By Karl Ludvigsen
Emerson Fittipaldi’s remarkable story of Championships in Formula One and CART as well as two Indy 500 crowns is well documented by Karl Ludvigsen. The 208 pages of “crackling text” are supplemented by over 170 excellent photographs. Ludvigsen has known Fittipaldi since 1969 and “offers fascinating insights into the man with high ambition and focused determination married in an engaging and eternally youthful personality.”
With the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 slated for this weekend let’s start with the two time Indy winner’s highlights and lowlights from that event and his CART career.
Winner: Indianapolis 500: 1989, 1993
11 Indy 500 Starts: 1984-94 (2 Wins, 2nd and 3rd) He led 7 of his 11 Indys.
1989 Indy 500 Win: He and Al Unser Jr. tangle on Lap 199 in Turn 3. Unser spins into the wall. Emerson wins under caution. Al Jr. applauds Fittipaldi from the side of the track. Emmo is the first $1 Million winner in 500 history. He called it “one of the most emotional moments of my life and the most important single win of my career.” He went on to become CART Champion in 1989.
1993 Indy 500 Win: Emerson passes F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell on a Lap 185 restart to take the lead and eventually the win. He drinks ORANGE JUICE (representing his citrus groves in Brazil) instead of the traditional MILK in victory lane.
1994: (It’s Emerson and Al Unser Jr. AGAIN. This time Emmo crashes while trying to put TEAMMATE Al Jr. a lap down on Lap 185.(Fittipaldi had led 145 Laps and the Penske Mercedes was dominating.) Al Unser Junior went on to win…perhaps evening the score from 1989. Teddy Mayer said, “It was the only time I ever saw him make a serious mistake in a race.” (The crowd cheered when the “orange juice drinker” crashed.)
1996: Crashed at Michigan. Injuries caused him to retire from driving.
1997: Breaks his back in an ultralight plane crash His young son keeps the vultures away from injured Emerson.
Formula One World Champion: 1972, 1974
(Was youngest F1 Champ in History: Age 25…Fernando Alonso broke it in 2005 at age 24)
F1: 1970-80
11 Years
144 Starts
14 Wins
First F1 Win: 1970 USGP Watkins Glen (Lotus)
Last F1 Win: 1975 British Grand Prix (McLaren)
Last F1 Race: 1980 USGP
Emmo’s dad was a motorcycle racer then a racing reporter and radio and tv commentator.
“He always talked racing at home, so since my youngest days I knew what I wanted to do.”
At 15 Emerson won a race at Interlagos…on a motorcycle. (His mom grounded him for a year when she found out.)
To race go karts you had to be 17 in Brazil. Before Emerson was old enough, he tested and tuned them for his brother Wilson and sold go karts to several other racers.
Emerson started racing karts in 1964 and in 1967 won the national championship.
In 1967 he won 5 of 7 Formula Vee races in cars he and Wilson built. They sold 25 others they built to competitors. Emmo won the Brazilian Formula Vee title at age 21.
At 19 Emerson won 3 of 4 speedboat races he entered but gave it up due to the danger.
The Fittipaldis built a twin-engined VW Beetle. It qualified ahead of a Ford GT 40 and was running as high as 2nd when the gearbox broke at Rio’s Jacarepagua track
In 1969 Fittipaldi sold everything… his watch, his 911 Porsche…and went to England with enough money to “buy a Formula Ford and live on for three months.” He didn’t speak English…and slept in the back seat of the tow vehicle. Emerson led the first race he entered…but the engine expired. Jim Russell put him in a F3 car and Emmo won 8 of 11 races. In F2 he competed against Jochen Rindt, Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill. His drives impressed Colin Chapman at Lotus who offered him an F1 test, then an F1 ride in 1970. Emerson won his first F1 race at Watkins Glen in 1970…he saw Colin Chapman throw his hat in the air…”Winning at the Glen was just like a fairy tale…it was TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!” (Emmo’s teammate, Jochen Rindt, had been killed at Monza. With Emerson’s win, Rindt was crowned posthumous World Champion.)
1972: F1 World Champion for Lotus. (Won 5 of 11 races and took the title over Jackie Stewart) At 25 was the youngest F1 Champion in history. (Stood until 2005 when Alonso won at age 24.)
1973: 2nd in Championship for Lotus.
1974: Left Lotus and won the Championship for McLaren.
1975: 2nd in Championship for McLaren.
1976-1980: Formed his own Brazilian team with his brother Wilson. Best finish was second in 5 seasons. Sponsor COPERSUCAR was a Brazilian co-op of sugar and alcohol producers. Emmo stayed on until 1982 as Team Manager. “I was taking more risks driving at the back than when I was out front with the McLaren.”
“Leaving Marlboro and McLaren was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.”
Teddy Mayer who worked in F1 and CART with Emerson said about Emmo:
“Emerson was generally steady and reliable rather than blindingly quick.”
“His analytical approach to car set-up and meticulous pre-race planning were a formidable combination which, added to his real driving skills, made him one of the most successful drivers of all time-especially on the big occasions when the pressure was extreme.”
“In two seasons at McLaren, he only spun ONCE and I don’t remember one instance of damage to his car.”
Emerson came out of retirement to run the Miami Grand Prix in 1984. Emerson put his IMSA GTP car on pole, but a broken gearbox ended his day early. ON TRACK reported, “Proving his years in retirement cost him none of his skills, Emerson Fittipaldi put on a show to remember.”
1984: Fittipaldi ran a few races with WIT Racing, H&R Racing and a couple for Pat Patrick. He was tabbed to replace the injured Chip Ganassi at Patrick for 1985. Emmo won at Michigan in 1985 in only his 16th CART start. His career ended at Michigan on 7-28-1996 when he hit the wall at 200MPH…100G’s caused spinal injuries.
Emerson won CART races in 11 straight years (1985-1995) driving for Patrick and Penske. He had 22 CART wins.
Interesting Emerson quotes:
“To be a good racing driver you have to be brave and you have to be afraid. You have to balance the brave and the afraid.”
“If a nice girl goes by, I have a look…if it is a beautiful car…I can stay looking at it for about two hours.”
“Nothing-money, contracts, racing-nothing is more important than safety. My life is more important than money.”
“Emerson Fittipaldi: Heart of a Racer” earns four out of five lug nuts and is a perfect book to get you fired up for the Indy 500.
Gregg Leary is a Researcher/Writer for “Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain” and
Book Reviewer for SpeedTV.com.
Leary was track announcer for Hooter’s IHRA Drag Racing at National Events in the USA and Canada and entertained event crowds during “down time” by conducting “crowd participation” and product giveaways with the Hooter’s Girls. He was Marketing and PR Director and track announcer at Lake Erie Speedway.
As Photo Editor, feature writer, columnist and swimsuit calendar chief photographer for “Sports Jam Magazine,” Leary covered Auto Racing, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. He has photographed dozens of celebrities from A-Z…including Mario Andretti, Jim Brown, AJ Foyt, Ken Griffey Jr., Michael Jordan, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Mark McGwire, Paul Newman, Walter Payton, Alex Zanardi and Presidents Gerald Ford, George Bush and Bill Clinton. Gregg’s wife, Lynn lives in Jefferson, OH. His daughter, Caitlynn is an acting student at UNC Wilmington and his son, Sean is a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.
Leary has conducted motivational seminars and performed stand up comedy around the country. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio and Exeter University in England. Gregg has hitchhiked 40,000 miles through 36 states and 10 European countries and is a licensed pilot and skydiver. Leary is available for motorsports consulting on a limited basis. Contact him via email at .