racing	Toyota TF103	Toyota RVX-03 3.0 V10	AUS Template:Small	MAL Template:Small	BRA Template:Small	SMR Template:Small	ESP Template:Small	AUT Template:Small	MON Template:Small	CAN Template:Small	EUR Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	HUN Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	JPN Template:Small			13th	10
Template:F1	Panasonic Toyota Racing	Toyota TF104	Toyota RVX-04 3.0 V10	AUS Template:Small	MAL Template:Small	BHR Template:Small	SMR Template:Small	ESP Template:Small	MON Template:Small	EUR Template:Small	CAN Template:Small	USA Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	HUN	BEL	ITA	CHN	JPN	BRA	17th	3
Template:Center

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

Complete Fórmula Truck results

Year	Entrant	Truck	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	DC	Points
2010	Scuderia Iveco	Iveco	GUA Template:Small	RIO Template:Small	CAR Template:Small	CAM Template:Small	INT Template:Small	LON Template:Small	JOG Template:Small	VEL Template:Small	CUR Template:Small	BRA Template:Small	23rd	13

Complete American Le Mans Series results

Year	Entrant	Class	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Rank	Points	Ref
2011	Jaguar RSR	GT	Jaguar XKR GT2	Jaguar 5.0 L V8	SEB Template:Small	LBH Template:Small	LIM Template:Small	MOS	MID	AME	BAL	MON	PET	26th	6	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:Racing-Reference driver
• da Matta's profile provided by CBS SportsLine