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Full Name: | Pedro António Matos Chaves |
Nationality: | Portuguese |
Born: | 27 February 1965, Oporto (POR) |
First GP: | 1991 United States Grand Prix |
Last GP: | 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix |
Entries: | 13 | Grands Prix: | 0 | Non-starts: | 13 |
Wins: | 0 | Podiums: | 0 | Pole Positions: | 0 |
Fastest Laps: | 0 | Points: | 0 | Retirements: | 0 |
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS |
1980-1985 | Karting |
1985 | Portuguese Toyota Starlet Championship, 1st overall |
1986 | Portuguese Formula Ford 1600 Championship, 1st overall Iberian Formula Ford 1600 Championship, 1st overall |
1988 | British Formula Ford Championship, 3rd overall |
1990 | British Formula 3000 Championship, Mansell Madgwick Racing, 5 wins, 1st overall |
1991 | Formula 1, Coloni C4 Cosworth, 13 entries, 13 DNPQ, Not Classified |
1993 | Indy Lights, 3 podiums, 4th overall |
1994 | Indy Lights, 6 podiums, 5th overall |
1995 | Indy Lights, 1 win, 5th overall |
1996 | Spanish Touring Car Championship, 4 wins, 2nd overall |
1990-2000 | Portuguese Rally Championship, 1st overall |
2002 | Spanish GT Championship, 1st overall |
Born in Porto, Chaves won the 1986 Portuguese Formula Ford championship before moving to the UK, winning the 1990 British Formula 3000 championship.
Formula 1 was his next stop, and poor Pedro suffered a disastrous maiden (and only) championship season, failing to pre-qualify in each of his thirteen outings in the hapless Coloni before quitting the team in disgust.
He returned to Formula 3000 before crossing the Atlantic and joining the Indy Lights series and took a win at Vancouver. He moved to touring cars in 1996 and finished second in Spain’s tin-top series before moving on to the FIA GT championship.
In 1998, Chaves switched to rallying and won the Portuguese title in 1999 and 2000 in a works Toyota Corolla, before switching back to GT racing, winning the Spanish title in a Saleen.
After another return to rallying, Chaves retired at the end of 2006 and became the driver coach for the Lebanese A1GP team, later moving into a managerial role in Portugal’s team in 2008.
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