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Da Matta remains in critical condition

Cristiano da Matta continues to recover from the serious head injury he incurred following a high speed shunt at Road America yesterday

He remains in the critical care unit of Theda Clark Memorial Hospital in Neenah, Wisconsin, and is being constantly monitored.

Da Matta suffered a subdural hematoma - bleeding between the brain and the skull - to the right side of his head.

The 32-year-old Brazilian struck a deer at a 130mph part of the 4.048-mile course. Skidmarks on the track indicate da Matta saw the deer as he came over the crest of the hill approaching Turn 6, and RuSPORT engineers have revealed he had got down to 90mph but could not avoid the animal, which struck his crash helmet.

The RuSPORT car swerved right and had a side-on impact with the concrete wall just after the bridge, and slid along it, crossing the gravel trap at Turn 6 before relatively gently hitting the tyre wall.

The Champ Car Safety Team were on the scene within 40 seconds and found da Matta unconscious.

Da Matta was not taken to the Champ Car Medical Center but was instead airlifted straight from the scene and taken to Theda Clark.

Close friends and colleagues Bruno Junqueira and Oriol Servia are reported to be at his bedside in intensive care and are expected to be joined by Tony Kanaan and Christian Fittipaldi.

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