Emerson Fittipaldi, two-time Formula One World Champion, two-time Indy 500 winner and the 1989 Indycar National Champion, was the guest of honor at the ninth annual Road Racing Drivers Club dinner held in conjunction with the 43rd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach last Thursday evening.
The gala event at the Long Beach Hilton also recognized the 50th anniversary of Ford’s all-American victory in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt drove the factory Ford MkIV to a record-shattering win (see separate story).
During his interview on stage with RRDC president Bobby Rahal, Fittipaldi told the audience tales of his love for racing and how it drove him to succeed throughout his career in both F1 and Indycars. Earlier in the day, the 70-year-old Brazilian had been honored (along with multiple Trans-Am champion Tom Kendall) with induction into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.
Fittipaldi, of course, won the World Championship in 1972 for Lotus, and in 1974 for McLaren, before deciding to join his brother Wilson to field an all-Brazilian F1 team for sponsor Copersucar. Not long thereafter, however, he retired from Formula One because he felt F1’s then-current full-skirted ground-effects cars were no longer safe to drive. During his F1 career, Fittipaldi won 14 Grands Prix, nine for Lotus and five for McLaren.
Because his passion for racing remained active, however, when the opportunity arose to race Indycars in America, he seized it with both hands, launching a second career that produced victories in the 1989 and 1993 Indianapolis 500s as well as 20 other Indycar races driving for both Patrick Racing and Penske Racing. He retired again after the 1996 season, mainly due to back injuries suffered in a crash at Michigan International Speedway.
Proceeds from the dinner benefit RRDC’s young driver initiatives, including its SAFEisFAST program and the Team USA Scholarship. For complete information please visit www.rrdc.org
