Daniel de Paula Pessoa Maia was one of the three sons of Roberto Fiuza Maia and Paula Pessoa Maia. He was born and raised in Fortaleza, and studied at Colégio Santo Inácio and Colégio Christus, two of the most renowned schools of the Ceará capital. Daniel obtained a degree in Law and a master's degree in Real Estate Law. He worked as an officer at Pergentino Maia Registry and Notary in Fortaleza.
The weekend of 27 and 28 November 2010 marked the end of season for the various series sanctioned by the Ceará State Car Racing Federation. Oddly, the race kept its original "6ª Etapa" denomination, even though it was the fifth round of the schedule. The Fórmula V 1.8 cars, which did not compete on Saturday, were the second group to hit the track the next day, when the program included five race. This event was surrounded by much expectation: although Pimentel was the clear favorite to grab his fourth title in as many years, Daniel, Tibúrcio Frota and Thiago Barbosa fought closely for the runner-up position in the classification table. Maia, in an upswing, was excited about his prospects and turned quick laps in qualifying, leading Pimentel to emphasize .
The green lights shone at 11h00. Pimentel, who started in the pole position, took the helm of the race and completed the first lap ahead of the other drivers. Maia followed in second place, driving at the limit of the car in an attempt to close the gap to Pimentel. At the conclusion of the second lap Maia's dark blue car went wide at the exit of the last turn, the left-hander Curva Dirce. Pimentel, who witnessed the scene on his rear view mirror, said that Maia entered "very hot in the turn, in high speed. He was in second place and really wanted to win". Daniel's AR run over the external kerb at the entrance of the start/finish straight and oversteered, before shooting across the track while spinning ninety degrees. The car then crashed, in a T-bone fashion, against the leading edge of the pit wall entrance, which was protected by three rows of tyres put together with ropes. The impact, right at the cockpit, happened at no more than 100 km/h; Maia's number 20 car car stopped suddenly, becoming wedged against the tyres that remained in place. The single seater was extensively damaged but the cockpit remained relatively intact.
Maia lost consciousness upon crashing. He was quickly extricated from the vehicle by the circuit medical team and by a team of firefighters and transported by ambulance to the Edmilson Barros Oliveira Distrital Hospital (known as Frotinha de Messejana Hospital), the closest to the track. Sadly, though, Maia was declared dead before arrival at that clinic. The race was interrupted and all other events included in the meeting program were cancelled when Maia's passing was announced, an hour after the crash.
R.I.P
