OPEN WHEEL RACING

Sebastien Bourdais .. Champ Car, F1

2011-03-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Champ Car career

Bourdais moved to Champ Car and joined Newman-Haas Racing for the 2003 CART World series season. At his fourth race, he led 95 laps to claim his first Champ Car victory at Brands Hatch.
He had other wins at Lausitzring and Cleveland. With a runner-up finish in Mexico City, he clinched the Rookie of the Year title.

Staying with Newman-Haas for 2004, Bourdais dominated the Champ Car series with seven wins and eight poles in his McDonald's sponsored Lola. He had podium finishes in 10 of 14 event earning him the championship.

Bourdais successfully defended his Champ Car title in 2005 with five wins. That May, he finished 12th in his 1st Indy 500.

In 2006, Bourdais won a third consecutive Champ Car title. This season with wins at Long Beach, Houston, Monterry, Milwalukee and San Jose.

Bourdais won a fourth consecutive Champ Car title in 2007 with a victory at Lexmark Indy 300.

Formula One

In 2002, Bourdais got his first F1 test with the Arrows team and was signed to drive but the team went into bankruptcy. Later in the year heb tested for Renault but Tranck Montagny secured the drive.

Bourdais returned to F1 in 2007 and was given several tests with Scuderia Toro Rosso and it was announced that he would race for them in 2008 and partnering with Sebastien Vettel.

In his 1st F1 race at the Australian Grand Prix he finished 7th and received two championship points. At the Belgian Grand Prix he also finished 7th for two points.

Bourdais tested significantly for the Toro Rosso team during the winter and on February 6, 2009 it was confirmed that he would drive for a second year, partnering with rookie Sebastien Buemi. Bourdais struggled to match his inexperienced team-mate. In Spain he hit Buemi putting them both out.At the British he collided with Kovalainen once again both out.

July 16, 2009, Torro Rosso announed that Boudais would no longer be driving for the team

Sebastien Bourdais .. Early Years

2011-03-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

KARTING

Born into a racing family (his father Patrick races in touring cars, hill climbs and sports cars).

Bourdais began his racing career at the age of 10 in karts.Sebastien was part of the winning Sologne Karting team which won the 1996 24 Hour Le Mans kart race at the Circuit Alain Prost.

JUNIOR FORMULA

Bourdais progressed to single-seat racing in 1995 in the Formula Campus Championship.

He then spent two years in the French Formula Renault Championship, finishing second in points in 1997.

In 1998, he won five races to become Rookie of the Year in French F3.

He won the series outright in 1999, with eight wins and three poles.

FORMULA 3000

In 2000, Bourdais joined the Prost Junior Team in International F3000 Championship.He finished ninth in the series with one pole.

Bourdais, in 2001 moved to the DAMS team in Formula 3000 and took his first win at Silverstone.

He changed teams again for 2002, taking his Super Nova Racing car to three victories and seven poles and winning the series.

Sebastien Bourdais .. Family

2011-03-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

Sebastien Olivier Bourdais was born February 28, 1979 in Le Mans , France.

His father Patrick, born September 16, 1954 in L\' Hermitage, France was also a racer. It was he that got Sebastien involved in racing. Sebastien spent a lot of time at the race tracks.

Patrick was an eight-time Le Mans participant and endurance specialist.He won the 1991 French Renault Clio Cup Championship. He has driven Dodge Viper Competition's, Porsche 911's and Panoz Elan's.

Sebastien married Claire Ragot May 2006. They met in 1999 in Le Mans, France, started dating in 2003. The couple lived in Tampa , Florida while Claire was studying at the South Florida University. They have a daughter , Emma Camille, who was born on the 2nd , December 2006.
Claire always goes to the races with Sebastien and Emma's grand parents take care of her.

Raul Boesel .. Accolades

2011-03-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Autodromo Internacional de Curitiba, a racing circuit in Curitiba, Brazil, is officially nicknamed "Circuito Raul Boesel" in honour of his racing success.

A WORLD CHAMPION that hardly ever won

Raul Boesel .. Formula 1, World Sportscar Championship

2011-03-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

Formula 1

In 1982, Boesel drove for the March Grand Prix team.The car had a March 821 Chassis and a Cosworth V8 engine.Raul out-qualified his more experienced team-mate Jochen Mass but the car was not competitive. At the season's end Boesel had failed to score any points.

In 1983, Boesel got a ride with Ligier. This car had a Ligier JS21 Chassis and a Cosworth engine
This year he struggled with an unreliable car but he did get a seventh place finish at Long Beach.

Despite a disappointing two years in F1, he later had a promising racing career.

World Sportscar Championship

In 1987, he switched to the World Sportscar Championship with Jaguar and won the title with five victories.

He won, in 1988, the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Jaguar XJR-9, along with Martin Brundle and John Nielsen. That year he returned to CART.

In 1991, he finished second in Le Mans 24 Hours with Jaguar and again returned to Cart.

Other World Sportscar Championship cars

Raul Boesel .. Prior to Formula One

2011-03-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Family

Raul Boesel was born on December 4, 1957 in Curitiba/Parana State Brazil. He currently resides in Key Biscayne, Forida, with his wife Vera, and children Raul Filho (Jr) and Gabriela.

Karting, Stock Cars, Formula Ford and Formula 3

After spending his childhood as one of Brazil's best show jumpers, he started karting. Next came Brazils national stock car racing. To be noticed by Formula 1 teams, he relocated to Europe.

He moved to Britain in 1979 to race in Formula Ford 1600.

In 1980 entered Formula 3 and finished third in the championship.

Already, Boesel was becoming known for his ability in a race car.

John Andretti .. NASCAR

2011-03-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

1993-1999

Andretti made his Winston Cup debut in 1993 driving the #72 Tex Racing Chevy for Tex Powell, starting 31st and finishing 24th.

He began the 1994 season driving the #14 Financial World Chevy for Billy Hagan. On May 29, he became the first driver in history to race in both the Indy 500 and the Coke-Cola 600 in the same day. In the middle of the season he switched to the #43 STP Pontiac for Petty Enterprises.

In 1995, he began driving for Michael Kranefuss in the#37 Kmart/Little Caesars Ford Thunderbird. He won his 1st career pole at the Southern 500 and finished in the top-ten five times.

During the 1996 season, he switched to the #98 RCA Ford owned by Cale Yarborough. He finished in the top-ten twice.

In 1997, he scored his first career win at the Pepsi 400 and finished 23th in the points.`

He returned to the #43 Petty car in 1998 and despite not winning another race, he had ten top-tens and finished a career-best 11th in points.

He won his second career race, in 1999, at Martinsville Speedway. Also that year he won a pole at Phoenix International Raceway.

2000-2005

Midway through the 2000 season, Cheerios became Andretti's primary sponsor.

Over the next two seasons, Andretti posted three top-ten finishes before he was released midway through the 2003 season. He ran a couple of races for Haas CNC Racing and Richard Childress Racing with the remainder of the season in the #1 Pennzoil Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Andretti opened the 2004 season driving the#1 part-time for DEL but departed midway through the season. He ended the year driving the#14 Victory Brand Ford Taurus for ppc Racing.

Andretti started 2005 with ppc before the team was forced to dissolve due to lack of funding. That year he drove in four Craftsman Truck series and a handful of Cup races in the #4 Lucus Oil entry.

2006-2010

In 2006, John drove in the Busch Series, in No.10 Freedom Roads Ford Fusion. His best finish was a 5th at Watkins Glen. Other finishes 9th at Bristol, 15th at Darlington and 17th at Lowe's.

In 2007, Andretti's plans were to drive in the Busch Series for Braun Racing in a #10 FreemomRoads/camping World/RV.com. Andretti drove four races for Petty Enterprises in the #43 car, filling in for Kyle Petty. He finished the season in the #49 Dodge for BAM Racing.
In 2007, John entered in 15 events.. his best start was 7th (UAW-Ford 500) .. best finish 18th (USG Sheetrock 400).

Andretti drove for Front Row Motorsports in 2008 by driving car #34 Chevrolet Impala SS in the Sprint Cup Series. He drove in the first ten races of the season in the 34 before leaving to focus on his IndyCar team.

Andretti returned to the 34 in 2009 full-time, driving with a partnership between Front Row and Earnardt Ganassi Racing.The 34 had also sponsorship from Window World, myAutoloan.com and Taco Bell.
In 2009, John entered 35 events .. his best start was 10th (Lifelock 400) .. best finish 16th (Lenox Industrial Tools 301)

John did not have a full-time ride for 2010. Drove #34 Front Row Motorsports entry in the Budweiser Shootout, the Gatorade Duel1 and the Daytona 500.

August 2, 2009 at the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway marked Andretti's 500th professional start.

NASCAR Sprint Cup -377

NASCAR Nationwide - 37

NASCAR Camping World - 6

CART -73

IndyCar 7

John Andretti 1993-2010 NASCAR

* Earnings almost $23,000,000

                                                          * Starts - 393

                                                           * Wins - 2

                                                           * Poles - 4

                                                           * Top-Fives -13

                                                           * Top-Tens - 37

John Andretti .. IRL , INDYCar Series

2011-03-01T19:58:00.000-08:00

On May 16, 2007, it was announced that Andretti would return to the Indy 500 for the first time since 1994. He drove the third entry from Panther Racing with Camping World as the sponsor.He started in 24th on the eighth row, but crashed on lap 95, and finished 30th.

It was announced on May 10, 2008 that Andretti would replace Jay Howard in the Roth Racing #24 Dallara-Honda. John qualified 21st on the grid and finished on the lead lap in 16th place.

In April 2009 Andretti and NASCAR owner Richard Petty announced a joint venture with Dreyer and Reinhold Racing where Andretti would return to Indianapolis to drive the # 43 car in the Indy 500. He qualified 28th and finished 19th, the final car on the lead lap.

On March 31, 2010, Andretti announced that he would join forces with Richard Petty and Window World The #43 returns to the entry, which this time will be backed by Andretti Autosports, owned by John's cousin Michael. For the Indy 500, Andretti qualified 28th, crashed on lap 65 and was credited with a 30th place finish

John Andretti Endurance and Drag Racing

2011-02-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

Endurance

IMSA GTP and Rolex Sports Car Series

In 1986 Andretti drove a BMW M12 March along with co-driver Davy Jones in the IMSA Camel GT Series.

While the BMW's had limited success in IMSA competition, Andretti and Jones won the Kodak Copier 500 at Watkins Glen, September 21, 1986.

In 1989, Andretti drove the Miller High Life/BFGoodrich Porsche 962 to victory in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona along with co-driver Bob Wollek and Derek Bell.

Andretti and Wollek went on to win the 1989 IMSA Pontiac Grand Prix of Palm Beach, driving the same Porsche 962.

Andretti finished 5th in points for the 1989 IMSA season and first among the Porsche drivers.

In 2001 Andretti teamed up with Kyle Petty to win in a 6 hour sportscar race at Watkins Glen

Andretti returned to the 24 Hours of Daytona in the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2008 for Vision Racing #03 Porsche Crawford Prototype.

NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters

In 1993, John Andretti drove the Taco Bell Express Top Fuel Dragster for owner Jack Clark

He reached the semi-finals in his first national event at Atlanta and clocking a career best of 299 mph.

In Round 1, he won over 1992 Champion Joe Amato. In Round 2, he won over Tommy Johnson

In the semi-finals Andretti lost to Mike Dunn. The winner was Eddie Hill in the Pennzoil car.

John Andretti Family Versatile CART

2011-02-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Family

Born: March 12, 1963

Wife: Nancy

Children: Jarett, Olivia, Amelia

John Andretti's father, Aldo Andretti, had his racing career cut short due to two racing accidents. John has two brothers Adam and Mark who also competed in several racing series but are not as well known as John.

John, Mark and Adam are nephews of racing legend Mario Andretti (Aldo's twin), cousin of Mario's sons Michael and Jeff

John is the godson of four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt

The Andretti family became the first family to have four relatives (Mario, Michael, Jeff, John) compete in the same series (CART) in 1990, 1991 and 1992. They also had four family members competing in the Indy 500 in those years.

I attended the 1991 Toronto Molson Indy .. the following are from the Official Program

Versatile

John Andretti has won in Go-cart Racing, USAC Midgets, CART, IndyCar

NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters, Endurance Racing

and NASCAR stock car racing.

In addition has raced motorcycles and snowmobiles.

It seems that only the Formula One series has evaded John.

CART

Andretti has one win (Australia '91) and 61 top-tens in 74 career races in CART.

He joined the PPG Indy Car World Series (CART) in 1987, winning Rookie of the Year award.

In 1988, Andretti made his debut at the Indy 500, racing as high as seventh before mechanical problems forced him to finish 21st.

In 1991 he won the Gold Coast Grand Prix in Surfer's Paradise, Australia. That same year he finished a career-best fifth in the Indy 500.The next week at the Milwaukee Mile, Michael, John and Mario became the the only known family in motorsports history to finish first, second and third respectively in a major auto race.

In 1994, he became the first driver to attempt the "double" racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C. on the same day

Jeff Andretti Career Highlights

2011-02-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

As the youngest son of Indy 500, F1 and Cart Champion Mario Andretti, Jeff started his racing career in go-karts like his brother Michael, winning 21 of 43 events between 1981 and 1982.

In 1983, Jeff won both the USAC Pro Ford championship and the Skip barber Formula Ford series title

Jeff qualified for his Sports Car Club of America national license in 1984 and was named SCCA Rookie of the Year winning 6 of 13 races.

Jeff advanced to the new American racing Series in 1986 (now called Indy lights). that year Jeff earned his 1st ARS win at Pocono, the same weekend his father won the Champ Car race

In 1989, Jeff competed in the Toyota Atlantic Series, had five top-ten finishes, second place in the championship.

Jeff joined his father and brother in the Champ Car ranks in 1990, making racing history, the first time a father has competed against his two sons in a Champ Car race.

In 1991, Jeff began his first full season in champ Car competition, driving the Texaco Havoline Star In the first three races, prior to Indy 500, he had three top-tens.For the Indy 500, he qualified 11th in the 33 car field.

Jeff earned the 1991Indy 500 Rookie of the year. In winning this coveted award, Jeff followed in the footsteps of his father and brother - making it the first time that three members of the same family have achieved this level of excellence.

The 1992 season signaled Jeff's return to the Indy 500, driving for the team of legendary racer A.J. Foyt. Unfortunately, a spectacular crash ended Jeff's day on lap 109, when he lost a wheel and crashed heavily into the wall. After spending three weeks in hospital, Jeff began the long road to rehab and recovery.The accident pretty much hampered if not all together ended Jeff's racing career at least in terms of his competitiveness, since he never was the same again afterward

Jeff's Indy 500 in 1993, he finished 29th. In 1994 he blow an engine and did not qualify

In 1995 Andretti returned to racing full time with an impressive season in the Indy Lights series.

Jeff drove for Leitzinger Racing in 1996-1997, in the new North American Touring Car Series

From 1999 to 2000 Jeff competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

2010 Sao Paulo Brazil

Jeff Andretti "About ME"

2011-02-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

Jeff Andretti was born April 14, 1964, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Married Angelica, Nov. 16, 1991

Children Miranda and Isabella.

Hobbies: fishing, tennis, video games.

Favorite Music: Rock

Favorite Vacation spot: the Andretti Lake

Favorite Food: Japanese

Best advise from his father, Mario Andretti: "Give 100 % in whatever you do"

Most memorable racing weekend: 1986 Pocono, where Jeff won the Indy Lights race and Mario won the 500 the next day.

Jeff's advise to young drivers: "Be disciplined and stay focused on your driving."

The Michael Andretti Foundation

2011-02-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

Founded in 2003, the Michael Andretti Foundation was formed after the retirement of Michael. His retirement from full-time driving provides him the opportunity to generously help others along the way with the support of the racing community, including drivers, teams, sponsors and fans. It allows his legacy the chance to help the charitable purposes of others.

Through donations, sponsorships and fundraising events, the Michael Andretti foundation distributes funds to qualified non-profit organizations that share in the mission of the foundation.

The Michael Andretti Foundation Mission Statement
"This foundation was established to focus national resources on people who have shown need and to help promote programs for better health, education and welfare of all American's children and citizens"

INDIANAPOLIS 500 1991

Michael Andretti Personal Life Andretti Family

2011-02-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

Personal Life

Marriages -
                    1st to Sandra Spinozzi (1985 - 1996), son Marco and daughter Marissa

                    2nd Leslie Wood (1997 - 2004), son Lucca

                    3rd engaged to former Miss Oregon Teen USA,1994, model, actress and 2000 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jodi Ann Paterson and married October 7,2006.

Andretti Family

The listing of $3.4 million was in January 2008. His sister Barbara is the listing agent and said Michael has several other homes and will always have a Nazareth connection.

Michael's other homes include a property in downtown Indianapolis, where his son Marco lives, a residence in Miami Beach and several investment properties.

Michael is from the famous Andretti racing family. His brother Jeff competed in IndyCar. Michael's uncle Aldo Andretti (Mario's twin brother) was an open wheel racer until an accident ended his career.

Aldo's son John (Michael's cousin) raced in IndyCar before he became a NASCAR regular. 2010 was his 10th Indy 500. That year he drove # 43 with Richard Petty's sponsorship in the Andretti Autosports fifth car

Aldo's other sons Adam and Mark were racecar drivers

The Andretti family became the first family to have four relatives in the same series (CART)

Michael Andretti Semi-Retire,Team Owner, Indy

2011-02-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Semi-Retirement

After competing in the 2003 Indy 500, Andretti retired from full-time IndyCar racing. He led the race for 28 of the opening 94 laps before a throttle linkage failure put him out of contention once again.

Team Owner

In 2003, he bought into the "Team Green" squad run by brothers Kim and Barry Green in CART.

It became Andretti Green racing and for 2004 the team moved to the Indy Racing League IndyCar series. That year, Tony Kanaan won the 2004 IndyCar Championship for Andretti Green.

In 2005, Dan Wheldon won the Indy 500 and the Championship for the team.

2007, saw Dario Franchitti win the Indy 500 and the IndyCar Series title for AGR.

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Andretti Autosports

Return to Racing at Indy

Andretti returned to the driver's seat for the 2006 Indy 500 in a one-time effort to assist the development of his son, Marco, an IndyCar rookie for the '06 season.

Michael led the race with four laps to go, before falling a second behind Marco, a lap later. Michael finished 3rd, Marco 2nd with Sam Hornish Jr the winner.

After qualifying his car in11th place for the 2007 Indy 500, Andretti went on to finish 13th. He then announced that this would be his last Indy 500 as a driver

Michael Andretti F1 CART Sports Cars

2011-02-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

Formula One

After his 1991 CART title win, Andretti joined the McLaren Formula One team in 1993, alongside the triple World Champion Ayrton Senna. Unfortunately the season was not a success. A string of collisions meant that he only completed three laps in the first three races.

He never fully got to grips with F1 cars. By commuting to races and test sessions from the USA further contributed to his lack of success in F1.

Three points-scoring finishes, including a third at Monza, were perceived as too little. too late, and he left the team and the series by mutual agreement after the race.

At the start of the 1993 season, Ron Dennis signed Hakkinen as a backup to Senna. The F1 Rejects website stated that this created a difficult atmosphere for Andretti.

After Andretti's unsuccessful Formula One season, he never returned to the cockpit in that series.

Return to CART

After McLaren replaced Andretti with Hakkinen, Michael returned to CART series for 1994 and drove for Chip Ganassi.He won his very first race at Surfers Paradise event in Australia, having led every lap.

In 1995 he returned to Newman/Haas Racing

He finished as runner-up to Jimmy Vasser in 1996 and more race top fives followed in the years to come.

Michael Andretti Top Five Finishes

    Year                      Placing                     Team
    1986                       2 nd                       Kraco
    1987                       2 nd                       Kraco
    1989                       3rd                   Newman/Haas
    1990                       2 nd                 Newman/Haas
    1991                       1 st                   Newman/Haas
    1992                     2 nd                  Newman/Haas
    1993                         -                     McLaren (Formula One)
    1994                       4 th                   Ganassi Racing
    1995                       4 th                   Newman/Haas
    1996                       2 nd                  Newman/Haas
    1999                       4 th                   Newman/Haas
    2001                       3 rd                   Team Green

                                             Michael Andretti - Wins and Poles

Michael Andretti's

Sports Cars

Michael has driven in numerous sports car races at different times in his career.

Many were Andretti family efforts, especially with his father Mario.

And also with his cousin John Andretti

Another typical Sports racing car

Michael Andretti Prior to Formula One

2011-02-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

Early Career

Andretti started racing in 1980, driving a Formula Vee car in local SCCA events.

In 1981 he won six of the 11 Super Vee races and won the championship.

In the same year he joined his father and Philippe Alliot in the Porsche Kraemer Racing Team taking third place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving a Porsche 956.

CART

He made his CART debut in 1984, racing for the Kraco Team. He managed five third place finishes and ended the season in seventh overall. In the Indy 500, he finished fifth. He shared the Rookie of the Year with Robert Guerrero.

In 1986, he won his first race at Long Beach, finishing the year as championship runner-up collecting wins at Milwaukee and Phoenix.

Andretti achieved major title success by winning the CART/PPG IndyCar World Series for Newman /Haas Racing.He won 8 of 17 races which included the five permanent road courses.

Futility at Indianapolis

The Andretti family's bad luck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is known as the Andretti Curse.

As a driver, Michael is largely remembered for being unlucky
                                                 in 1991finished 2nd to Rick Mears
                                                 in 1992 lead 4/5 th of the laps..fuel pump failed.. finished 13th
                                                 in 1989, 1995 and 2003 dropped out while leading

Mario Andretti Post Racing Career

2011-01-29T18:48:00.000-08:00

Awards and Honors

In 2000, the Associated Press and RACER magazine named him Driver of the Century. He was the Driver of the Year (in United States) for three years (1967, 19787 and 1984) and is the only Driver of the Year in three decades. Andretti was named the U.S. Driver of the Quarter Century in 1992.

He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001, the U.S. National Sprint Car Hall in 1996, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990 and Hoosier Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1970.

October 23, 2006, Andretti was awarded the highest civilian honor given by the Italian government, the Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana. Enzo Ferrari is the only other recipient of this award from the world of automobile racing.

Mario Andretti Grand Prix of Road America

Mario was instrumental in keeping championship racing at Road America. CART severed its ties with the track as a legal resolution of payment issues from the 2002 and 2003 series events.

Andretti was the middle man between CART President Chris Pook and Road America President George Bruggenthies. After six weeks both sides came to terms and signed a two year contract.

The event was renamed "Mario Andretti Grand Prix of Road America"

Elder of Andretti Racing

Both of Mario's sons, Michael and Jeff, were/are auto racers, as was Michael's son Marco.

Mario's twin brother Aldo also raced until 1969, when he had two serious accidents.

Aldo's son, John, joined the IndyCar series in 1988. Aldo had two other sons Adam and Mark who have not been as prominent as John or Mario's immediate family.

In 1988, the Andretti's became the first family to have four relatives compete in the same series.

With Mario sharing driving duties with sons Michael and Jeff at the 1991 Rolex 24 at Daytona, driving a Porsche 962, the Andretti clan finished 5th.

Mario's grandson Marco completed his first full season in the IRL in 2006, driving for his father Michael's Andretti Green Racing team. Marco fiished second in the 2006 Indy 500 and so became the first third-generation recipient of the Rookie of the year Award.

Later Life

Mario and his wife Dee Ann live near their son Michael in mansions in Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania. Dee Anne is a native of Nazareth who taught English to Mario in 1961. They were married on November 25, 1961.

Mario has kept active after his retirement from full-time racing.He makes numerous speaking engagements before corporate audiences and is a spokesman for his long time sponsors Texaco/Havoline, Firestone and MagnaFlow Exhaust Products.

He owns a chain of gasoline stations, a Toyota dealership, car washes,car-care products, go-kart tracks, a clothing line, video games and replica cars.

He also test drives for Road and Track also for Car and Driver magazines.

Mario Andretti..IndyCar,Indy500,SportsCars,LeMans

2011-01-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

Return to IndyCar racing

Andretti had continued to race, and occasionally win, in the USAC National Championship during his time in the Formula One world championship.

In 1979 a new organization, CART had set up the IndyCar world series as a rival to USAC National Championship that Andretti had won three times in the 1960s.

The new series had rapidly become the top open wheel racing series in North America. It was to this arena that Andretti returned full time in 1982 driving for Patrick Racing.

In 1983 he joined the new Newman/Haas Racing team, set up by Carl Haas and Paul Newman using cars built by the British company Lola.Andretti took the team's first win at Elkhart Lake in 1983.

He won the pole for nine of sixteen events in 1984, and claimed his fourth Champ Car title at the age of 44.

Mario's son Michael joined Newman/Haas in 1989. together they made history as the first father/son team to compete in both IMSA GT and Champ Car.

Mario finished seventh in points for the 1991 season, the year that Michael won the championship.

Mario's last victory in IndyCar racing came in 1993 at Phoenix International Raceway. The win made Mario the oldest recorded winner in an IndyCar event (53 years, 34 days).

Andretti's final season, in 1993 was dubbed "The Arrivederci Tour"

Indianapolis 500

Andretti won once at the Indy 500 in 29 attempts.Andretti has had so many incidents and near victories at the track that critics have dubbed the family's performance after Mario's 1969 Indy 500 victory the "Andretti Curse".

Andretti was the first driver to exceed 200 miles per hour (320 km) while practicing for the 1977 Indy 500.

Andretti finished second in the 1981 Indy 500 by eight seconds behind Bobby Unser.

In the 1985 Indy 500, he was passed by Danny Sullivan in Turn One. A moment later, Sullivan spun in front of Andretti, pitted on his own caution to replace his flat-spotted tires, and then later again passed Mario - this time without incident- to go for the win.

After retiring, Andretti was testing for his son Michael's IndyCar on April 24,2003 in place of the injured Tony Kanaan at Indianapolis.

Coming out of the "south chute" of the circuit, in his path lay a chuck of debris from Kenny Brack's car. The object forced the nose of Andretti's car to become airborne at 200 miles per hour and did a rapid double reverse somersault, nearly high enough to clear the debris fence. The car fell back to earth, having been slowed by its mid-air tumble, and slid to a stop, right side up. Andretti walked away from the crash with very minor injuries.

Sports Cars

Andretti won three 12 Hours of Sebring endurance races. (1967, 1970, 1972) and the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1972.

In early sports car races he competed for the Holman Moody team,but later drove for Ferrari in 1971, and won several races with Jackie Ickx.

In 1972, he shared wins in the three North American rounds of the championship.

Andretti also competed in the popular North American Can-Am series in the late 1960's and early 1070's.

Le Mans

Andretti competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in four decades.

In 1966 he shared a Holman Moody Ford MKII with Lucien Bianchi.They retired after their car dropped a valve

In 1967 his front brake locked, causing his Holman Moody Ford MKIV at the Esses and Andretti was taken to hospital for X-rays.

Andretti did not return to Le Mans until his full time F1 career was over.

In 1982, he prtnered with his son Michael in a Mirage M12 Ford. They qualified in ninth place, but despite protests and complaints, the Andretti entry was removed altogether.

Their return in the following year was more successful as they finished third.

The father/son team returned in 1988 with John Andretti. They finished sixth in a factory Porsche

Mario returned in 1995 with a second place finish.

Andretti had unsuccessful efforts in the following years with a thirteenth place in 1996 and a DNF for 1997.

His final appearance at Le Mans was at the 2000 race, when he drove the Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S at the age of 60, finishing 16th

Mario Andretti .. IndyCar and Formula One

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IndyCar career

From 1956 to 1979, the top open wheel racing in North America was the USAC National Championship. It was often referred to as Champ car racing or IndyCar racing. The races were run on a mixture of paved and dirt ovals, and in later t\years also included some road and street courses.

Anndretti made his Champ Car debut on April 19, 1964.He won his first championship car race at the Hoosier Grand Prix on a road course at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1965.

His third place finish at the 1965 Indy 500 in the Brawner Hawk earned him the race's Rookie of the Year award, and contributed towards Andretti winning the series championship.

He was series champion in 1966, winning eight of fifteen events.Andretti finished second in the IndyCars in 1967 and 1968.

He also won a single non-championship drag race in 1967 in a Ford Mustang

Andetti won nine races in 1969, the 1969 Indy 500
and the season championship

Formula One career

Formula One is the highest form of Open Wheel Racing sanctioned by FIA.

At Andretti's first Indy 500, in 1965, he met Colin Chapman, owner of the Lotus Formula One team, who was running eventual winner Jimmy Clark's car. Andretti told Chapman of his ambition to compete in F1 and was told "When you're ready, call me."

above Jimmy Clark's car

By 1968 Andretti felt he was ready. Chapman gave him a car, and the young American took the pole position on his debut at the 1968 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in the Lotus 49.

Andretti drove sporadically in Formula One over the next four years for Lotus, March, and Ferrari, while continuing to focus on his racing career in America.

At the 1971 South African Grand Prix, on his debut for Ferrari, he won his first Grand Prix.

It wasn't until 1975 that Andretti drove a full Formula One season, for the American Parnelli team. When Parnelli pulled out of F1 in 1976, he returned to the Chapman Lotus team.

Andretti's ability at developing a racing car contributed to Lotus' return to the front of the F1 grid, culminating in lapping the field in his victory at the season ending race at the Mount Fuji circuit in Japan in 1976.

The Lotus 78 "wing car" proved to be the most competitive car of 1977 but despite winning four races, more than any other driver, reliability problems and collisions meant Andretti finished only third in the championship.

The following year, 1978, the Lotus 79 exploited ground effect even further and Andretti took the title with six wins. There was no celebration because his teammate and close friend Ronnie Peterson crashed at the start of the race and died that night

Andretti would find little success after 1978 in Formula One.He had a difficult year in 1979 ,as the Lotus 80 was not competitive. In 1980, he was paired with Nigel Mansell but the team was again unsuccessful.
Andretti had an unsuccessful 1981 with the Alfa Romeo team. The next year Andretti raced once for the Williams team before replacing the seriously injured Didier Pironi at Ferrari for the last two races of the year.

Mario Andretti prior to IndyCar career

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Mario Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport.

He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR (the other being Dan Gurney). He won races in midget cars, sprint cars, and drag racing.

Andretti won four IndyCar titles (three under USAC, one under CART), won the 1978 F1 World Championship and won the IROC VI

He was one of three drivers to win races on road courses, paved ovals, and dirt tracks in one season, a feat that he accomplished four times.

In American popular culture, his name has become synonymous with speed, similar to Stirling Moss in the United Kingdom.

OPEN WHEEL RACING

Early Open Wheel Racing

Andretti's goal was to race in single-seat-open wheel cars.

He raced midget cars from 1961 to 1963. He raced in over one hundred events in 1963.

The next rung on the ladder was to race in sprint cars in the United Racing Club.

USAC sprint cars

Andretti won the 1964 Joe James-Pat O'Connor Memorial USAC sprint car race at Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana.

He continued to race in USAC sprint cars after moving into Champ Cars.

In 1965 he won once at Ascot Park, and finished tenth in the season points

In 1966 he won five races and finished second in the points

In 1967 he won two of the three events that he entered.

Winged Sprint Car

.

JANUARY 2011 .... SPECIFIC and DIVERSE POSTS

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A. BIO, Pictures and Text for Autographs
(all at Molson Indy Toronto)

                                                                     Post Date

1. Mario Andretti    1991    Jan.18,22,26,29, 2011

2. Michael Andretti    1991    Feb. 5, 9, 10,11, 2011
3. Jeff Andretti    1991                    Feb. 18,19, 2011
4. John Andretti              1991            Feb. 22, 24 Mar. 1, 6, 2011

5. Raul Boesel 1994                     Mar. 9, 10, 11, 2011
6. Sebastien Bourdais    2003
7. Helio Castro-Neves     1998
8. Eddie Cheever             1993
9. Mario Dominguez        2003
10. Adrian Fernandez     1993
11. Emerson Fittipaldi   1996
12. A.J. Foyt                    1991
13. Chip Ganassi             2000
14. Scott Goodyear        1992
15. Stefan Johnansson    1992
16. Michel Jourdain Jr. 2003
17. John Jones                 1991
18. Darren Manning        2003
19. Roberto Moreno         2003
20. Greg Moore                1996                             April 17, 2010
21. Danica Patrick          2003
22. Roger Penske            1993
23. Bobby Rahl               1991
24. Brian Till                  1993
25. Jimmy Vasser            1998
26. Jacques Villeneue    1994

27. Alex Zanardi            1998

B. BIO, Pictures and Text of Other Outstanding Drivers

C. Successful Teams

D. BIO of Newsworthy Personalities

E. Tires, Engines, Chassis

F. Crashes

G. Significant Races
      - 1st F1 race Abu Dhabi
    - 1st F1 race Circuit Gilles Villeneue, Montreal,Canada
      - last F1 race Mosport , Ontario, Canada
- etc.

H. Other Racing Motor Sport Highlights

F1 Big Business

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Beginning in the 1970's, Bernie Ecclestone rearranged the management of Formula One's commercial rights; he is widely credited with transforming the sport into the billion-dollar business it is today.

FISA imposed a ban on ground effect aerodynamics in 1983.

By 1986, a BMW turbocharged engine achieved an estimated over 1,300 bhp in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.

The development of electronic driver aids began in the 1980's. By 1987, this system had been perfected and was driven to victory by Ayrton Senna in the Monaco Grand Prix.

On the track, the McLaren and Williams teams dominated the 1980's and 1990's. Powered by Porsche, Honda and Mercedes-Benz, McLaren won sixteen championships ( seven constructors', nine drivers') in that period.

Since the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, the FIA has used safety as a reason to impose rule changes. This so called "narrow track" era .. cars with smaller rear tires, a narrower track overall an the introduction of grooved tires

Drivers from McLaren, Williams, Renault (formerly Benetton) and Ferrari, dubbed the "big Four", have won every drivers World Championship from 1984 to 2008 and the constructors won from 1979 to 2008.

Financial troubles forced several teams to withdraw. Since 1990, twenty-eight teams have pulled out of formula One. This has propted former Jordan owner Eddie Jordan to say the days of competitive privateers are over.

F1 The Garagistes

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The first major technological developments, Cooper's re-introduction of mid-engined cars occurred in the 1950's.

Australian Jack Brabham, World Champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966, soon proved the new design's superiority. By 1961, all regular competitors had switched to mid-engined cars.

Between Jack Brabham, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Graham Hill and Denny Hulme, British teams and Commonwealth drivers won twelve world championships between 1962 and 1973

In 1962, Lotus introduced a car with an aluminum sheet monocoque chassis instead of the traditional space frame design.

In 1968, Lotus painted Imperial Tobacco livery on their cars, thus introducing sponsorship to the sport

Aerodynamic down force slowly gained importance in car design from the appearance of aerofoils in the late 1960's. In 1970, Lotus introduced ground effects aerodynamics that provided enormous down force.

So great were the aerodynamic forces pressing the cars to the track (up to 5 times the car's weight) extremely stiff springs were needed, leaving the tires to cushion the car and driver for any irregularities in the track surface

F1 Return of Racing

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The first Formula One World Championship was won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in his Alfa Romeo in 1950. Fangio won the title four times and this stood for 45 years until 2003 when Michael Schumacher won his sixth.

UK's Stirling Moss has been considered as the greatest driver ever to have won the title.Fangio,however, is remembered for dominating Formula One's first decade.

The earlier period was highlighted by teams run by road car manufacturers-Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes and Maserati.They were front engined with narrow tires and 1.5 L supercharged or 4.5 L normally aspirated engines.In 1954 , Mercedes introduced an enclosed streamlined bodywork