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Matt Rao

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Matt Rao
Rao in 2017
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born (1994-05-03) 3 May 1994 (age 32)
Toulouse, France
Categorisation FIA Silver
Championship titles
2012British Formula Ford Championship – Duratec

Matthew Kiran Rao (born 3 May 1994) is a British-Indian racing driver who last competed for Signatech Alpine Matmut and CEFC Manor TRS Racing in the LMP2 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2017.

Personal life

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Rao is the son of Indian-born British businessman Dr. Martin Kiran Rao, who worked at Airbus as the company's Executive Vice President of Strategy and Marketing.[1] Rao's brother James (1992–2014), also worked in the aviation industry, serving as a commercial airline pilot for Safi Airways until his death in April 2014 due to cancer.[2]

Career

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Rao began his single-seater career in 2011 by competing in the British Formula Ford Championship for Fluid Motorsport, finishing runner-up in the Scholarship class.[3] Returning to the series for the following year,[4] Rao secured the Duratec title with four wins and nine other podiums to his name.[5] Towards the end of 2012, Rao also raced for Hillspeed in the last round of the Formula Renault BARC main series and the two-round Winter Series.[6][7]

Rao driving for Fortec in Formula 3 at Spa in 2015.

Stepping up to full-time Formula Renault competition in 2013, Rao remained with Hillspeed to compete in the Protyre Formula Renault Championship.[8] In his only season in the series, Rao scored a best result of third in race three at Snetterton en route to a 15th-place points finish at the end of the year.[9] At the start of the following year, Rao joined Giles Motorsport to compete in the New Zealand–based Toyota Racing Series,[10] in which he took a best result of fifth in race one at Hampton Downs to take 14th in the overall standings.[11] The following year, Rao joined Fortec Motorsport to compete in the British Formula 3 International Series.[12] After scoring his first win of the season at Rockingham and winning at Snetterton,[13][14] Rao won again at Thruxton and the final two Donington Park races to secure runner-up honours in points behind Martin Cao.[15][16] At the end of the year, Rao took part in the GP3 Series post-season tests at Yas Marina for Carlin.[17]

Rao made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in 2016 for Manor's LMP2 team.

Remaining with Fortec for 2015, Rao raced with them in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship,[18] in which he failed to score a point and took a best result of 14th at both the Hockenheimring and Spa.[19] At the end of the year, Rao partook in the FIA World Endurance Championship rookie test in Bahrain for Signatech Alpine's LMP2 squad.[20] In 2016, Rao made the full-time switch to sportscars, as he joined Manor to compete in the LMP2 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship.[21] Dabbling between the team's No. 44 and No. 45 entries,[22] Rao scored his only podium of the season at the 6 Hours of Spa with Roberto Merhi and Richard Bradley, as well as helping Alex Lynn secure pole position at the 6 Hours of Shanghai.[23][24]

Continuing in the WEC for 2017, Rao joined Signatech Alpine Matmut in the team's No. 36 car to partner Gustavo Menezes, Nicolas Lapierre and Romain Dumas.[25] Racing with the team through the first four rounds, Rao finished third at the 6 Hours of Nürburgring before parting ways with the team.[26][27] Rao saw out the rest of the season with CEFC Manor TRS Racing,[28] finishing third on his return at the 6 Hours of Mexico alongside Ben Hanley and Jean-Éric Vergne, and took seventh in the LMP2 standings.[29]

Racing record

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Racing career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2011 British Formula Ford Championship – Scholarship Fluid Motorsport 11 1 0 0 9 243 2nd
Formula Ford Festival 1 0 0 0 0 N/a DNF
2012 British Formula Ford Championship Fluid Motorsport Development 23 0 0 0 0 118 10th
British Formula Ford Championship – Duratec 4 9 6 13 515 1st
Dutch Formula Ford Championship 4 0 0 0 0 30 21st
Formula Renault BARC Hillspeed 2 0 0 0 0 6 32nd
Formula Renault BARC Winter Series 2 0 0 0 0 11 20th
2013 Protyre Formula Renault Championship Hillspeed 14 0 0 0 1 128 15th
2014 Toyota Racing Series Giles Motorsport 15 0 0 0 0 394 14th
British Formula 3 International Series Fortec Motorsport 21 5 3 7 15 283 2nd
2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship Fortec Motorsports 33 0 0 0 0 0 29th
2016 FIA World Endurance Championship – LMP2 Manor 9 0 1 0 1 33 17th
24 Hours of Le Mans – LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 N/a DNF
2017 FIA World Endurance Championship – LMP2 Signatech Alpine Matmut 4 0 0 0 1 100 7th
CEFC Manor TRS Racing 5 0 0 0 1
24 Hours of Le Mans – LMP2 Signatech Alpine Matmut 1 0 0 0 0 N/a 8th
Sources:[30][31]

Complete Protyre Formula Renault Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pos Points
2013 Hillspeed DON
1
8		 DON
2
8		 SNE
1
14		 SNE
2
17		 SNE
3
3		 THR
1
9		 THR
2
7		 THR
3
DNS		 CRO
1
8		 CRO
2
Ret		 CRO
3
Ret		 ROC
1
10		 ROC
2
10		 ROC
3
Ret		 SIL
1
Ret		 SIL
2
DNS		 15th 128

Complete Toyota Racing Series results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pos Points
2014 Giles Motorsport TER
1
14		 TER
2
20		 TER
3
15		 TIM
1
10		 TIM
2
Ret		 TIM
3
13		 HIG
1
14		 HIG
2
8		 HIG
3
12		 HMP
1
5		 HMP
2
10		 HMP
3
9		 MAN
1
18		 MAN
2
19		 MAN
3
10		 14th 394

Complete British Formula 3 International Series results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 DC Points
2014 Fortec Motorsport ROC
1
Ret		 ROC
2
4		 ROC
3
1		 SIL
1
5		 SIL
2
Ret		 SIL
3
3		 SNE
1
3		 SNE
2
1		 SNE
3
3		 SPA
1
8		 SPA
2
6		 SPA
3
4		 THR
1
2		 THR
2
2		 THR
3
1		 BRH
1
4		 BRH
2
2		 BRH
3
3		 DON
1
3		 DON
2
1		 DON
3
1		 2nd 283

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 DC Points
2015 Fortec Motorsports Mercedes SIL
1
Ret		 SIL
2
22		 SIL
3
Ret		 HOC
1
14		 HOC
2
16		 HOC
3
31		 PAU
1
19		 PAU
2
24		 PAU
3
19		 MNZ
1
16		 MNZ
2
15		 MNZ
3
EX		 SPA
1
23		 SPA
2
14		 SPA
3
Ret		 NOR
1
23		 NOR
2
21		 NOR
3
Ret		 ZAN
1
22		 ZAN
2
23		 ZAN
3
27		 RBR
1
25		 RBR
2
31		 RBR
3
25		 ALG
1
25		 ALG
2
Ret		 ALG
3
21		 NÜR
1
22		 NÜR
2
18		 NÜR
3
Ret		 HOC
1
23		 HOC
2
28		 HOC
3
18		 29th 0

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rank Points
2016 Manor LMP2 Oreca 05 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 SIL
6		 SPA
3		 LMS
Ret		 NÜR
Ret		 MEX
Ret		 COA
Ret		 FUJ
7		 SHA
9		 BHR
10		 17th 33
2017 Signatech Alpine Matmut LMP2 Alpine A470 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SIL
4		 SPA
5		 LMS
5		 NÜR
3		 7th 100
CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 MEX
3		 COA
6		 FUJ
5		 SHA
9		 BHR
6

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2016 United Kingdom Manor Thailand Tor Graves
Spain Roberto Merhi		 Oreca 05-Nissan LMP2 283 DNF DNF
2017 France Signatech Alpine Matmut France Romain Dumas
United States Gustavo Menezes		 Alpine A470-Gibson LMP2 351 10th 8th

References

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  1. ↑ "About Us". blueskiesconsultants.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "About James". jamesraodream.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  3. ↑ Paice, Simon (10 October 2011). "Formula Ford Seasons Ends In Symmetry". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  4. ↑ McErlean, Paul (16 May 2012). "BRANDS BATTLE LOOMS FOR FORMULA FORD MEN". brscc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  5. ↑ McErlean, Paul (25 March 2013). "FORMULA FORD ON TRACK FOR A SOLID START". brscc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Paice, Simon (18 October 2012). "Formula Renault BARC Winter Series Preview". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Paice, Simon (1 December 2012). "2012 Formula Renault BARC Season Review". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Price, Simon (13 February 2013). "Rao Remains With Hillspeed For Full Renault Campaign". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "MacLeod Takes Maiden Formula Renault Win As Middlehurst Extends Series Lead". racecar.com. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Thompson, Eric (10 January 2014). "Motorsport: Young guns ready for action in Toyota Racing Series". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (1 February 2014). "Mardenborough takes points lead with Hampton Downs victory". formulascout.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  12. ↑ Simmons, Marcus (15 January 2014). "Matt Rao first UK driver to commit to 2014 British F3 with Fortec". autosport.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Mitchell, Scott (5 May 2014). "Matt Rao takes maiden British F3 win at Rockingham". autosport.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Allen, Peter (22 June 2014). "Rao inherits Snetterton race two win after contact ahead". formulascout.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (17 August 2014). "Rao denies Cao a hat-trick at Thruxton". formulascout.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Thomas, Stella-Maria; Waite, Lynne (14 September 2014). "Rao wins race but Cao takes title at Donington". motorsport.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Borgo, Marco (29 November 2014). "GP3 | Test Abu Dhabi, Day 3: Ghiotto e Fuoco davanti a tutti". formulapassion.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Matt Rao remains with Fortec in FIAF3". formularapida.net. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Allen, Peter (1 May 2015). "Giovinazzi notches up first win of 2015 to extend European F3 lead". formulascout.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  20. ↑ Rolland, Emmanuel (13 November 2015). "La liste complète des pilotes du Rookie Test à Bahreïn dévoilée". motorsport.com (in French). Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  21. ↑ Goodwin, Graham (7 March 2016). "Matt Rao Joins Manor For 2016 FIA WEC". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  22. ↑ Dagys, John (18 May 2016). "Shakeup in Manor Driver Lineup for 24H Le Mans". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Goodwin, Graham (9 May 2016). "11 Things You May Have Missed From The 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  24. ↑ Colombo, Diletta (5 November 2016). "WEC 2016, 6 Ore di Shanghai: pole per Porsche". automoto.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "Les équipages Signatech-Alpine Matmut dévoilés..." endurance-info.com (in French). 28 March 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  26. ↑ Dagys, John (16 July 2017). "Porsche Takes Commanding Win at Nürburgring". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  27. ↑ Dagys, John (20 July 2017). "Negrao to Replace Rao in Single-Car Signatech Alpine Entry for Mexico". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  28. ↑ "Manor TRS Racing to use new lineup for Mexico". racer.com. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  29. ↑ Dagys, John (3 September 2017). "Porsche Dominates 6H Mexico, Extends Championship Lead". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  30. ↑ "Matthew Rao Results". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  31. ↑ "Matt Rao | Racing career profile | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
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