Vitor Meira Plans To Attend His First IndyCar Race since Indy 500 Accident


MIAMI July 2, 2009—Indy car driver Vitor Meira will attend his first IndyCar Series race this weekend since sustaining two broken lower vertebrae in his terrifying accident in the Indianapolis 500 in May. Meira arrives at Watkins Glen (NY) International Friday afternoon.


“The reason I want to go to Watkins Glen is first of all to be with the team, with ABC Supply and A.J. Foyt Racing,” said Meira in a telephone interview from his home in Key Biscayne, Fla. earlier today. “They’ve been giving me a lot of support since the accident and most of all, they’re all my friends and I want to be with them. Second of all, to be at the race track, that’s where I always want to be and that’s where I love to be. I don’t want to be at home if I can be at the race track. If I have to choose, I’m definitely going to be at the race track.”


Meira plans to help the ABC Supply Racing team in any way he can once he’s at the beautiful 3.4-mile road course which is located in New York’s Southern Finger Lakes Region.


“I’ll probably go around the track and watch some cars with a stopwatch and take some times and take notes on some different lines so I can keep Ryan updated on what people are doing out there,” Meira explained. “I’ll do whatever else the team asks me to do but I’m just not going to be very good changing tires and fueling…the rest I will do!”


When asked if he ever had to watch someone else drive ‘his’ race car, Meira responded quickly, “Never. It’s very weird,” and then added with a chuckle, “Well, it’s not my race car, I’m just driving A.J.’s race car but it was planned for me to be there. But it is different. It makes you appreciate a little more the opportunities you have.”


Meira has just returned from a 10-day trip to his native Brazil where he was visiting his family and checking in with his personal physician. “I had some business things there to sort out that I didn’t have to do, but it would be good to do since I had the time,” Meira said. “And I saw my family and my family doctor to keep everybody abreast…not to get a second opinion because I value Dr. Trammell’s opinion but I just wanted to let my family doctor know how I was. It kept me busy a little bit.”


Meira plans to be a frequent spectator at the races but will not attend the upcoming Canadian races because he would need to get a visa. “It’s a lot of paperwork just to go watch a race,” he explained.


Defending race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay starts practicing in the No. 14 ABC Supply Indy car Saturday morning with qualifying for the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen taking place that afternoon. The race will be broadcast live on ABC-TV this Sunday afternoon starting at 1 pm EDT.