Book Review: Victory Road, the Ride of My Life by Helio Castroneves

Helio Castroneves joined the elite group of race car drivers who have won the Indianapolis 500 four times in May 2021. At the end of the race, he lived up to his nickname “Spiderman” by climbing the fence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as racing fans cheered.

The book, published in 2010, chronicles his life through his third Indianapolis 500 victory. He grew up in a small Brazilian town. By age 10, he was racing go-karts with his father as his coach. Showing a natural ability, he quickly advances. His father, who owned his own company, hired a publicist to promote Helio’s racing activities. Soon, to advance into a higher level of racing, Helio began spending more time in Sao Paulo at first taking Friday off from school. As he moved up in the go-kart races, he went to school only two days a week. By age 14, his father sold some property to establish a racing team and hired a publicist. He was living out his dreams through his son.

Helio dreamed of following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Emerson Fittipaldi who won the Formula One championship in 1972 and 1975. He steadily progressed up the Formula One ladder—World Cup in go-kart racing in Europe, Formula Chevrolet Brazil, and Formula Three Brazil. Throughout his early career, his father financed his racing activities. He believed he won the final Formula Three Brazil championship, but other participants allowed Fernando Croceri, the only person who had a chance to win the championship, to come in second. Croceri won the championship by one point. He briefly participated in Formula Three in Britain. The next step was a brief participation in Formula Three Britain.

His first exposure to Indy car racing was watching the Indianapolis 500 on television and cheering Fittipaldi’s victory in 1989. Castroneves. After the Formula Three Britain experience, his sister, Kati, finds a sponsorship for the Indy Lights program. While he isn’t interested in Indy car racing, the idea of racing against nine other Brazilians is appealing. His career takes a 180 degree turn. To participate in Indy Lights, his father has to sponsor him at a cost of $500,000. His father was already financially strapped but will do anything to support Helio’s racing career.

That is when what Helio thought was a miracle happened. His childhood idol, Emerson Fittipaldi, signed to represent him. It turned out to be a nightmare as Fittipaldi was unable to find the sponsorships he had promised. At the end of the season, Castroneves advises Fittipaldi that he is terminating the contract.

All seemed bleak. His father was bankrupt and they needed sponsorship money to continue the dream. The whole family was supporting him both financially and emotionally. In what could have been his last drive in an Indy Car, tragedy struck at the final race of the season. Greg Moore, a promising up-and-coming driver, was killed during the race. Gil de Ferran, who had recently signed with Team Penske, suggested Helio as a possible replacement for Moore. After a quick negotiation, Helio signs with Team Penkse. Now he is with one of the leading teams and doesn’t have to worry about sponsorships. All he has to do is drive. And drive he does winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2001 and 2002. He even won Dancing with the Stars. He seemed to be living a charmed life when suddenly everything was turned upside down.

Fittipaldi sued him for breach of contract. Although Helio was eventually successful in winning the lawsuit, his troubles were just beginning. He was under investigation by the IRS for tax evasion which claimed that he had avoided paying taxes through a tax deferred account set up at the time he signed with Team Penske. In 2008, he was arrested and charged with tax evasion. The jury took seven long days to acquit him of all charges except for one on which it was hung. Since the 2009 season had just started, Penske had hired Will Power to drive until the tax evasion issue was settled. When the jury handed down its judgement, Penske had a plane waiting to fly Helio to the West Coast from Miami. Helio had not been in a race car for six months and quickly crashed while practicing for the Grand Prix of Long Beach. His technique quickly returned and he finished seventh in the race. Two weeks later, he finished second at the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at the Kansas Speedway. It was on to Indianapolis for the Month of May. Remarkably, he won the Indianapolis 500 for the third time.

This book is an easy read. Written by Marissa Matteo, you feel the passion that Castroneves has for auto racing and the tightness of his family. My only disappointment was the brevity with which his third Indianapolis 500 victory was covered. I would have liked to know more about how he went from six months out of racing to winning the Indianapolis 500 in roughly six weeks.

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