Mario Andretti

Biography

Began Racing in Italy

Mario Gabriele Andretti was born on February 28, 1940 in Montona, Italy (currently Montovun, Croatia). His father, Alvise Luigi (known as "Gigi") was a farm administrator, while his mother, Rina, raised Mario, his twin brother Aldo, and his older sister Anna Maria. They were a well off family in this small town on the Istrian Peninsula until World War II broke out in Europe. Italy had joined the Axis nations of Germany and Japan and was defeated by the Allied forces. As part of the surrender agreement, the Istrian Peninsula was given to Yugoslavia. In 1948 the Andrettis and many other Italian families left their homes on the Istrian Peninsula and moved to other parts of Italy.

Mario's love of cars and the sport began at an early age

The Andrettis relocated to a refugee camp in Lucca, Italy. It was there that Mario and Aldo began driving their uncle's motorcycle and wooden derby car. At age 13 the boys got their first jobs parking cars for a garage. "The first time I fired up a car, felt the engine shudder and the wheel come to life in my hands, I was hooked. It was a feeling I can't describe. I still get it every time I get into a race car," explained Andretti in What's It Like Out There. The Andretti brothers idolized Italian race legend Alberto Ascari, but they had to hide their passion from their father because he disapproved of the sport. Without their parents' knowledge or permission, the boys began racing for a new youth racing league in Italy called Formula Junior.

Due to the difficult economic conditions in post-war Italy, the Andretti family immigrated to the United States in 1955 and they settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The 15-year-old Andretti twins did not speak English so they were placed in the seventh grade in school, much to their embarrassment. In order to catch up with their classmates, they enrolled in correspondence courses. Through these courses Mario met Dee Ann Hoch, who would eventually become his wife.

Became a Professional Racecar Driver in America

Racing in America was quite different than that in Europe. In particular, Americans favored stock cars, while Europeans raced sports cars. In addition, Americans raced on oval tracks, while Europeans raced on winding roads. The Andretti boys learned everything they could about American racing and saved money to build a car. They eventually managed to rebuild a 1948 Hudson Hornet, which they debuted on the Nazareth Speedway in 1959. The brothers took turns racing their Hornet and borrowed other cars to race. They quickly established themselves as winners at the speedway. However, during the final race of 1959 Aldo crashed the Hornet and was seriously injured. He was in a coma for two weeks. Gigi Andretti discovered his sons' racing escapades because of this accident and he was extremely upset with the twins.

Neither Aldo's accident nor Gigi's disapproval stopped Mario from racing. During the next two years he won 21 of 46 stock car races. He also began racing in the United Racing Club sprint car circuit and the indoor midget car winter circuit to gain driving experience. In 1963 Andretti entered his first United States Auto Club (USAC) race, a sprint car race, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This race allowed him to compete against some of the champions of racing, including A.J. Foyt. Although Andretti was a fairly successful driver, he was not yet able to support his young family on racing alone so he also worked as a foreman for Motorvator, a company that manufactured golf carts.

Chronology

The Family Business

Andretti's racing career has always been a family business. Although his twin brother, Aldo, was not able to continue racing after two serious crashes in 1959 and 1969, he still remained involved in the sport and in his brother's career. During the peak of his racing career, Andretti became a family man. He married his English tutor, Dee Ann Hoch, on November 25, 1961. Their first child, Michael, was born in 1962, followed by Jeff in 1964, and Barbara Dee in 1969. The Andretti children were exposed to racing from an early age and were subjected to the lifestyle imposed by such a career. For example, the family spent every May living in Indianapolis, Indiana because of the Indianapolis 500, even though Nazareth, Pennsylvania was their home-town. The Andretti children also occupied themselves with their own racing vehicles and motorized toys, including dirt bikes, go-karts, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and jet skis.

The love for speed was shared by all of the children, even Barbara Dee. The only Andretti daughter loved to race dirt bikes as a child, although she would later pursue a career in singing and songwriting. Both Andretti sons, however, became racecar drivers, as did Aldo's oldest son, John. Andretti claims that he did not plan for his sons to follow in his footsteps. "These kids didn't grow up with me mapping their careers," Andretti told Ed Hinton of Sports Illustrated in 1992. "I think it was just a matter of being exposed to it." Andretti did not push his children into the sport, because he recognized that not everyone was capable of racing. "You have to be a dedicated person," Andretti explained to Lyle Kenyon Engel in Mario Andretti: The Man Who Can Win Any Kind of Race. "You have to want to do it more than anything else. You have to want to be Number One. Then you have to have the ability. You must be brave, but also have common sense." In 1992 the Andretti family made history when all four racers Mario, Michael, Jeff, and John, drove in the Indianapolis 500. While Jeff's career was cut short because of a serious accident that damaged his legs, Michael and John continue the Andretti racing legacy.