1974 - Drove Formula Fords.
Racing Career:
A veteran of 132 Grand Prix's since his first F1 ride in 1978. Won Italian and European Karting championships at age 15. Graduated to Formula Fords at age 16. As teenager in European Formula Three competition raced with team mate Danny Sullivan for Team Modus in England winning four of eleven starts.
1974 - Drove Formula Fords.
1977-79 - Ran Formula Two with Ron Dennis' Project 4 Team.
1980 - Started ten F1 events with Osella-Ford team, but failed to score
chapionship points.
1981 - Moved to Tyrrell-Ford F1 team. Scored five point paying finishes.
Eleventh overall in championship standings.
1982 - Finished second in Detroit F1 Grand Prix with Ligier-Matra team. Scored
three other point paying finishes, ranked twelfth overall.
1983 - Best F1 season of career finishing sixth overall. Scored six point paying
finishes including a second at Canadian Grand Prix in Renault Turbo.
1984 - Switched to Alfa Romeo Turbo F1 team. Ranked sixteenth with three
points.
1985 - Returned to Alfa Romeo team but failed to score point paying finish.
1986 - Drove for Arciero at Miami in first career Indy effort - qualifying eleventh
but crashing on lap two. Last minute replacement for injured Patrick tambay in Detroit F1
Grand Prix driving Lola Ford for owner Carl Haas.
1987-88 - Won seven World Sportscar Championship races for Jaguar. Also
drove for Arrows-Megatron F1 team. Was tenth in 1987 F1 standings.
1989 - Finished third in inaugural Phenix USGP for Arrows-Ford. Ranked
eleventh in points.
1990 - In Indy Cars scored two podium finishes- thirds at Detroit and Toronto to
claim Rookie of the Year honours. Finished seventh at Phoenix in his first oval race. As
Indy Rookie of the Year, qualified fourteenth and finished eighth. Fourth at Marlboro 500
at Michigan. Nine Top Ten finishes in seventeen starts.
1991 - After qualifying second in Australia was involved in a crash with Al Unser
Jr and mario Andretti- unhurt. Third at Long Beach for best finish of the year. Finished
ninth in PPG Cup points with twelve Top Ten finishes.
1992 - New Ford-Cosworth proved fast for Cheever, qualifying second at Indy,
third at Michigan and New England. Best finish was second at Phoenix.
1993 - Started five races for Turley Motorsports, with a best finish of seventh at
Australia. Started one race, Elkhart Lake, for Dick Simon finishing sixth. Ran for
Budweiser King Racing in final three events of the year.
1994 - Finished eighth at Indianapolis for Team Menard. replaced injured Bryan
Herta at A.J.Foyt Racing for the final seven races of the season. Due to mechanical
problems his only finishes came at Mid-Ohio and vancouver.
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