Statement From da Matta's Family
As Champ Car World Series driver Cristiano da Matta continues to recover from a head injury he suffered on Thursday, his family is currently by his side at the Intensive Care Unit at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wisc. Da Matta was injured after colliding with a deer that ran onto the track near Turn Six at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., on Thursday afternoon, and is under the direct care of Randall R. Johnson M.D., Ph.D. from the Neuroscience Group of Northeast Wisconsin.
Da Matta’s father, mother, two brothers and girlfriend arrived at the hospital late Friday night, and released the following statement today: “We have been fully briefed about Cristiano’s condition, and the hospital staff has been providing us with frequent updates. We are very happy with the care that Cristiano is receiving here at Theda Clark Medical Center, and we are confident that he is getting the best care possible. We will continue to stay here with Cristiano for the foreseeable future, based on his recovery. The entire family would like to thank everyone for the tremendous outpouring of support we have received since Cristiano’s accident, and continue to receive. Cristiano would appreciate it, and we know it will help him get through his recovery process.”
The da Matta family is joined at Theda Clark Medical Center by Jeremy Dale, president of RuSPORT. Updates concerning da Matta’s condition will be released by RuSPORT when they become available, and will be posted on RuSPORT’s website, www.RuSPORT.com, both in the News section and a Special Updates section devoted to da Matta.
Since da Matta’s accident on Thursday, RuSPORT and Champ Car have received many messages of support for da Matta. In response, RuSPORT also announced on Friday that, in lieu of sending flowers and gifts, anyone wishing to express their support for da Matta during his recovery is asked to please make a donation in his name to Hole in the Wall Camps, an official charity of the Champ Car World Series. Donation information can be found by visiting http://www.holeinthewallcamps.org, or by calling 203-562-1203.
Update From Speed Channel On da Matta
Cristiano da Matta suffered severe head injuries Thursday after striking a deer during Champ Car testing at Elkhart Lake, Wis. The 32-year-old Brazilian was airlifted to Theda Clark Medical Center hospital where he underwent surgery Thursday night. His condition was critical.
“After arriving at Theda Clark Medical Center, a head CT scan showed Cristiano had suffered a subdural hematoma," stated Dr. Chris Pinderski, Champ Car Director of Medical Affairs. "He was urgently taken to the operating room for surgical removal of the hematoma and is now being observed in the intensive care unit.”
da Matta
The next 24 hours will be crucial for the 2002 CART champion as doctors try to reduce the swelling in his brain. According to an eyewitness, da Matta was heading for Turn 6 at Road America when the deer ran out in front of him and struck the right front of his RuSPORT Lola. The deer caromed into the cockpit as da Matta smashed into the tire barrier with his foot still planted on the throttle. Safety crews extracted him on a backboard and applied an oxygen mask as he was taken to a helicopter. In the wake of the crash, RuSPORT announced that Justin Wilson and the No. 9 team will not participate in the final day of Champ Car testing at Road America.
(Speed Channel)
Fisher Returns To IRL
Fisher to return to IndyCar Series: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced Aug. 3 that IndyCar Series veteran Sarah Fisher will drive the No. 5 Honda-powered Dallara in the Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Secret at Kentucky Speedway on Aug. 13. Fisher will be reuniting with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, for whom she drove in 2002 and 2003. She debuted with a fourth-place finish at Nazareth Speedway substituting for the injured Robbie Buhl in April 2002 and later that year, became the first female to start on the pole (at Kentucky Speedway). She will be the second woman in the field for the 200-lap race at 3:30 p.m. (ET) on ABC. Danica Patrick, who started from the pole last year at Kentucky Speedway, drives the No. 16 Rahal Letterman Racing Team Argent Dallara/Honda/Firestone. In 48 starts, Fisher has seven top-10 finishes and has been running at the finish in 27 races. Her highest finishes are second at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2001 with Walker Racing and third at Kentucky Speedway in 2000 - the highest for a female driver in the series. The Commercial Point, Ohio, native fueled national headlines when she emerged in the IndyCar Series at 19 years old. The determined racer became a household name and was coined as the "girl next door" chasing her dream of winning the Indianapolis 500.
"I am really looking forward to the opportunity to get back into an IndyCar," said Fisher, who last competed in the IndyCar Series in 2004 in the Indianapolis 500 with a Kelley Racing-prepared car. "It has been some time and there is a lot of catching up to do. Hopefully, it will be like riding a bike, but I am sure that there will be challenges we will have to figure out how to hurdle. This weekend is all about getting back on the bike. It's a personal goal of mine to at least run in the top 10. I want to be there at the end and racing as hard as I did before, and that in itself will achieve results." In 2000, Fisher became the youngest female and third-youngest driver ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500. It was the first time two women had raced in the same event. Fisher, 25, attends Ellis College on a part-time basis pursuing a business undergraduate degree and is engaged. She is the fourth driver to take to the wheel for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing this season. Buddy Lazier drove in eight events, Al Unser Jr. drove a second entry for the team at the 90th Indianapolis 500 alongside Lazier, and Ryan Briscoe is competing in four events for the team, including the final road course of the season at Infineon Raceway on Aug. 27.
Cristiano da Matta Injured In Test Accident
Champ Car World Series driver Cristiano da Matta (#10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) was involved in an on-track incident during today’s open test session at Road America. Da Matta collided with a deer that had wandered onto the track, at approximately 3:08 pm CDT today. Da Matta was quickly airlifted to Theda Clark Memorial Hospital in Neenah, Wisc. No further information on his condition is available at this time. Updates will be released by RuSPORT as they become available.
Champ Car Penalties Announced
The Champ Car World Series today announces penalties stemming from both on- and off-track events that took place during this past weekend’s Canary Foundation Grand Prix of San Jose Presented by Taylor Woodrow.
Paul Tracy (#3 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) will be placed on probation for the next three races and will forfeit seven (7) championship points for violation of Champ Car Rule 6.29 concerning unjustifiable risk. Tracy will also be fined an undisclosed amount for violation of Champ Car Rule 2.6 regarding conduct, specifically ‘Participants engaged in any event….must refrain from intentional physical contact with any participant, inappropriate or profane language…and unsportsmanlike behavior.’
Alex Tagliani (#15 Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) will be fined an undisclosed amount for violation of Champ Car Rule 2.6 regarding conduct, specifically ‘Participants engaged in any event….must refrain from intentional physical contact with any participant, inappropriate or profane language…and unsportsmanlike behavior.’
Katherine Legge (#20 Gulfstream/Bell Micro Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) will be placed on probation for the next three races for on-track misconduct.
IndyCar® Series Adds Iowa Speedway In 2007
The IndyCar® Series will make its first visit to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, in 2007 for a race at the new "Rusty Wallace Signature Series Track."
The inaugural IndyCar Series event at Iowa Speedway is scheduled for June 22-24, 2007 and will feature the IndyCar Series running a 250- lap race on June 24 and the Indy Pro SeriesT running a 100-mile event on June 23. The announcement was made in conjunction with an IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series compatibility test that included 2003 IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing and 2005 Indy Pro Series champion Wade Cunningham of Brian Stewart Racing. "The midwest is home to the core IndyCar Series fan so we are thrilled to partner with Iowa Speedway to bring IndyCar Series racing to Iowa," said Brian Barnhart, president & COO of the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series. "The combination of the Iowa Speedway's 7/8-mile size with the speed and side-by-side action of the IndyCar Series promises to keep race fans on the edge of their seats." Located near Newton, Iowa - 30 minutes east of Des Moines - Iowa Speedway is located along Interstate 80 adjacent to Newton Airport. The track is being built by the U.S. Motorsport Corporation. The "Rusty Wallace Signature Series Track" will have a seating capacity of 40,000, including 25,000 permanent seats and 15,000 festival seats. Former NASCAR champion and current ABC Sports/ESPN commentator Rusty Wallace is co-designing the state-of-the-art track, which will be the industry's first driver-designed speedway
The 7/8-mile tri-oval has a track width of 60 feet with 12-14 degree compound banking in the turns. The front stretch features 10 degrees of banking and the backstretch has 4 degrees of banking. Iowa Speedway is the first track to ever have the SAFER Barrier installed around the entire perimeter of the race track and first to use the New-Age SAFER Barrier, which does not have a concrete wall behind the energy absorbing barrier. Additionally, Iowa Speedway will also be the first racetrack to have state-of-the-art camera angles - with audio -- embedded in the racing surface similar to how current race facilities have miniature cameras in the walls. "It will be fan-friendly and driver-friendly, a premier racing facility - if not the premier racing facility in the United States," Wallace said. "I've driven many racetracks as a veteran driver and past NASCAR Champion - I've seen the good and the bad - and Iowa Speedway will be 'the best of the best." Construction crews laid approximately 180,000 tons of rock around the entire facility. Paving of the track was completed in late July. Iowa Speedway will open for its inaugural race event on Sept. 15. "We are extremely proud to showcase the Indy Racing League here at our fabulous facility designed by one of our partners, Rusty Wallace," said Iowa Speedway President Stan Clement. "The Indy Racing League will allow spectators and race fans an opportunity to attend a first-class display of talent and speed. So, with great enthusiasm, we welcome these world-class drivers and the Indy Racing League to Newton and the state of Iowa". The Iowa Speedway event is the third announced date for the 2007 IndyCar Series season. Earlier this year, the IndyCar Series announced it would return to the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., for the third Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 1. The 91st Indianapolis 500-Mile Race will be held on May 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The remainder of the 2007 IndyCar Series schedule will be announced at a later date.
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