Emerson Fittipaldi at Daytona, circa 1975. Photo by Bill Warner.
He’s a two-time Formula 1 World Champion, and at the time of his first title in 1972 was the youngest driver, at age 25, then crowned. He’s also a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (1989 and 1993), and in 1989 captured the CART series championship while driving for Patrick Racing. A member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and the focus of a recent Road Racing Drivers Club dinner, Emerson Fittipaldi has been named as the honoree for the 2018 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
The Brazilian driver helped to pioneer the currently accepted path to racing’s highest levels, earning a karting championship in his home country at age 18, followed by a Formula Vee national championship at age 21. Recognizing his options for career advancement in South America were limited, Fittipaldi moved to England (without speaking a word of English) to attend the Jim Russell Racing School at age 22.
It was a do-or-die move, one prompted by an unshakable faith in his ability to drive a racing car. In a partial first season racing for the Jim Russell School, Fittipaldi earned the 1969 British Formula 3 championship, advancing to Formula 2, the feeder series for Formula 1, the following year. A test with Lotus for a spot on its F1 squad followed, and in July 1970 he made his F1 debut for Gold Leaf Team Lotus at the British Grand Prix, finishing eighth. A fourth-place finish in Germany came next, followed by a 15th-place finish in Austria, but the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the season’s next contest, would forever shape Fittipaldi’s career.
Driving the Lotus 72 F1 car at the Nürburgring in August 1971. Photo by Lothar Spurzem.
Jochen Rindt, Fittipaldi’s teammate at Gold Leaf Team Lotus and the world championship points leader, was killed in a practice session for the Italian Grand Prix, prompting the team to withdraw from the race. John Miles, the team’s second driver, retired shortly after, leaving the unseasoned Fittipaldi, with just three F1 races to his credit, as the star of the team.
Gold Leaf Team Lotus would skip the next race, in Canada, but returned to the series for the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, where Fittipaldi delivered an unlikely win, blocking Jackie Ickx from scoring sufficient points to threaten Rindt’s lead in the championship standings. Fittipaldi had not only proven his ability to win races in F1, but he’d also ensured that his late teammate would win the World Championship (Rindt remains the only posthumous F1 World Champion).
Fittipaldi won his first F1 championship in 1972, backing it up with a second in 1974. Two years later, at the peak of his career, he left the McLaren team to drive for brother Wilson Fittipaldi’s struggling Copersucar-Fittipaldi squad, optimistic he could produce results. Five years later, he’d managed just two podium appearances, finishing no higher than 10th place in season standings, and Fittipaldi retired from driving at the end of the 1980 season to focus on team management.
Driving the March 83G at the 1984 Miami Grand Prix. Photo by Bill Warner.
His absence from the co*ckpit wouldn’t last long. In 1984, Miami Grand Prix organizer Ralph Sanchez (who would later build Homestead Miami Speedway) put together a deal for Fittipaldi to compete in a March 83G Chevrolet GTP car, co-driving with Tony Garcia. Fittipaldi put the March on the pole, but transmission problems ended the pair’s race after 90 laps.
The rest is racing history. Fittipaldi returned to open-wheel cars, this time driving in the American CART series. Over the next 13 seasons, Fittipaldi scored 22 wins, another 39 podiums, a pair of Indy 500 victories and a series championship before a crash at Michigan in July 1996 ended his driving career. Later, he’d return to the co*ckpit for events such as Grand Prix Masters, even driving a season (with brother Wilson) in the 2008 Brazilian GT3 Championship.
Of the effort to secure Fittipaldi as honoree for the 2018 Amelia Island Concours, chairman and founder Bill Warner said,
In a century just five racers have won both the Formula 1 World Championship and the Indy 500. We’ve had five Indy 500 winners and two World Champions as Amelia Honorees, but ‘Emmo’ is the first who has scored motorsport’s ultimate ‘double’. Having Emerson as our 2018 honoree is an unprecedented honor for ‘The Amelia’.
The 2018 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance takes place from March 9-11 at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island in Fernandina Beach, Florida. For additional details, visit AmeliaConcours.org.
