dancemaio.blogg.se

“Something captured my imagination at a very young age,” Mario says. His love of racing began even before he came to America. The Andrettis lived there for seven years before obtaining visas and moving to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania when Mario was 15. Three years later his family fled his hometown and eventually landed in a refugee camp in Lucca, Italy. Mario was born in Montona, Italy, but after World War II, the town was ceded to Yugoslavia and fell under Communist rule. That mindset has brought Mario decades of happiness, but his journey to becoming the world’s most famous race car driver didn’t start out an easy one. “I’ve always set some very, very ambitious goals. “I’ve raced in five continents, and I’ve won at least one race in all of them,” he says. Today he owns a winery and a petroleum business and also works closely with several major corporations including Firestone, where he’s had a long relationship as a test driver and spokesperson.

“I’ve been totally blessed, and because I’ve had such a long career, I’ve been able to cover the entire globe,” Mario says. And even at 76, he refuses to shift gears and slow his pace as the Indianapolis 500 celebrates its 100th running on May 29. The legendary racer shares the secrets to his long and happy life.įew men are so successful in a chosen field that their name becomes synonymous with their profession, but racing legend Mario Andretti has achieved that iconic status.įrom humble beginnings in his native Italy through his glory days on racetracks all over the globe, Mario’s life has been an incredible journey.