Da Matta joins tail-end team

Less than three years after he led the 2003 British Grand Prix for Toyota, Cristiano da Matta has signed to drive for the team which usually runs at the tail end of the Champ Car World Series.

The Brazilian (below) had a disappointing return to Champ Cars with PKV Racing last year and failed to recapture the form that won him the title for Newman/ Haas Racing in 2002 and provided him with the springboard to F1.

Nevertheless, da Matta’s move to Dale Coyne Racing, which has taken just two podium finishes since it entered the series 22 years ago, is viewed as a shock.

He will be joined on the grid for the opening round at Long Beach by fellow Brazilian ex-F1 racer Antonio Pizzonia, who has taken a seat with series co-owner Paul Gentilozzi’s Rocketsports Racing outfit under the banner of Team Brazil.