The condition of Champ Car World Series driver Cristiano da Matta continues to significantly improve. Da Matta was injured after colliding with a deer that ran onto the track near Turn Six at Road America in Elkhart Lake, during a Champ Car Open Test on August 3, and has been recovering at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wisconsin since then.

Champ Car Medical Director Dr. Chris Pinderski flew back to Theda Clark today, for an update on the condition of da Matta and to visit with the da Matta family.

"Cristiano has made excellent progress in the past several days," said Pinderski. "Although he is still somewhat confused, he is now conversational in both English and Portuguese. Additionally, he has started to walk on his own for short periods of time with minimal assistance. We anticipate that Cristiano will be ready to make the transition to a rehabilitation setting next week."

RuSPORT