Andretti basks in legacy
Son of legendary Mario talks about his family’s racing achievements
Al Unser Jr. won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach six times and earned himself a nickname that has stuck: King of the Beach.
But here in Toronto, there’s an even stronger record of dominance that stands to this day. Michael Andretti has won the race that’s now known as the Honda Indy Toronto seven times in 32 events. And as the 33rd running through Exhibition Place approaches — it’s scheduled for July 13-15, which is less than two weeks away — it’s clear this long-standing street race has as much staying power as Long Beach does.
Maybe it’s time Andretti received a nickname, too. How about King of Lake Shore Blvd.?
There was the first victory in 1989, which he earned with a controversial bump-and-run manoeuvre on Emerson Fittipaldi.
There was the last one in 2001, that he almost didn’t finish at all after making contact with Scott Dixon on the opening lap. The resulting pit stop put him on an alternative strategy that was instrumental in setting him up for the win.
But the one that’s stayed with him after all this time is 1991.
“Dad was second,” Andretti recalls. “That was one big win for my championship run, and that was a big deal.”
His father is racing legend Mario Andretti. And Michael’s son, Marco, currently races in the Verizon IndyCar Series, which puts Michael as part of the second of three generations of Andretti racing history that also includes his cousins John and Adam, brother Jeff, and his uncle, Mario’s twin brother Aldo.
“We’ve had so many great achievements together, especially me and Dad,” Andretti says. “We’ve been on the podi- um so many times. We’ve started on front rows together. I’ve been able to race with my father and my son at the Indy 500 on the same team. I’m the only person that can say that I’ve ever done that.
“Having a one-two-three podium with my cousin John and my dad at Milwaukee — I mean, there are so many great moments that we’ve been able to share together as a family, and that’s what’s really made my career, and my dad’s career especially, even more special.”
It’s interesting that Andretti cites his championship being a factor in his recollection of that win in ’91, because he goes on to say that in the grand scheme of his career, titles never mattered much to him.
“Winning a lot of races was my goal going into my career,” he says. “I didn’t really think about championships and stuff. I just wanted to win every race I was in. And to retire at that time, being third on the all-time (win) list, I think that was a pretty big achievement for me.”
Famously, the one major race that Andretti never won as a driver was the Indianapolis 500. For all the Andretti family’s racing achievements, Mario won it only once in 1969, and no other Andretti has accomplished it since. It has become known as the Andretti curse.
It doesn’t appear to extend beyond driving, though. As the owner of the team that bears his name, Andretti Autosport, Michael has put his stamp on five Indianapolis 500 wins: in 2005 with the late Dan Wheldon, 2007 with Dario Franchitti, 2014 with Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2016 with Alexander Rossi, and 2017 with Takuma Sato.
“It’s been five different wins because it’s been five different drivers winning it for the first time,” Andretti says. “I think that’s what really made each one special in their own way.”
For IndyCar’s part, Andretti says that as a businessperson, he’s happy with what he sees.
“I think they’re really doing a lot of the right things. When you look at sports in general today, most are actually going down in popularity. Ours is one that’s going up, and that says something. I’m very bullish on it.”
As bullish, perhaps, as an Andretti barrelling down Lake Shore Boulevard and into Turn Three.