🇧🇷 Celso Neto

Celso Neto is a semi-professional racing driver currently competing in IMSA's Pilot Challenge series. His rating of 3,641 places him among competitive amateurs and early-stage professionals; he finishes on average in fifth place across all his starts, a respectable position but one that reflects the gap between his own pace and the stronger drivers he regularly encounters. Over four seasons from 2023 to 2026, Neto has accumulated 37 starts across two main categories: six wins and 13 podiums in TC America with Skip Barber Racing, and three podiums from 17 IMSA starts without a victory. He won once in a single TC appearance in 2023.[1]

The calibre of Neto's competition tells the fuller story. His most frequent rivals are established professionals rated in the 4,200 to 4,400 range, including several national champions and drivers graded Silver or Gold by the FIA. Against Denis Dupont, Mark Wilkins, Karl Wittmer, Preston Brown, Harry Gottsacker and Tyler Gonzalez, Neto has a losing record in shared races, finishing ahead of each between four and six times across 16 meetings but consistently finishing behind them. He has on isolated occasions beaten stronger drivers including Yuichi Nakayama and Kenton Koch, both rated in the 5,200 to 5,300 range and among the top tier of endurance racing, though these remain single results rather than sustained patterns. Neto's success has come primarily in the TC America field, where he has established himself as a podium regular for Skip Barber Racing, which has fielded him in 14 of his 37 starts. His move to IMSA's Pilot Challenge with Stallion Motorsports from 2024 onwards places him in a considerably stronger endurance field, where he has struggled to break through to the podium in his first 17 attempts.