Gualter Salles (Niterói, September 28, 1970) is a former Brazilian auto racing driver.

Gualter Salles during the World Series of Poker 2008.
Track record in motorsports[]
Kart, passage through Europe, Indy Lights and CART He took his first steps in auto racing in 1987, driving go-karts. Later, in single-seaters, he raced in small European categories and also in the Indy Lights in the USA.
Between 1997 and 2000, he competed regularly in CART (future Champ Car), for the Davis Racing, Payton/Coyne, Bettenhausen All-American Racers, and Dale Coyne teams, taking a career break in 2001.
He returned to CART, in its last moments under that denomination, in 2003, for the same Dale Coyne team. With this team, Gualter got his best result in the category: a sixth place in Australia, his last race in CART, which would be called Champ Car the following year.
IRL[]
In 1999, Gualter Salles raced his only race in the IRL (current IndyCar Series), for the Tri-Star Motorsports team. It was at the Walt Disney World GP, where he finished in 23rd place.
Stock Car[]
In 2003, Gualter became a driver and owner of his own team in Stock Car Brazil, one year after entering the category, for which he competed until 2007, the year he retired as a driver.
Accidents[]
In six Stock Car seasons, Gualter had two serious accidents: one in Campo Grande, where his car spun out at the start and he ran over a photographer who was in an unpermitted position. When he saw the photographer dead, he cried.
Another accident - the most serious of his career - happened in Buenos Aires, in 2006: his car spun, and when it was catapulted over an overhang in the grass, it rolled over so violently that it disintegrated at the same moment, falling soon after into a ditch. Despite the violence of the accident, he escaped with only a bruised arm.
Results[]
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 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Davis Racing | Reynard 97i | Ford XD V8t | MIA 15 |
SRF 24 |
LBH 18 |
NZR 24 |
RIO 19 |
STL 12 |
MIL 22 |
DET 21 |
POR 23 |
CLE 19 |
TOR 18 |
MIS 10 |
MDO 20 |
ROA 13 |
VAN 26 |
LS 7 |
FON 14 |
20th | 10 | |||
1998 | Payton/Coyne Racing | Reynard 98i | Ford XD V8t | MIA | MOT 12 |
LBH 13 |
NZR | RIO 20 |
STL | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR 21 |
MIS | MDO 23 |
ROA 17 |
VAN | LS | HOU | SRF | FON | 28th | 1 | |
1999 | Payton/Coyne Racing | Reynard 98i | Ford XD V8t | MIA | MOT | LBH 27 |
NZR | 26th | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
Bettenhausen Racing | Mercedes-Benz IC108E V8t | RIO 17 |
STL | MIL | SRF 10 |
FON | |||||||||||||||||||
All American Racers | Eagle 997 | Toyota RV8D V8t | POR 27 |
CLE 13 |
ROA 20 |
TOR 25 |
MIS 15 |
DET 11 |
MDO 18 |
CHI | VAN | LS | HOU | ||||||||||||
2000 | Dale Coyne Racing | Lola B2K/00 | Ford XF V8t | MIA 20 |
LBH 22 |
RIO 14 |
MOT | NZR Rpl |
MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | CHI 22 |
MDO 23 |
ROA 20 |
VAN | LS | STL | HOU | SRF | FON | 30th | 0 |
2003 | Dale Coyne Racing | Lola B02/00 | Ford XFE V8t | STP | MTY | LBH | BRH | LAU | MIL 13 |
LS | POR 18 |
CLE 17 |
TOR | VAN DNS |
ROA 11 |
MDO 17 |
MTL 12 |
DEN 18 |
MIA | MXC 15 |
SRF 6 |
FON NH |
19th | 11 |
Indy Racing League[]
Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Tri-Star Motorsports | Dallara IR9 | Oldsmobile Aurora V8 | WDW 23 |
PHX | CLT | INDY | TXS | PPIR | ATL | DOV | PPI2 | LVS | TX2 | 44th | 7 |
Poker trajectory[]
He was a professional poker player, participating in online and live tournaments in Brazil and around the world.
In 2012, after five years as a professional with Team PokerStars, Salles announced his resignation to keep his focus fully on his Stock Car team. [1]
Main results[]
Year | Local | Torneio | Entry (Buy-in) | Position | Award |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Online Tounament | PokerStars: WCOOP 2nd Chance 62: No Limit Hold'em | $1.050 | 2º | $103.480 |
2008 | United States | Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker - No Limit Hold'em | $5.000 | 5º | $64.485 |
2010 | United States | WSOP - Main Event - No Limit Hold'em | $10.000 | 117º | $57.102 |
2009 | United States | WSOP - Event 24 - No Limit Hold'em | $1.500 | 12º | $51.755 |
2008 | London | EPT - Main Event - No Limit Hold'em | £5.200 | 14º | $47.795 |