A promising driver in junior formulae but his true potential was never fulfilled at the top level.
Chico was a winner already at a very early age, having a subscription on karting titles until he moved to full-size cars in 1976. Chico ended his karting career with triple São Paulo karting championships and with one national Championship on his CV. It helped to have a mother working in pulic relations. She was not only Chico’s mother but also his manager and she took care of all the business side of Chico’s career.
His first year in cars he drove in the local São Paulo Fórmula N series. This was a Brazilian version of Formula Vee. His progress continued and he duly claimed the Fórmula N title in 1976. As one of the first pioneers of the Brazilian influx into British racing, Chico moved to England in 1977. A works FF1600 Van Diemen RF77 was waiting for him there. Nothing seemed to stop Chico at this stage in his career, and despite being on unknown foreign tracks and living in a foreign country he was able to take his Van Diemen to the Townsend Thoresen British FF1600 championship.
He said: “Driving is driving, it’s the same everywhere. But when you come to England, you’ve made a big commitment. You look around you and you know you are a long way from home. When I arrived at the airport, without a word of English, there was a moment when I thought I´d just turn right around and go back home. Luckily I was just married and that helped a lot as did being in a good team, as did winning. When you win everything is much easier.”
To put his FF1600 crown even firmer on his head he also won the prestigious Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival. With nothing more to prove in Formula Fords he was approached by Ron Dennis at Project Four. He wanted Chico in his Toyota-powered March 783 for the 1978 Formula 3 season. At the time two separate F3 championships were run in England. Chico contested both. He continued his climb to the top in this formula as well. He won three rounds until an untimely testing accident at Mallory Park forced him to rest and he missed several races. The weeks on the sideline meant that Chico was unable to challenge for the British F3 titles. But before the end of the season Chico won the final race of the BP F3 championship round at Thruxton. Chico finished third overall in both the BP and the Vandervell championships. The following year Chico continued for Project Four, this time driving a 793 from the acclaimed March factory. So Chico was able to continue his championship quest, and his five wins in 1979 were enough to bring him the British F3 title.
Together with Ron Dennis’ Project Four stable Chico graduated to Formula 2 for the 1980 season. After a difficult year for both the team and the driver, Chico finished a lowly tenth in the final standings with just 9 points collected. Despite this Chico was now near his goal.
Thanks to his famous countryman Emerson Fittipaldi retiring after the 1979 season, Chico was signed for Fittipaldi’s so far rather unsuccessful equipe to replace the two-time world champion. Future world champion Keke Rosberg was retained as Chico’s team mate. Chico had a promising start and was close to getting a point in his GP debut at Long Beach in 1981. He ultimately finished seventh. He was to spend two seasons in Emerson’s team, but he was only able to show flashes of his undoubtful talent. Keke Rosberg left the team for the 1982 season for better things. Fittipaldi was in difficulty and Chico was retained to drive a single entry for 1982. Chico scored his only championship point at Zolder that year.
Richard Divila worked on the new F9, and it was introduced at Paul Ricard for the French GP. It failed to move Fittipaldi team up on the grid and after the 1982 season the team was disbanded. Chico looked elsewhere for a drive and did a deal with Arrows. He debuted for them at his home GP at Rio. An eighth place was his reward. Then high-profile driver Alan Jones was signed for the Long Beach race and Chico was sidelined. But he was back for the next three races and did his final GP at Monaco before Thierry Boutsen was hired for his local Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps. The unlucky Chico saw Thierry become a permanent replacement and the Brazilian was forced away from Formula 1. He finished his GP career with a total of 18 GPs contested and 14 DNQs.
Chico then tried to break into CART in 1985. He drove a single race at Portland but nothing came out of it, leaving Chico to return home with an unfulfilled mission.
He disappeared from the world scene and competed in local series until he went into retirement. Only of late has he returned to his old winning ways. Determined to stop the domination in the local Stock Car series by his fellow former Fittipaldi GP driver Ingo Hoffmann, he was lured back into motor racing. The Chevrolet Stock Car Series looks like Super Tourers on stereoids, with modified Chevrolet (Opel/Vauxhall) Vectra cars forming the basis of this series. He was so successful that he actually won the championship for two years in a row (1999-2000). Last year, he won six rounds on his way to a repeat win of the Campeão Brasileiro de Stock Car.
Other tin-top forays include a win in the 12ª Mil Milhas Brasileiras race in 1981 with a locally built and prepared Chevrolet Opala. Chico also ran a Chrysler Stratus in the 1998 SudAm Super Touring Championship. Away from the track Chico enjoys horsepower as well, as his main hobby are horses…
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