da Matta family grateful for support.

Cristiano da Matta's family arrived at his bedside in the Theda Clark Medical Centre over the weekend, ready to monitor his slow recovery from head injuries sustained in a testing accident at Road America last week.

The Brazilian remains in intensive care at the Wisconsin facility, where he was taken after his RuSPORT Lola collided with a deer on track at the Elkhart Lake circuit last Thursday. Following emergency surgery, da Matta's slow recovery is being supervised by Randall R Johnson of the Neuroscience Group of North-east Wisconsin, who has reassured the family that the former Champ Car champion's condition is progressing positively.

"We have been fully briefed about Cristiano's condition, and the hospital staff has been providing us with frequent updates," the family - comprising da Matta?EUR(TM)s father, mother, two brothers and girlfriend - revealed in a statement issued on Sunday.

"We are very happy with the care that Cristiano is receiving here, and we are confident that he is getting the best care possible. We will continue to stay here with Cristiano for the foreseeable future, based on his recovery. The entire family would like to thank everyone for the tremendous outpouring of support we have received since Cristiano's accident, and continue to receive. Cristiano would appreciate it, and we know it will help him get through his recovery process."

The family has been joined in its vigil by RuSPORT president Jeremy Dale, who confirmed earlier in the week that da Matta's car has been withdrawn from this weekend's Grand Prix of Denver.