Helio Castroneves

Helio Castroneves

Born: May 10, 1975
Age: 48
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Biography

Hélio Castro-Neves (born 10 May 1975), better known as Hélio Castroneves, is a Brazilian auto racing driver competing in the IndyCar Series. In IndyCar competition, Castroneves has 23 wins and 38 poles, and placed second in the season standings four times, third two times and fourth four times. Prior to IndyCar, Castroneves competed in the CART championship, with a highest championship points finish of fourth; he recorded six wins and seven pole positions in the series.

Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, 2002 and 2009, making him one of only nine total drivers, and the only active driver, to have won at least three. He finished second to teammate and countryman Gil de Ferran in 2003. Castroneves has won four pole positions for the Indy 500, including back-to-back poles in 2009 and 2010 for the first time since Scott Brayton. He is also one of only five drivers - along with Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, and Al Unser being the other four - and the only active driver to win the Indy 500 in back-to-back races.

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Racing career

Born in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, South America, Castroneves started his career in karting, and later raced for the Paul Stewart Racing team, and finished third in the 1995 British Formula 3 Championship.

After being occasionally misidentified by US media as "Hélio Neves" he at first changed the spelling to Hélio Castro-Neves and then to Hélio Castroneves. He has one sister, Katiucia. Castroneves was first recognised while driving for Steve Horne's Tasman Racing team in Indy Lights, interestingly as teammate to fellow Brazilian and future IndyCar champion Tony Kanaan.

After showing potential but lacking reliability while with the Bettenhausen and Hogan teams, Castroneves was signed by Penske Racing in CART in 2000 following the deaths of Greg Moore and Gonzalo Rodríguez during the last races of the 1999 season. Moore had signed on with Penske but never had the opportunity to race with the team. Castroneves immediately became a regular front-runner winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, the first of three wins where he again performed the crowd pleasing act of climbing the fence at the start finish line in celebration, something he would continue to do after winning races. He switched with the team to the rival IRL for 2002, and remained with Penske, teamed with Gil de Ferran, Sam Hornish Jr., and Ryan Briscoe during his tenure through the 2008 season. During the 2002 season, Castroneves tested with Formula One team Toyota Racing at Circuit Paul Ricard. In January 2009, Team Penske temporarily replaced him with Will Power, citing the difficulties of remaining competitive while Castroneves prepared for trial on federal tax evasion charges (which stemmed in part from Greg Moore's death as Moore's contract was rewritten for Castroneves). Castroneves missed the first race of the 2009 season while the trial was ongoing, but returned to racing at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Racing fans have given Castroneves the nickname "Spider-Man" because of his victory celebration, in which he climbs the trackside debris fence.

On 24 May 2009, Castroneves became Indy's 9th (and first foreign-born) three-time winner, by taking the checkered flag for the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500.

Records

Castroneves currently holds IRL IndyCar Series records for most top-ten finishes (167); Poles (38); and most consecutive seasons with a race win (10; 2001-2010). In 2009 he reset the all-time record for most wins (22) and starts (209) by a driver who has not won the National Championship, taking these records from Bill Holland at Indianapolis and compatriot Raul Boesel at Richmond respectively. His 23rd career win, at Barber Motorsports Park in 2010, broke a tie with his former manager Emerson Fittipaldi for most IndyCar wins by a Brazilian driver.

Other appearances

Aside from success in racing, Castroneves won the fifth season of the American reality TV show Dancing with the Stars with partner Julianne Hough. He has also appeared on truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... as a frequent commentator—mainly on episodes that feature the "World's Dumbest Drivers". He currently lives in Ft. Lauderdale. Castroneves returned to Dancing with the Stars for its 15th season for a chance to win another mirrorball trophy. This time he was partnered with Chelsie Hightower. They were voted off in the third week of the competition during a double elimination.

Personal life

Castroneves has one daughter with his girlfriend, Adriana Henao. The girl was born on December 28, 2009, and is named Mikaella. Castroneves lives in Fort Lauderdale.

Legal issues

On 2 October 2008, Castroneves was charged with conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion by a grand jury for purportedly failing to report to the IRS about $5.5 million in income between 1999 and 2004, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. His business manager and sister Kati, and his lawyer Alan Miller were charged with assisting Castroneves in the supposed scheme. All three defendants surrendered to authorities in Florida on Friday, 3 October 2008. Castroneves pleaded not guilty to these charges on 3 October, and was ordered released on $10 million bail. Castroneves was replaced by Will Power during the duration of his tax evasion court case. The IRS claimed that Castroneves owes $2.3 million in taxes. A guilty verdict would have likely ended Castroneves' racing career.

This issue was related to the initial contract signed by Castroneves with Penske Racing after Greg Moore's death at the California Speedway during the Marlboro 500 on 31 October 1999. In the trial, it was reported that Castroneves' first contract with Penske (2000-04) was signed with Moore's contract with the names changed in ink to reflect the replacement driver. The deal was signed by Moore's agent, Alan Miller, who signed Castroneves' deal days after Moore's funeral as pressure from Penske sponsors forced a quick resolution to finding a replacement.

Central to the case was the ownership of a Panamanian company called Seven Promotions. Prosecutors called it a shell corporation set up primarily so Castroneves could dodge US income taxes, but Castroneves' father testified he created Seven to boost his son's image in Brazil. The elder Castroneves said his son never owned it. Prosecutors called that a lie, showing jurors numerous documents in which Castroneves claimed Seven as his own. If it was, an Internal Revenue Service agent testified that Castroneves owed US taxes on the full $5 million from Penske even though he had never actually received the money. Instead, the Penske payments were eventually invested in a deferred compensation deal with the Dutch firm Fintage Licensing B.V. Castroneves' attorney Roy Black told jurors in closing arguments that such deals are common—and perfectly legal—for athletes who have relatively short careers and face injury or worse at any moment.

The trial ended on 10 April 2009, with closing arguments and the jury deliberated until 17 April, when it acquitted Castroneves of all six counts of tax evasion but hung on a count of conspiracy. On 22 May 2009, prosecutors dropped the remaining conspiracy charge.

Motorsports career results

American open-wheel racing results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Indy Lights

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Rank Points
1996 Tasman Motorsports MIA
LBH
NAZ
MIS
MIL
DET
POR
CLE
TOR
TRO
VAN
LS
7th 84
1997 Tasman Motorsports MIA
LBH
NAZ
SAV
STL
MIL
DET
POR
TOR
TRO
VAN
LS
FON
2nd 152

CART results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Rank Points
1998 Bettenhausen Racing MIA
MOT
LBH
NAZ
RIO
GAT
MIL
DET
POR
CLE
TOR
MCH
MDO
ROA
VAN
LAG
HOU
SRF
FON
17th 36
1999 Hogan Racing MIA
MOT
LBH
NAZ
RIO
GAT
MIL
POR
CLE
ROA
TOR
MCH
DET
MDO
CHI
VAN
LAG
HOU
SRF
FON
15th 48
2000 Team Penske MIA
LBH
RIO
MOT
NAZ
MIL
DET
POR
CLE
TOR
MCH
CHI
MDO
ROA
VAN
LAG
GAT
HOU
SRF
FON
7th 129
2001 Team Penske MTY
LBH
NAZ
MOT
MIL
DET
POR
CLE
TOR
MCH
CHI
MDO
ROA
VAN
LAU
ROC
HOU
LAG
SRF
FON
4th 141

IndyCar Series

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rank Points
2001 Team Penske Dallara Oldsmobile PHX
HMS ATL INDY
TXS PPIR RIR KAN NSH KTY GAT CHI TXS 24th 64
2002 Chevrolet HMS
PHX
FON
NAZ
INDY
TXS
PPIR
RIR
KAN
NSH
MCH
KTY
GAT
CHI
TXS
2nd 511
2003 Toyota HMS
PHX
MOT
INDY
TXS
PPIR
RIR
KAN
NSH
MCH
GAT
KTY
NAZ
CHI
FON
TXS
3rd 484
2004 HMS
PHX
MOT
INDY
TXS
RIR
KAN
NSH
MIL
MCH
KTY
PPIR
NAZ
CHI
FON
TXS
4th 446
2005 HMS
PHX
STP
MOT
INDY
TXS
RIR
KAN
NSH
MIL
MCH
KTY
PPIR
SNM
CHI
WGL
FON
6th 440
2006 Honda HMS
STP
MOT
INDY
WGL
TXS
RIR
KAN
NSH
MIL
MCH
KTY
SNM
CHI
3rd 473
2007 HMS
STP
MOT
KAN
INDY
MIL
TXS
IOW
RIR
WGL
NSH
MDO
MCH
KTY
SNM
DET
CHI
6th 446
2008 HMS
STP
MOT1
LBH1 KAN
INDY
MIL
TXS
IOW
RIR
WGL
NSH
MDO
EDM
KTY
SNM
DET
CHI
SRF2
2nd 629
2009 STP
LBH
KAN
INDY
MIL
TXS
IOW
RIR
WGL
TOR
EDM
KTY
MDO
SNM
CHI
MOT
HMS
4th 433
2010 SAO
STP
ALA
LBH
KAN
INDY
TXS
IOW
WGL
TOR
EDM
MDO
SNM
CHI
KTY
MOT
HMS
4th 531
2011 STP
ALA
LBH
SAO
INDY
TXS
TXS
MIL
IOW
TOR
EDM
MDO
NHM
SNM
BAL
MOT
KTY
LVS3
11th 312
2012 Dallara DW12 Chevrolet STP
ALA
LBH
SAO
INDY
DET
TXS
MIL
IOW
TOR
EDM
MDO
SNM
BAL
FON
4th 431
2013 STP
ALA
LBH
SAO
INDY
DET
DET
TXS
MIL
IOW
POC
TOR
TOR
MDO
SNM
BAL
HOU
HOU
FON
2nd 550
2014 STP
LBH
ALA
IMS
INDY
DET
DET
TXS
HOU
HOU
POC
IOW
TOR
TOR
MDO
MIL
SNM
FON
2nd 609
2015 STP
NLA
LBH
ALA
IMS
INDY
DET
DET
TXS
TOR
FON
MIL
IOW
MDO
POC
SNM
5th 453
2016 STP
PHX
LBH
ALA
IMS
INDY
DET
DET
TXS
RDA
IOW
TOR
MDO
POC
WGL
SNM
4th* 159*

* Season still in progress.

  • 1 Run on same day
  • 2 Non-points paying, exhibition race
  • 3 The Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.
Years Teams Races Poles Wins Top 5s Top 10s Indianapolis 500
Wins
Championships
16 1 234 39 23 110 168 3 (2001, 2002, 2009) 0

Indianapolis 500

Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
2001 Dallara Oldsmobile 11 1 Team Penske
2002 Dallara Chevrolet 13 1 Team Penske
2003 Dallara Toyota 1 2 Team Penske
2004 Dallara Toyota 8 9 Team Penske
2005 Dallara Toyota 5 9 Team Penske
2006 Dallara Honda 2 25 Team Penske
2007 Dallara Honda 1 3 Team Penske
2008 Dallara Honda 4 4 Team Penske
2009 Dallara Honda 1 1 Team Penske
2010 Dallara Honda 1 9 Team Penske
2011 Dallara Honda 16 17 Team Penske
2012 Dallara Chevrolet 6 10 Team Penske
2013 Dallara Chevrolet 8 6 Team Penske
2014 Dallara Chevrolet 4 2 Team Penske
2015 Dallara Chevrolet 5 7 Team Penske
2016 Dallara Chevrolet 9 Team Penske

Castroneves' finishes for 2001 to 2003 is currently the best 3 race finishing streak in Indianapolis history. It is equal to the streak posted by Al Unser from 1970 through 1972.

Touring/Sports Cars

Complete American Le Mans Series results

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine Tyres 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2007 DHL Team Penske LMP2 Porsche RS Spyder Evo Porsche MR6 3.4L V8 M SEB
STP LNB TEX UTA LIM MID AME MOS DET PET MON 23rd 19
2008 DHL Team Penske LMP2 Porsche RS Spyder Evo Porsche MR6 3.4L V8 M SEB STP LNB UTA LIM MID AME MOS DET PET
MON
19th 45

V8 Supercar results

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Final Pos Points
2010 Wilson Security Racing YMC
R1
YMC
R2
BHR
R3
BHR
R4
ADE
R5
ADE
R6
HAM
R7
HAM
R8
QLD
R9
QLD
R10
WIN
R11
WIN
R12
HDV
R13
HDV
R14
TOW
R15
TOW
R16
PHI
R17
BAT
R18
SUR
R19
SUR
R20
SYM
R21
SYM
R22
SAN
R23
SAN
R24
SYD
R25
SYD
R26
NC 0 +
2011 Lucky 7 Racing YMC
R1
YMC
R2
ADE
R3
ADE
R4
HAM
R5
HAM
R6
PER
R7
PER
R8
PER
R9
WIN
R10
WIN
R11
HDV
R12
HDV
R13
TOW
R14
TOW
R15
QLD
R16
QLD
R17
QLD
R18
PHI
R19
BAT
R20
SUR
R21
SUR
R22
SYM
R23
SYM
R24
SAN
R25
SAN
R26
SYD
R27
SYD
R28
63rd 147

+ Not Eligible for points

Complete Stock Car Brasil results

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2012 Shell Racing Peugeot 408 Peugeot 5.7 L V8 INT CTB VEL RBP LON RIO SAL CAS TAR CTB BSB INT
NC† 0†
2013 Shell Racing Peugeot 408 Peugeot 5.7 L V8 INT CUR TAR SAL BRA CAS RBP
BRA VEL CUR GOI INT NC† 0†

† Ineligible for championship points.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]


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