André Ribeiro da Cunha Pereira () (January 18, 1966 – May 22, 2021)
was a Brazilian
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
who raced in
CART
A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs.
A handcart ...
from 1995 through 1998, where he claimed three wins.
Career
Ribeiro started his career in karting and he finished second in the
Paulista Kart Championship, Brazil's national
karting championship, for three consecutive years between 1986 and 1988. In 1989 he moved to compete in
Formula Ford
Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single-seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world have historically been an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...
finishing third in his debut season in Brazil's national Formula Three Championship. In 1990 he moved to
Formula Opel where he competed for
Team Lotus Nederland. In 1991 he moved to
British Formula 3 where he drove first for
Paul Stewart Racing and then
Fortec Motorsport. In 1994 he drove in
Indy Lights
Indy NXT (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as INDY NXT by Firestone for sponsorship reasons. Indy NXT is the highest step on the Roa ...
for
Tasman Motorsports finishing second in his debut
1994 season where he won four races.
Ribeiro remained with Tasman Motorsports when he moved to CART in 1995 and would remain with them until 1997. He finished 18th at the
1995 Indianapolis 500
The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season. Jacques Villeneuve was victorious in his s ...
, and got a win at New Hampshire. In 1996 he won two oval races at his homeland
Jacarepaguá
Jacarepaguá (), with a land area of , is a neighborhood situated in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2010, it had a population of 157,326. The name comes from the indigenous name of the location, "shallow pond of caymans", yakaré (c ...
and at the Michigan summer race, and finished fourth at the
U.S. 500 U.S. 500 may refer to multiple races held at Michigan International Speedway:
* 1996 U.S. 500, a CART series race held May 26, 1996, the same day as the 1996 Indianapolis 500
* Michigan 500, a CART series race that was held under the title U.S. ...
. The driver ranked fourth in points. In 1997 he scored a third place finish at Toronto and a fourth place at Laguna Seca. For the 1998 season Ribeiro remained in CART but moved to
Team Penske
Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Day ...
, where he scored just 13 points with no top 5s. He retired at the end of the 1998 season.
The Brazilian received an offer to work with
Roger Penske
Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937), also known as "the Captain", is an American auto racing team owner, businessman, and former professional driver. Penske is the owner of Team Penske, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and ...
in South America, with United Auto, running over 15 car dealerships in
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
. He also promoted the
Brazilian Formula Renault and
Renault Clio Cup together with
Pedro Paulo Diniz.
Ribeiro died on 22 May 2021, aged 55, from
colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...
.
Racing record
American open–wheel racing results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Indy Lights
CART
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ribeiro, Andre
1966 births
2021 deaths
Brazilian Champ Car drivers
Indianapolis 500 drivers
Indy Lights drivers
Brazilian racing drivers
EFDA Nations Cup drivers
Racing drivers from São Paulo
Deaths from colorectal cancer
Team Penske drivers
Tasman Motorsports drivers
Paul Stewart Racing drivers
Fortec Motorsport drivers
British Formula Three Championship drivers