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 ANDRETTI FAMILY QUOTES PAGE
Here are just a few of the quotes, words of wisdom, and
soundbites that have justifiably made the Andretti family the heart
and soul of American open wheeled racing. When you are looking
for inspiration, motivation or wise words - on racing or life in
general, you can find it right here.
Mario
Andretti | Michael Andretti | Marco
Andretti
On
Marco: He's very much at ease with where
he's at and who he is. The jury is still out (with his
driving); the ultimate proof is in the races. But as
a rookie going in, is he well-prepared? I think so. We
don't need someone else to tell us when he's ready. We
wouldn't put him out there if we didn't think he was.
MARIO ANDRETTI
On
Marco and Indianapolis - This is always a very
special feeling here. We’ve got the sequence now.
I watched Michael grow right through his career, and
now, here I am at the beginning of another one. It’s
just a special feeling. I’m really happy that I
was able to be here. It was very important to me. Marco’s
reaction today was what I pretty much expected. He was
cautiously confident earlier, and then he just started
taking charge. That’s a good thing.
MARIO ANDRETTI
On Marco and Indianapolis - "He
came so close, I thought he was going to win. Of course, he's
got a lot of years left and he's going to get a lot more chances.
He has the potential to be the best Andretti of them all.
On Marco
and Indianapolis - Marco did really well today.
It was fun to watch. It was a little nerve-wracking the
first few laps, but then I saw he was really comfortable.
Then, it was OK. He seemed a little bit nervous at first
this morning because he didn’t know what to expect.
But after the first run, he was a lot more comfortable.
It
was really a special day for sure. It started out special
as we kicked off the ceremonies. To have my dad on the right
side and my son on the left was neat for sure. I'm happy
with the car. We got up so speed right away. I'm really happy
with the way I felt in the car. Marco also got some speed
out of his car, too. It was a good day for both us. So far
so good.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
On
Marco’s goals - I
think ultimately he’d like to do Formula One, if it
came up. Right now, we have to look at the realistic, and
hopefully that is likely the ’07 Indianapolis 500 is
the goal, and hopefully we can get there.
MICHAEL
ANDRETTI
Desire
is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment
to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to
excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you
seek.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
If
everything seems under control, you're just not going fast
enough.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Circumstances
may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight
of your goal. Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing
your knowledge and adding to your experience, so that you
can make the most of opportunity when it occurs.”
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your
knowledge and adding to your experience, so that you can
make the most of opportunity when it occurs.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Do it no matter what. If you believe in it, it is something
very honorable. If somebody around you or your family does
not understand it, then that's their problem. But if you do
have a passion, an honest passion, just do it . . .”
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but
never lose sight of your goal.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Always compete against the best
of the best.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
You feel for guys you know deserve it, that you know
have the ability but will be considered less of a champion
if they don't get it done. That's why the guy that wins it
does somersaults.”
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Car accidents are the leading killer of teens in this
country. Teens are just learning to drive and face many distractions,
so they're at a very high risk for accidents. We want to help
teens learn good, safe habits from the very beginning.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
The crashes people remember, but drivers remember the near misses.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
My biggest concern during a race is getting bored. The biggest
thing I have to combat is falling asleep while going around
and around.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
This is the evolution of life. It’s tough to predict
what is going to happen. And when it does happen, wow, it’s
amazing. Watching Marco do his thing, it just really replenishes
my spirit. It’s a great feeling just watching him enjoy
what he’s doing and doing it so well.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when
a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
What really drove me was all this talk of 'the McQueen Porsche',
when he hardly touched the thing throughout all the 12 hours!
I never went harder than that night at Sebring - I truly drove
like a man possessed. No way I was going to let a goddam movie
actor win the race!
MARIO
ANDRETTI
On leaving Italy as a teenager and emigrating to America -
In my own mind, I
had seen racing cars for the last time. I understood we had to go to the States
-- Italy, sure as hell, wasn't offering us much -- but I was obsessed with being
a race driver, and it seemed like I was kissing it goodbye.
We'd lived well until communism arrived, but then suddenly
everyone's equal, right? You're damn right everyone's equal
-- we all had nothing! Now, they
were real compassionate about it; they said if we didn't like
it, we could go some place else
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Right from when I started, being one of the boys was never
enough. If you' re satisfied with just being there, forget
it. You may have a good time, but you're never going to win,
because racing gives you nothing but fun -- anything else you
have to take.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
A
lot of people have a talent for it, but most never realize
their full potential. It's easier to leave that last bit
untapped.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
On
Ferrari -
Enzo
wanted me to sign right there, just drive for him, which
would have been cream for the cat - I mean, I've always
said that the proudest day of my life was when I became an
American citizen, and I mean it, but the blood in my veins
is Italian blood, and a passport will never change that"
I've been so blessed in my career, raced more than 30 years,
achieved most of my goals and come out of it in one piece.
I'd be a fool to talk about regrets, wouldn't I?
MARIO
ANDRETTI
"I always felt," he said, "I
was put on this earth to drive race cars."
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Colin Chapman was always paranoid about weight in a race
car. At Kyalami in '78 he decides to take out three gallons
of gas on the grid. I says, 'Colin, if I run out, it's your
ass...' 'Trust me,' he says. And guess what? It's the end
of the race, I'm in the lead – and I run out. Afterwards,
Colin made himself kinda scarce ...
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Jesus, the luck of Chris (Amon). I tell you, if he went into
the undertaking business, people would stop dying ...
MARIO
ANDRETTI
That first corner shunt between Senna and Prost at Suzuka?
Senna's fault, no question. He says there was a gap there,
and he went for it, right? Well, believe me, if there'd have
been no run-off area, there'd have been no gap. The trick is
to find one wide enough for a car, right? I know that better
than most people ...
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of
giving government the power to control men’s minds.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Love what you do. Believe in your instincts. And you'd better
be able to pick yourself up and brush yourself off every day.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
No team manager will tell you this; but they all want to see
you come walking back into the pits sometimes, carrying the
steering wheel.
MARIO
ANDRETTI
Mario
Andretti | Michael Andretti | Marco
Andretti
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
Although I've put in my two cents on occasion, at the end of
the day CART has always had good people on board and they don't
need me to run the series.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
And I think it's safe to say this is the most competitive racing
in the world, and maybe of all-time that we are experiencing
right now.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
I'm a firm believer that if something is meant to happen,
it's meant to happen.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
When we go from braking to accelerating to cornering, the
G-forces we pull are really demanding on our bodies. We definitely
have to be in top shape. Believe me, you lose more than a gallon
of fluids during a race. You could lose between six and 10 pounds
during a race, depending on hot it is.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
Every win feels great, but there always are some that are going
to stick out from others.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
I don't know how to explain it, but being a driver and having
to be on top and putting your butt on the line every time you're
out there is just a different type of pressure than being on
the sidelines and giving it to the other guys to get us the result.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
I don't think it's ever been done where a father's driven for
his son, so that's another new one for us.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
I guess the only thing that I look at are the wins category,
because that - that was always my goal when I came in to racing
was I just wanted to win as many races as I could.
I mean, I'm very happy with the way things did go with my career
in so many other ways that I still feel like I've been the most
blessed guy in the world.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
I obviously have opinions, but my job here is to race.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
I want to put on the best show possible for the fans.
When you get older, you take less chances, but you rely on your
experience to make up the difference, you know that a lot of
times works for you.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
Mario
Andretti | Michael Andretti | Marco
Andretti
MARCO ANDRETTI
It’s
always exciting being at Indy. Just being at this track is
awesome. I love the track. I love the city. I love everything
about it.
MARCO ANDRETTI
I
know I have a lot of shots left, but you have to learn from
my dad's career that you have to take advantage of every
one of them. Man, I don't want to wait for next year.
MARCO
ANDRETTI
I
can't complain, I almost won the Indy 500 my first year in
it. It's just the way as a competitor, I don't want to finish
second. I don't want to wait until next year. I wish it was
this year.
MARCO ANDRETTI
Woulda,
coulda, shoulda... second place is nothing. Nobody remembers
who finished second here.
MARCO ANDRETTI
I drove anything with wheels when I was a little kid
- mopeds, bicycles, go-karts, ATVs. It
just seemed natural.
MARCO ANDRETTI
The best thing Dan did was put in his time at the shop. There's
no other way to do it. It's how you learn.
MARCO ANDRETTI
I
plan on being a sponge all year and see how quickly we can
adapt. I can't imagine doing this from Nazareth.
MARCO
ANDRETTI
It's my first feel for running in traffic. You have to get the
feel for losing down force and play with that. Nothing at all
has surprised me so far. We just have to learn to play in
traffic.
MARCO ANDRETTI
I'm
learning who I can trust and who I can't. I can't believe
he did that to me. He turned right into me with the right front
(wheel). Now I've been Cheever-ed.
MARCO
ANDRETTI
You
definitely have to respect this place, as we learned in the
past with my father and my grandfather – both had
a lot of unfortunate luck here.
MARCO ANDRETTI
On
his team signing Danica Patrick -
I
think this team is continuing to make awesome calls, and
this is a good one. I think it's great for the future of
our team. If you bring a name like that, it's only going
to be better. It's not only the name. She's a darned good
driver. I'm happy that she's coming to the team. I think
she's going to contribute and make it better.
MARCO
ANDRETTI
No
way I'm going to let up on her. She's definitely not going
to be letting up on us. She's very competitive and she's had
some awesome finishes the last couple races. I think we're
going to race each other like teammates.
MARCO ANDRETTI
On
a future in Formula One: It's definitely in the back
of my mind. I've always wanted to conquer the [F1] championship.
But if I was over there right now, I think I would regret
not trying to win the Indy 500. We came so close this year,
so it would be nice to do that within the next couple of
years.
MARCO
ANDRETTI
Have you become Marco Andretti, or are you still the grandson
of Mario and the son of Michael?
I hope I've become my own name. But I definitely have a lot
more work to do to be in their category. I didn't know at the
beginning of the season how I would stack up. I'm definitely
happy I'm able to run with these guys. Next year we'll come
back with a ton more knowledge and we can go for a championship.
MARCO ANDRETTI
Mario
Andretti | Michael Andretti | Marco
Andretti
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An interview with Mario Andretti prior to the 2006 Indianapolis
500, where Marco finished second:
How
was it driving around the Speedway with three generations
of your family?: Very emotional for us in a
very positive way. It’s something you can never plan
for but it’s happening, and it just happened that
I was able to share this day with both Michael and Marco,
and this is a beginning for something very exciting for
them this month.
Is it difficult to draw the
line between being a coach and a father?: I’ve
never really been a coach, except that I’m a bouncing
board. If there’s a question there that maybe I
can answer, I will, like parents usually will.
So
Michael and Marco are battling on the last lap, who do
you pull for?: I think whoever has got it is
going to go for it. We talked it, even when I was driving
with Mike and Jeff (Mario’s sons), if the situation
comes down (to us), there’s no favors. We all go
for it.
How does it feel to have three
generations at the track together?:
It’s special because it’s
something you can never plan, but a year ago we could
have never even thought about this thing, and the fact
that Indianapolis is honoring us with this opportunity,
it’s something that I cherish very much.
(Is
it important for you to see someone in your family continuing
the racing tradition?: It’s important if
they want to do it. That’s the bottom line, the
most important part: that the desire comes from within.
Marco wants to do this, he’s happy about doing
this, and that makes me happy, of course. To me, as far
as pride, there’s nothing that a father or grandfather
can be more proud of than his own son and grandson following
in his so-called family business.
On his Indy 500 debut
in 1965:
It was a great beginning for me
here at Indianapolis with that Dean Van Lines team, and
to come here actually was pretty cold turkey because
the car didn’t arrive until late, but the car worked
immediately, it was all about timing and I was very fortunate
of that. Clint Brawner and Jim McGee really gave me a
good car, and here we go, we finished third and we continued
with this car because in present trim we put this thing
on pole in 1967, so this car had a three-year life here
at Indianapolis.
I had a wonderful time here over the
years, I can tell you that a lot of people think we’ve
been unlucky because we didn’t win more than once
but I’d say we’ve been very lucky because
I’ve been up front and led this race for many,
many times and that’s what brought satisfaction
to me. So I have nothing but positive memories of my
driving here at Indianapolis.
MARCO ANDRETTI interview before the 2006 Indy 500
It’s
always exciting being at Indy. Just being at this track
is awesome. I love the track. I love the city. I love
everything about it. It only took a few laps this morning
and then we were flat (full throttle). We’re just
working on trying to free the thing up. We just need
to get the car working good. As a driver here, you’re
just flat and doing as much as you can to let the thing
roll. We’ve got a lot more to get out of it before
the race, so we’re just trying to free it up and
get it going. It’s definitely all new to me. I’ve
never done anything like it, like I’ve never come
down the long straightaways and not lifted, just thrown
it in the corner. I had to learn a lot, but it came quick.
I was flat the third lap out, no problem.
Any
anxiety about running here or did your dad and grandfather
help you before you went out?
To be honest,
the anxiety was pretty bad before I got out there, but
as soon as I did it I thought it was no problem. Basically
it was the unknown, that’s what I was afraid of,
but it came no problem.
Did you feel some of
the intricacies of this place, such as how the IndyCar
Series guys say every corner is different?
They’re
going a lot quicker, so for us I think it’s pretty
much, ‘just plant it.’ I did feel the wind
this morning, and definitely through (Turns) 1 and 2,
so you definitely feel the same things, just not as drastic.
I
think it started out pretty good. It was easier than I thought
to get up to speed. At some points, I was quicker than they
wanted. But things definitely went well. I was certainly
happy when I found out I passed my rookie test. I wanted
to pass it early so we could spend the day working on the
car and the set up. I was comfortable with different lines
all around the track. We stayed pretty consistent with the
downforce on the car and were working on car comfort. I think
we ended up pretty comfortable.
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