For 1994, Ribeiro moved to the U.S. and entered Indy Lights with Tasman Motorsports alongside Steve Robertson. Robertson beat Ribeiro to the Lights crown, but the Brazilian still impressed with four wins and four poles and runner-up in the championship.
That earned Ribeiro a ride with Tasman in CART Indy cars in 1995 and although the early Honda unit struggled for reliability in the back of Tasman’s singleton Reynard, a fourth place at Road America was encouraging and then at the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ribeiro took pole and drove Honda to its first Indy car win.
The racing world is paying tribute to Ribeiro on Sunday.