André Couto
André Couto (born December 14, 1976 in Lisbon ) is a Portuguese - Macau racing driver . He competes with a racing license from Macau.
He won the Macau Grand Prix in 2000 . From 2004 to 2011 he competed in the Super GT and from 2005 to 2011 he took part in a WTCC event.
Career
Couto began his motorsport career in karting in 1991 , where he was active until 1994. In 1995 he moved into the single-seater racing and entered in the Formula Opel Euro Series at. He won a race and finished fifth in the championship. He also finished sixth in the Macau Grand Prix . In 1996, Couto moved to the German Formula 3 championship for the Prema Powerteam . He was on the podium in a race and was 13th in the driving standings. In addition, he entered the Italian Formula 3 championship for half a season . He won two races and finished seventh overall. He finished eighth at the Macau Grand Prix. 1997 Couto entered for the Prema Powerteam only in the Italian Formula 3 championship. He won two races and was runner-up behind Oliver Martini . At the Macau Grand Prix, he finished in fifth place.
In 1998 Couto switched to the international Formula 3000 championship , in which he again competed for the Prema Powerteam. With three fifth places as the best results, he finished eleventh in the drivers' championship. His teammates Paolo Ruberti and Thomas Biagi , who each contested half a season, remained without points. He finished the Macau Grand Prix in seventh place. In 1999 Couto played his second season in Formula 3000 for Apomatox , who competed this season as Gauloises Junior . His teammate was Stéphane Sarrazin . He was on the podium for the first time with a third place in Barcelona . However, no further points were placed. While Sarrazin was fourth, Couto finished the championship in 13th place. At the Macau Grand Prix, for the first time, he no longer started for the Prema Powerteam, but for the Opel Team BSR and did not finish. In 2000 , Couto stayed with Apomatox / Gauloises Junior and got a new teammate in Sébastien Bourdais . At the Nürburgring , he achieved another podium finish in third place. As in the previous year, however, he remained without points in the other races and was beaten by his teammate. Couto finished 18th in the championship. This year he managed to win the Macau Grand Prix in the sixth attempt. Couto is the first and so far only Macauian racing driver to win this race.
In 2001 , Couto left Europe and moved to Japan . There he competed in Formula Nippon and finished eleventh in the championship. In addition, he made his first experiences in GT racing in the Japanese GT championship . There he won a race and finished the championship 17th. 2002 Couto returned to Europe. He started in the World Series by Nissan and finished seventh with four podium finishes. In 2003 Couto switched to the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) and finished 18th in the championship.
In 2004 Couto returned to the Japanese GT Championship. He won a race and was runner- up with his teammate Jérémie Dufour . In 2005, Couto stayed in this championship, which was called Super GT from this season. Until 2008 he drove in a Toyota vehicle . His best overall placement during this time was 15th in 2007. In addition, Couto took part in the event of the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Macau during this period . He started twice for Alfa Romeo and once each for Seat and Honda . His best placement was a seventh place in 2006.
From 2009 to 2011 Couto competed in a Lexus in the Super GT and took part in a Seat / SR-Leon at the WTCC event in Macau.
Personal
Couto's son Afonso fell ill with leukemia in 2009 at the age of six . Some WTCC pilots therefore advertised the campaign saveafonso.com , which should draw attention to the disease. He received a bone marrow donation in May , but died in November 2010 at the age of seven of complications from leukemia.
Career stations
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Individual evidence
- ↑ "WTCC pilots stand up for bone marrow donation" (Motorsport-Total.com on March 10, 2011)
- ↑ “Afonso Couto's funeral today” (macaudailytimes.com.mo on November 16, 2010)
Web links
- Career statistics of André Couto (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Couto, André |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Portuguese-Macau racing driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 14, 1976 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lisbon , Portugal |