INDIANAPOLIS — Andre Ribeiro, a one-time Indianapolis 500 starter who gave Honda its first IndyCar victory, has died from cancer at the age of 55.
Ribeiro was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was a key member of a Brazilian revolution of drivers in the top level of North American open-wheel racing. Ribeiro, Gil de Ferran and Christian Fittipaldi helped set the stage for Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Bruno Junqueira and Cristiano da Matta, among others, to race in North America.
Ribeiro’s four seasons in CART were highlighted by a 1995 victory from the pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which was Honda’s first win in the sport. That was the first of his three victories with Tasman Motorsports, the team that brought him to the United States through Indy Lights.
He won four races as an Indy Lights rookie in 1994, finishing second in the standings to teammate Steve Robertson and one position ahead of Greg Moore, who went on to win five CART races.
Ribeiro started 12th and finished 18th in the 1995 Indianapolis 500 in his only start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
In 1996, Ribeiro scored a popular victory in CART’s first race in Brazil. Ribeiro held off Al Unser Jr. by two seconds to capture the second of his three career victories. He added another victory later that season at Michigan International Speedway, edging Bryan Herta. That was Ribeiro’s best season, finishing 11th in the standings after leading 166 laps.
