Ross Cheever

Last updated

Ross Cheever (born April 12, 1964 in Rome, Italy) is a retired American race car driver and is the younger brother of former Formula One driver and Indianapolis 500 champion Eddie Cheever. Born in Rome, Cheever spent most of his career in Japan, where he won the Japanese Formula Three championship in 1987 and raced successfully in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship for eight years.

Contents

Cheever started his career in British Formula 3, with five wins between 1984 and 1985. He later competed in Formula Atlantic in New Zealand during the winter of 1985 and 1986 winning the New Zealand Grand Prix both years at the wheel of a Ralt RT4. After failing to qualify in his International Formula 3000 debut at Brands Hatch, and a brief foray in the United States' racing scene that included three starts in the new American Racing Series (current Indy NXT), Cheever switched his attention to Japan in 1987.

In his first season, Cheever won the Japanese Formula Three championship and signed a deal with Dome, racing at the All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship with Toyota and a half-season program in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, which became a full time seat for 1988. He narrowly lost the 1989 title to Hitoshi Ogawa by three points, and again in 1991 at the last race to Ukyo Katayama, finishing second both times. He also reached the final race of the 1992 and 1993 season with title chances, finally retiring at the end of the 1994 season after finishing third in the standings for the third straight year. By then, Cheever had become a Suzuka specialist, with seven of his ten wins in Japanese F3000 coming at this track since 1991.

After his first prototype experience in 1987, Cheever returned to a Toyota seat with Dome in 1989, which included a 24 Hour of Le Mans run that ended in an early retirement due to an engine failure. In the summer of 1992, Cheever dovetailed his F3000 season with his Indy Car debut for A. J. Foyt Enterprises in 1992, racing against his brother Eddie. He finished 11th in his debut at Portland, but suffered mechanical failures at Milwaukee and Cleveland, crashed at Road America early in the race and withdrew from the Vancouver event due to a crash in practice.

Cheever returned to the cockpit in 2000 as a test driver for Eddie's Cheever Racing, to help in their transition to Infiniti engines in the Indy Racing League. He was entered in a second Cheever Racing car for the Indianapolis 500 and completed rookie orientation. However, he was withdrawn by the team before Pole Day, as Eddie claimed that his crash during Opening Day had left the team without "the necessary resources to field a first-class effort for the car". Ross had only taken part in a single practice day, four days before being pulled out, and brushed the wall in an incident between Turns 1 and 2.

Racing record

Complete New Zealand Grand Prix results

YearTeamCarQualifyingMain race
1985 John Brandon Team Ralt RT4/85 / Ford BDD 3rd1st
1986 Ralt Australia Ralt RT4/85 / Ford BDD ?1st

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

YearTeamCarQualifyingMain race
1984 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Valour RacingRalt RT3 - Volkswagen14thDNF
1985 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Valour RacingRalt RT30 - Volkswagen?DNF
1987 Flag of Japan.svg Funaki RacingRalt RT30 - Toyota?13th

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(key)

YearEntrant1234567891011DCPoints
1986 Eddie Jordan Racing SIL VAL PAU SPA IMO MUG PER ÖST BIR
DNQ
BUG JAR NC0

Complete Japanese Formula 3 results

(key)

YearTeamEngine12345678910DCPts
1987Funaki Racing Toyota SUZ
4
TSU
1
FUJ
2
SUZ
1
SUG
1
SEN
15
MIN
2
TSU
4
SUZ
3
SUZ
1
1st122

Complete Japanese Formula 3000 results

(key)

YearEntrant123456789101112DCPoints
1987 Dome SUZ FUJ
9
MIN
Ret
SUZ SUZ SUG
Ret
FUJ SUZ
13
SUZ 17th2
1988 Dome SUZ
6
FUJ
8
MIN
12
SUZ
Ret
SUG
14
FUJ
6
SUZ
5
SUZ
Ret
9th4
1989 Dome SUZ
11
FUJ
1
MIN
1
SUZ
2
SUG
Ret
FUJ
10
SUZ
2
SUZ
12
2nd30
1990 Dome SUZ
2
FUJ
DNS
MIN
Ret
SUZ
Ret
SUG
6
FUJ
Ret
FUJ
6
SUZ
Ret
FUJ
10
SUZ
Ret
8th8
1991 Team LeMans SUZ
Ret
AUT
Ret
FUJ
12
MIN
Ret
SUZ
11
SUG
1
FUJ
Ret
FUJ
C
SUZ
1
FUJ
C
SUZ
1
FUJ
Ret
2nd27
1992 Team LeMans SUZ
1
FUJ
Ret
MIN
Ret
SUZ
2
AUT
13
SUG
3
FUJ
17
FUJ
2
SUZ
DNS
FUJ
6
SUZ
4
3rd29
1993 Promise & Reynard SUZ
1
FUJ
Ret
MIN
4
SUZ
9
AUT
C
SUG
3
FUJ
C
FUJ
12
SUZ
1
FUJ
7
SUZ
2
3rd31
1994 Team LeMans SUZ
1
FUJ
3
MIN
5
SUZ
2
SUG
4
FUJ
7
SUZ
1
FUJ
Ret
FUJ
Ret
SUZ
7
3rd33

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearClassNoTyresCarTeamCo-DriversLapsPos.Class
Pos.
1989 C136 B Toyota 89C-V
Toyota R32V 3.2L Turbo V8
Flag of Japan.svg Toyota Team Tom's Flag of Japan.svg Hitoshi Ogawa
Flag of Italy.svg Paolo Barilla
45DNFDNF

American open–wheel racing results

(key)

Indy Lights

YearTeamSeries12345678910RankPoints
1986 Brian Stewart Racing ARS PHX1MILMEATORPOCMDO
3
ROA
4
LS
15
PHX2MIA14th33

CART

YearTeam12345678910111213141516RankPointsRef
1992 A. J. Foyt Enterprises SRF PHXLBH INDY DETPOR
11
MIL
20
NHATORMISCLE
25
ROA
25
VAN
Wth
MDONAZLS32nd2 [1]

Indy Racing League

YearTeam123456789RankPointsRef
2000 Team Cheever WDWPHXLVS INDY
Wth
TXSPPIRATLKTYTX2NC [2]

References

  1. "Ross Cheever – 1992 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  2. "Ross Cheever – 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Winner of the New Zealand Grand Prix
1985 and 1986
Succeeded by
Preceded by All-Japan Formula Three
Champion

1987
Succeeded by