Nilton Rossoni

Nilton 'Niltinho' Rossoni (Curitiba, April 21, 1981) is a former Brazilian racing driver who won the 2000 Barber Dodge Pro Series championship.

Nilton Rossoni
Nationality Brazilian
Born(1981-04-21)April 21, 1981
Curitiba, Paraná
Retired2002
Barber Dodge Pro Series
Years active1997-2000, 2002
Starts35
Wins10
Poles6
Fastest laps7
Best finish1st in 2000
Previous series
1997-2000
2001
2002
Barber Dodge Pro Series
Indy Lights
Barber Dodge Pro Series
Championship titles
2000Barber Dodge Pro Series

Racing career

After winning karting championships in the Paraná and São Paulo regions the young driver graduated into single-seaters in 1997. The sixteen-year-old raced in the Formula Chevrolet Brazil, a support series to the highly popular Stock Car Brasil. He won the rookie of the year title in his inaugural season.[1] Near the end of the racing season the Brazilian made his debut in the Barber Dodge Pro Series. He qualified twelfth out of 27 but had to retire after one lap due to a clutch failure.[2] He returned the following year winning races at Road America and Homestead-Miami Speedway finishing sixth in the standings. The 1999 season was a season in which Rossoni failed to finish six times. At Homestead-Miami Speedway the Brazilian won pole-position but had to retire due to a mechanical issue.[3] The young driver got his revenge in the 2000 season of the Barber Dodge Pro Series. Rossoni won six out of twelve races. Before the final round only Jon Fogarty had a mathematical chance to win the championship. Rossoni won his title in style by winning the final round of the season.[4] After his success the Brazilian graduated into the Indy Lights. But as the economic crisis hit Brazil, his longtime sponsor Fox Distribuidora de Petróleo (owned by the Rossoni family) almost went bankrupt.[5] Rossoni could only compete one race, at Fundidora park supporting the Tecate/Telmex Grand Prix of Monterrey. His weekend started well as he qualified in second place. Rossoni had a poor start of the race as he was passed by Townsend Bell and passed the finish line in seventh place after the first lap. Rossoni failed to finish as he wrecked his car after four laps.[6] After his nightmare 2001 season Rossoni decided to return to the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2002 for two races.[7] After two fourth place finishes he retired from professional racing.

Motorsports results

American Open-Wheel racing results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest race lap)

Barber Dodge Pro Series

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
1997 STP SEB SAV LRP MDO WGI MIN MDO ROA LS REN LS
26
NC -
1998 SEB
22
LRP
21
DET WGI
2
CLE
21
GRA MDO ROA
1
LS1 ATL HMS
1
LS2
3
6th 83
1999 SEB
2
NAZ
7
LRP
21
POR
2
CLE
1
ROA
6
DET
20
MDO
20
GRA
15
LS
18
HMS
18
WGI
1
6th 94
2000 SEB
1
MIA
1
NAZ
16
LRP
13
DET
6
CLE
1
MDO
2
ROA
1
VAN
4
LS
1
RAT
3
HMS
1
1st 175
2002 SEB
4
LRP
4
LAG POR TOR CLE VAN MDO ROA MTL 19th 25

Indy Lights

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2001 Conquest Racing
MTY
12

LBH

TXS

MIL

POR

KAN

TOR

MDO

STL

ATL

LS

FON
16th 1

References

  1. "Rossoni disputa duas corridas". ANotícia. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. "SBRS: Laguna Seca final qualifying". motorsport.com. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  3. "Homestead Results". Skip Barber Racing School. Archived from the original on January 15, 2000. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  4. "Rossoni the Champion". Skip Barber Racing School. Archived from the original on July 13, 2001. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  5. "Niltinho Rossoni: Quando a crueldade da vida impede que um talento do automobilismo se firme". Diario Motorsport. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  6. "Monterrey Sunday race report". motorsport.com. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  7. "Dois anos após, Rossoni volta a correr na F-Barber Dodge Pro". Speed On Line. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Jeff Simmons
Barber Dodge Pro Series Champion
2000
Succeeded by
Nicolas Rondet
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