Met Mario Andretti and talked racing, On my flight the other night |
|
Porsche, and the Porsche crest are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
This site is not affiliated with Porsche in any way. Its only purpose is to provide an online forum for car enthusiasts. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. |
|
Met Mario Andretti and talked racing, On my flight the other night |
Thorshammer |
May 4 2005, 09:30 AM
Post
#1
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 749 Joined: 11-November 03 Member No.: 1,335 |
So, I am going to Indianapolis on Monday night and while walking through first class to steerage I see Mario Andretti sitting inthe second row on the isle.
I could see him from my seat in the second row of steerage. I thought I would get an autograph when we got into the air. Foiled by the "first class curtain" I asked the Flight Attendant if she would ask him to sign something for me, explaining to her it was my first race win on Sunday ever. She oblidged me and took my final results sheet up to him and then she walked away. A couple minutes later she came back with it signed. "Erik, Great Job!" signed Mario Andretti. It was pretty cool. Although I have been around racers during my travels (Bob Wollek,Hans Stuck,Al Holbert....) I had never met Andretti. After the flight I saw him walking in the terminal and introduced myself and thanked him for the kind words. I am the type that feels celebs deserve some privacy, so I tried to end our conversation and walk, But he asked if I wanted to talk racing for a few minutes. Which we did. He asked about my race and the car and what I was doing in Indy. It was nice of him to take the time, and you can see the fire still burns bright with him. He asked about the Runoffs and we discussed qualifying for the race. See the Picture ! Erik Madsen Attached image(s) |
Bill Shaw |
May 4 2005, 03:23 PM
Post
#2
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 74 Joined: 11-August 03 From: Kalamazoo, MI Member No.: 1,013 |
Echo your comment about Mario. Back in the 70s I was in a Formula Ford race at Milwaukee that was a preliminary for a pro race and saw Mario sitting on the pit wall. Got up the nerve to ask him to sign the race program and he told me to join him. Talked to him for about a half an hour about pro vs. amateur racing, how to analyze corners and how to drive an oval. He actually apologized when one of his wrenches told him it was time to get ready for practice. Totally first class guy!
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 8th June 2024 - 12:20 PM |
All rights reserved 914World.com © since 2002 |
914World.com is the fastest growing online 914 community! We have it all, classifieds, events, forums, vendors, parts, autocross, racing, technical articles, events calendar, newsletter, restoration, gallery, archives, history and more for your Porsche 914 ... |