Max Wilson

For the baseball player, see Max Wilson (baseball).
Max Wilson
Nationality Brazilian
Born (1972-08-22) 22 August 1972
Hamburg, Germany
Stock Car Brasil
Teams Eufarma RC
Starts 119
Wins 8
Poles 3
Fastest laps 5
Best finish 1st in 2010
Previous series
1994
1995
1995–96
1996
1997–99
2001
2002–08
2009-current		 Formula Chevrolet
Formula Three Sudamericana
German Formula 3
DTM
International Formula 3000
Champ Car
V8 Supercar
Stock Car Brasil
Championship titles
2010 Stock Car Brasil

Max Wilson (born August 22, 1972 in Hamburg, Germany) is a racing driver of Brazilian parentage.

Racing career

Junior formulae

He started his motor racing career in 1985 in go-karts. His tenacious racing style led him to move into single-seaters in 1993, when he was offered a ride in the Brazilian Formula Ford Championship.

In 1994 he moved to the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet Championship and finished 2nd overall, behind Felipe Giaffone.

Formula 3

Again, Wilson graduated up a level into Formula Three Sudamericana for the 1995 season. Again he finished 2nd in the championship, this time behind Ricardo Zonta.

After testing successfully for the WTS-F3-Team, owned by Michael Schumacher's personal manager Willi Weber, Max was snatched up by the BSR squad to compete at Magny-Cours for the penultimate round of the German Formula Three Championship that year. A 5th and a 6th place in double header generated further interest in the unknown youngster.

Wilson moved to Munich at the beginning of 1996 as his personal friend Mario-Alberto Bauér managed to find a seat for Max in the German Formula Three Championship. Willi Weber had sold his WTS-F3-Team to aspiring team owner Georgis Tokmakidis and Max was signed to race with Dutchman Tom Coronel as a team-mate. But the team dwindled due to persistent personnel problems. Coronel ended up never racing for the team and a variety of drivers walked in and out. After winning a pre-season non-championship the results were disappointing and led to Max, aside Jarno Trulli, Nick Heidfeld and Arnd Meier one of the championship favorites, leaving the team after a couple of races.

Against all warnings he then decided to join the Italian Prema Power F3 Team as a team mate to André Couto from mid-season on and managed to win one championship round in wet conditions at Diepholz, despite the notoriously underpowered Fiat-engine. In those days almost every car on the grid was powered by the superior Opel Spiess engine. Restrained by the power disadvantage the initial title favourite ended up in 10th in the championship.

Formula 3000 / Formula 1 / Indycars

In 1997, Edenbridge Racing chose him to drive one of their Formula 3000 cars, alongside Werner Lupberger. He finished 5th in the championship, albeit only 19 points behind champion Ricardo Zonta after 10 rounds.

He stayed on at Edenbridge for the 1998 season, and also became a test driver for the Williams F1 team.

At the end of 1999, Wilson was offered a drive with the ailing Minardi team but a lack of financial backing saw him lose the ride at the last minute to Gastón Mazzacane, a less experienced but more financially solvent driver. But all was not lost: after an impressive stint at Williams, Wilson spent 2000 as an F1 test driver for Michelin as the tyre manufacturer prepared to re-enter Formula One competition.

Unable to secure a full-time Formula One ride for the 2001 season, Wilson returned to the United States and joined the Arciero-Blair Racing Team to contest the Champ Car World Series. In his rookie year, he posted some inspiring results against the likes of Michael Andretti, Christian Fittipaldi and Kenny Bräck.

Touring cars

At the end of 1996, he drove one race in ITC at Interlagos for Alfa Romeo, as all manufacturers had one local driver to improve interest among local spectators. He led the second race for a while, eventually finishing in 2nd.

Failing to raise a full Champ Car budget for 2002, Wilson packed his bags and headed for Australia where he joined the Ford V8 Supercars team Briggs Motor Sport. Keeping in mind he had never driven anything but an open-wheeler, the extra weight, right hand drive and sheer size of a V8 Supercar seemed a significant challenge for the young Brazilian. Wilson, however, had other ideas.

In just his second outing in a V8 Supercar, Wilson managed to snare fifth position on the grid at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. His trend for setting the pace during qualifying continued throughout the year, qualifying inside the top 15 starters in 11 of the 14 events during his debut year in the championship.

Wilson continued his impressive qualifying form with Dick Johnson Racing in 2003 where he capped off the year with his first podium finish in the championship at the final round of the year.

2004 was a tough year for Wilson when he failed to finish five of the rounds due to a variety of reasons while in a position for some solid results whilst driving for Triple 8 Racing.

A last-minute arrangement saw Wilson compete in the championship with Team Dynamik after his former Briggs Motor Sport team mate, Tony Longhurst became the entrant for one of the team's Holden Commodore VZs. During his 2005 campaign he again showed glimpses of his true potential which included a fifth place in the final race in China and a top ten finish at the Oran Park round.

For 2006, Wilson moved to the WPS Racing team however immediately prior to the 2008 season the team folded, leaving Wilson without a drive. Wilson returned to his native Brazil but did drive the Australian enduro season with Brad Jones Racing, finishing an excellent fifth with Brad Jones at the Bathurst 1000 having led the race in parts.

In 2009 he returned to racing in Brazil competing in the Stock Car Brasil winning the title in 2010.

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Position Car Team
1995 Formula Three Sudamericana 2nd Dallara 394 Mugen Honda
Dallara 394 Opel		 Amir Nasr Racing
Prop Car
1995 German Formula Three Championship 19th Dallara 395 Opel Opel Team BSR
1996 German Formula Three Championship 10th Dallara 395 Fiat Tokmakidis Motorsport
Prema Powerteam
1996 International Touring Car Championship 19th Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI JAS Engineering
1997 International Formula 3000 Championship 5th Lola T96/50 - Zytek Edenbridge Racing
1998 International Formula 3000 Championship 9th Lola T96/50 - Zytek Edenbridge Racing
1999 International Formula 3000 Championship 8th Lola B99/50 - Zytek Super Nova Racing
2001 CART Championship Series 25th Lola B2K/00 - Ford Cosworth Arciero-Blair Racing
2002 V8Supercar Championship Series 32nd Ford AU Falcon Briggs Motor Sport
2003 V8Supercar Championship Series 17th Ford BA Falcon Dick Johnson Racing
2004 V8Supercar Championship Series 28th Ford BA Falcon Triple Eight Race Engineering
2005 V8Supercar Championship Series 24th Holden VZ Commodore Team Dynamik
2006 V8Supercar Championship Series 15th Ford BA Falcon WPS Racing
2007 V8Supercar Championship Series 17th Ford BF Falcon WPS Racing
2008 V8Supercar Championship Series 33rd Holden VE Commodore Brad Jones Racing
2009 Stock Car Brasil 9th Chevrolet Vectra Eurofarma RC
2010 Stock Car Brasil 1st Chevrolet Vectra Eurofarma RC
2011 Stock Car Brasil 4th Chevrolet Vectra Eurofarma RC
2012 Stock Car Brasil 6th Chevrolet Sonic Eurofarma RC
2013 Stock Car Brasil 5th Chevrolet Sonic Eurofarma RC
2014 Stock Car Brasil 10th Chevrolet Sonic Eurofarma RC
2015 Stock Car Brasil 8th Chevrolet Sonic Eurofarma RC

International Touring Car Championship results

(key)

Year Team 1
Germany		 2
Germany		 3
Portugal		 4
Finland		 5
Germany		 6
Germany		 7
Germany		 8
United Kingdom		 9
Germany		 10
France		 11
Italy		 12
Brazil		 13
Japan		 Final Pos Points
1996 Alfa Romeo HOC1
 HOC2
 NUR1
 NUR2
 EST1
 EST2
 HEL1
 HEL2
 NOR1
 NOR2
 DIE1
 DIE2
 SIL1
 SIL2
 NUR1
 NUR2
 MAG1
 MAG2
 MUG1
 MUG2
 HOC1
 HOC2
 SAO1
9		 SAO2
2		 SUK1
 SUK2
 19th 17

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(key)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Points
1997 Edenbridge Racing SIL
Ret		 PAU
7		 HEL
Ret		 NÜR
5		 PER
3		 HOC
2		 A1R
8		 SPA
2		 MUG
4		 JER
10		 5th 21
1998 Edenbridge Racing OSC
Ret		 IMO
Ret		 CAT
6		 SIL
5		 MON
DNPQ		 PAU
2		 A1R
Ret		 HOC
Ret		 HUN
Ret		 SPA
13		 PER
Ret		 NÜR
Ret		 9th 9
1999 Den Blå Avis
Petrobras Junior Team		 IMO
Ret		 MON
3		 CAT
Ret		 MAG
Ret		 SIL
Ret		 A1R
Ret		 HOC
2		 HUN
Ret		 SPA NÜR
3		 8th 14

American open wheel racing results

(key)

CART

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Rank Points
2001 Arciero-Brooke Racing Lola B2K/00 Phoenix IC108F MTY
28		 LBH
21		 TXS
NH		 NZR
17		 MOT 25th 12
Arciero-Blair Racing Ford XD MIL
23		 DET
23		 POR
4		 CLE
19		 TOR
25		 MIS
DNS		 CHI MDO
15		 ROA
25		 VAN
25		 LAU
18		 ROC
21		 HOU
16		 LS
24		 SRF FON

Complete V8 Supercar results

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pos. Points
2002 Team Betta Electrical Ford AU Falcon ADE
DNS		 PHI
25		 EAS
26		 HID
13		 CAN
32		 BAR
17		 ORA
31		 WIN
21		 QLD
Ret		 BAT
Ret		 SUR
18		 PUK
12		 SAN
20 		32nd 319
2003 Dick Johnson Racing Ford BA Falcon ADE
Ret		 PHI
16		 EAS
16		 WIN
9		 BAR
18		 HID
22		 QLD
24		 ORA
Ret		 SAN
19		 BAT
12		 SUR
13		 PUK
22		 EAS
3		 17th 1244
2004 Team Betta Electrical Ford BA Falcon ADE
Ret		 EAS
10		 PUK
16		 HID
22		 BAR
18		 QLD
14		 WIN
Ret		 ORA
Ret		 SAN
Ret		 BAT
Ret		 SUR
6 		SYM
19		 EAS
11		 28th 865
2005 Team Dynamik Holden VZ Commodore ADE
21		 PUK
19		 BAR
21		 EAS
20		 SHA
17		 HID
21		 QLD
14		 ORA
10		 SAN
Ret		 BAT
Ret		 SUR
22 		SYM
15		 EAS
16		 24th 931
2006 WPS Racing Ford BA Falcon ADE
8		 PUK
22		 BAR
23		 WIN
10		 HID
17		 QLD
12		 ORA
29		 SAN
11		 BAT
14		 SUR
17		 SYM
13		 BAH
16		 PHI
17		 15th 2038
2007 WPS Racing Ford BA Falcon ADE
26		 BAR
18		 PUK
15		 WIN
18		 EAS
23		 HID
13		 QLD
19		 ORA
13		 SAN
Ret		 BAT
7		 SUR
10		 BAH
25		 SYM
24		 PHI
19		 17th 110
2008 Brad Jones Racing Holden VE Commodore ADE
 EAS HAM BAR SAN HID QLD WIN PHI Q
7 		PHI R
15 		BAT
5 		SUR BAH SYM ORA 33rd 343

† Non Championship

Complete Stock Car Brasil results

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Rank Points
2009 Eurofarma RC Chevrolet Vectra INT
Ret		 CTB
5		 BSB
4		 SCZ
1		 SAO
16		 SAL
14		 RIO
9		 CGD
25		 CTB
13		 BSB
18		 TAR
10		 INT
3		 9th 234
2010 Eurofarma RC Chevrolet Vectra INT
1		 CTB
4		 VEL
Ret		 RIO
8		 RBP
5		 SAL
5		 INT
20		 CGD
Ret		 LON
1		 SCS
8		 BSB
2		 CTB
8		 1st 265
2011 Eurofarma RC Chevrolet Vectra CTB
2		 INT
5		 RBP
2		 VEL
Ret		 CGD
9		 RIO
5		 INT
3		 SAL
2		 SCZ
5		 LON
3		 BSB
16		 VEL
17		 4th 248
2012 Eurofarma RC Chevrolet Sonic INT
24		 CTB
2		 VEL
3		 RBP
20		 LON
9		 RIO
5		 SAL
9		 CGD
6		 TAR
7		 CTB
13		 BSB
1		 INT
29		 6th 138
2013 Eurofarma RC Chevrolet Sonic INT
6		 CUR
7		 TAR
13		 SAL
5		 BRA
13		 CAS
18		 RBP
2		 CAS
3		 VEL
6		 CUR
23		 BRA
7		 INT
5		 5th 163
2014 Eurofarma RC Chevrolet Sonic INT
1
Ret		 SCZ
1
Ret		 SCZ
2
11		 BRA
1
4		 BRA
2
22		 GOI
1
Ret		 GOI
2
10		 GOI
1
12		 CAS
1
10		 CAS
2
3		 CUR
1
11		 CUR
2
9		 VEL
1
6		 VEL
2
4		 SAL
1
9		 SAL
2
3		 TAR
1
7		 TAR
2
11		 RBP
1
18		 RBP
2
11		 CUR
1
20		 10th 146
2015 Eurofarma RC Chevrolet Sonic GOI
1
6		 RBP
1
6		 RBP
2
Ret		 VEL
1
10		 VEL
2
1		 CUR
1
Ret		 CUR
2
DNS		 SCZ
1
5		 SCZ
2
4		 CUR
1
11		 CUR
2
6		 GOI
1
6		 CAS
1
27		 CAS
2
12		 MOU
1
8		 MOU
2
5		 CUR
1
11		 CUR
2
1		 TAR
1
Ret		 TAR
2
14		 INT
1
Ret		 8th 162
2016 Eurofarma RC Chevrolet Sonic CUR
1
22		 5th* 159*
Chevrolet Cruze VEL
1
5		 VEL
2
Ret		 GOI
1
4		 GOI
2
19		 SCZ
1
22		 SCZ
2
1		 TAR
1
1		 TAR
2
16		 CAS
1
5		 CAS
2
8		 INT
1
4		 LON
1
22		 LON
2
9		 BRA
1
Ret		 BRA
2
3		 GOI
1
21		 GOI
2
4		 CRI
1
 CRI
2
 INT
1

* Season still in progress.

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Cacá Bueno		 Stock Car Brasil
Champion
2010 		Succeeded by
Cacá Bueno
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