Indy Lights Racer Learns on the Fly at Indianapolis Pole Day

Rafa Matos a Spectator at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

AFS AGR’s Raphael Matos. Photo: RonMcQueeneyIRL

Amid the hoopla of Indianapolis 500 Pole Day, Raphael Matos calmly studied the scene around him, taking in the atmosphere of qualifying for America's (and quite possibly the world's) greatest automobile race.

The AFS Andretti Green Racing driver was impressed with what he saw in Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Gasoline Alley garages that house the multi-car effort of teammates Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Hideki Mutoh and Danica Patrick.

"This is my first time at Indy," Rafa said. "I've just been watching and listening as much as I can, soaking up what I can from all the drivers and engineers that are here. It's the perfect place for me to learn."

Raphael hopes to parlay what he picks up behind the scenes into a successful run on this same track in little more than a week when qualifying for the Firestone Indy Lights Series' biggest race of the year unfolds on Thursday, May 22nd at the Speedway.

He's content to wait on deciphering the finer points of racing over the big 2.5 mile oval race course, he said, in lieu of simply absorbing the wonderous, and sometimes wacky, ways of Indy's month of May.

"I may go to the stands with the spotter," to observe the racing line he said, "but mostly I want to understand the way the system works here over the long month."

"There's a lot going on and it's good to have an idea what it's like in case I return here someday to race in the Indianapolis 500. I'll be more prepared if that happens."

Four Races Gone, Matos Reflects on Results

The weekend respite from Indy Lights racing comes at the quarter pole of the 2008 schedule, a good time to take a short break before the grind of mid-summer consecutive weeks of racing.

Rafa won't be too far from his racing chores, though, even during nearly a month of down-time for the series.

"I'm here for today (Pole Day) and Sunday, then I'm back in the shop on Monday," he said, "working with the team."

"I'm going home to Brazil for the rest of the week to train and get ready, then fly back to Indy the first of the week prior to the Freedom 100 (on Carb Day Friday, May 23rd)."

Matos has been consistently quick in the first four races of the season, grabbing a win at the opener in St. Petersburg and continuing to set the pace as late as last month's Kansas 100 where he and teammate Arie Luyendyk, Jr were fastest in Friday practice.

Though many felt that oval-racing would offer Matos a significant challenge in transition from Atlantics racing, where he was 2007 series Champion, the reality has been much different.

Rafa's been quick on all of them he's encountered so far.

"We tested Friday (May 9th) in Milwaukee," on the one-mile oval at the Wisconsin Fairgrounds. "It was good," he said. "We were quickest on the day and it's left me looking forward to racing here at Indianapolis."

"We were quickest in the open test in April here (at Indy), too," he continued.

"We still need to put all the pieces together," says Rafa of 2008 season

"So far so good, but we still need to put all the pieces together."

The pieces are exactly what Matos hopes to avoid at Indianapolis' Freedom 100 event, especially the ones of the carbon fiber variety.

"The Freedom 100 is obviously very important," he said "It's a race we need to win so we can collect points. We stand on fourth in the championship right now when we should be leading; but, I had two DNF's that really hurt us."

"It's still a long way to go (until Chicagoland's season finale) and hopefully we'll get going again and win the Firehawk Cup this year."