Alessandro Nannini`s helicopter accident opened the door for Moreno to partner his long time friend Nelson Piquet at Benetton for the last two races of the 1990 F1 season. In their first race together, the Japanese GP, Moreno ran second to Piquet and they shared a joyous podium afterward.
Photo: Paul Kooyman
Roberto Moreno enjoyed a productive career in the upper levels of professional motor sport even though his accomplishments may not have matched his talent or his promise. Like a number of young South Americans of his generation, Moreno realized that if he were to make a go of his racing career, he needed to go to England and immerse himself in the culture there. With only his talent and the will to succeed, he still contested 75 Grands Prix—most with lower-echelon teams—but scored a fine 2nd-place finish on his debut for Benetton in Japan in 1990, then quickly lost that ride to an emergent Michael Schumacher. Elsewhere, he won the Australian Grand Prix (for Formula Atlantic/Pacific) three times, drove IMSA for Dan Gurney, chased Michael Andretti to the 1983 U.S. Atlantic title, won the 1988 Formula 3000 championship, raced at Indianapolis then won Indycar races at Cleveland and Vancouver, and was a development driver for Ferrari. VR’s Mike Jiggle recently spoke with the Brazilian about the highlights of his career.
Roberto Moreno Photo: Mike Jiggle
As a Brazilian, where did your racing career start? Was it in karts?
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