Rank: 14 Points: -287
Raphael Matos returns for the second year with Luczo Dragon Racing, and now has fellow Brazilian and former IndyCar driver, Gil de Ferran onboard as co-owner of the team. The team made a name change in May to De Ferran Dragon Racing. Matos, known as Rafa , was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Last year, in his inaugural season, Matos took home Rookie of the Year honors with eight top-ten finishes. In the off-season, Rafa competed in many international go-karting events, as well as the Grand Am Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Matos won the 2008 Indy Lights championship, racing for AGR/AFS. In the off-season, Matos competed in the Grand Am Series-at the Miller Motorsports Park event in Utah for Michael Shank Racing, giving them a first place finish, then the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona this year in the #55, posting a ninth place finish in the DP division; 19th overall.He also competed in karting events in Vegas, S. America, and Orlando.
When not competing, Matos is still focused on his racing profession, and maintains his physical fitness through a heavy routine of cycling and training. Matos started racing in karts in 1996, and to stay sharp in the car, he continues to spend many hours karting. Rafa has a blog as one of the athletes on yardbarker.com this year, and for more info on the driver, go to http://www.rafamatos.com/eng/ .....his twitter page is http://twitter.com/Rafaindy |
