Emerson Fittipaldi Retruns From Retirement, Races Today

Emerson Fittipaldi, a two-time Formula One champion from Brazil, was retired from professional racing and staying in shape only by doing a little go-kart racing for fun in the winter of 1983-84.

But, at 37 years old, he still felt he had some things to prove--at least to himself.

Ralph Sanchez, a Miami businessman who started what has become the Lowenbrau Grand Prix of Miami, invited Fittipaldi, a friend, to drive in his race in a car entered as the Spirit of Miami.

Now, going into today’s third annual Miami race, Fittipaldi’s retirement is nothing but a memory.

He came to Miami last February, won the pole position, drove an inspirational race before transmission problem knocked out his car, and went on to become a regular on the CART Indy-car circuit, where he will again race this year.

“The Miami Grand Prix will always mean a lot to me,” said Fittipaldi. “It was my first time back from retirement and there were so many things I wasn’t sure of.

“But the race proved to me I still had the desire, the motivation and most of all I could still be comfortable and enjoy myself in a race car again.

“That’s my office,” Fittipaldi added. “In my profession, you’d better be comfortable with it because it’s more than just a job. It can mean your life.”

Fittipaldi will be sharing a Chevrolet-powered March 85G GT prototype with Miamian Tony Garcia this weekend.

“There are going to be about 34 prototypes in this race and it is going to be a very, very hard race,” Fittipaldi said.

Last year, steering problems forced the Fittipaldi-Garcia car into a long pit stop and they fell far behind. However, with Fittipaldi at the wheel, the lead was cut to just six seconds when the car simply stopped with a frozen transmission.

“It was so frustrating,” said Fittipaldi. “All I could say were a bunch of your four-letter words, in Portuguese.”

Fittipaldi would like to change the ending this year, but he knows just how tough this course can be.

“It’s a very demanding track,” he noted. “I like these cars because they’re big, heavy and have a lot of power, but it’s very, very hard on the driver and on the equipment.

“There are so many corners, the driver never has a moment to relax. And you have to be very precise. There is really no margin for error.”

The course, which runs right down Biscayne Boulevard in the middle of Miami is paralleled on one side by high rise office buildings and hotels and on the other by the Miami Marina and picturesqe Biscayne Bay.

Most of the racers and teams were on hand Friday, preparing their cars in and around the Miami Auditorium, which serves as the garage area.