October 3, 1969
Max Papis
(Photo: jerbec via photopin cc)
Born in Como, Italy.
A veteran of NASCAR, Formula One, Champ Car, Sportcar, Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hours.
Max Papis was raised in Italy and got an interest in car racing at a young age, winning several go-kart races and several rounds for racing clubs in Italy. After a spell as the Lotus team's test driver in 1994, Papis replaced Gianni Morbidelli in the Footwork team for seven races in the middle of the 1995 Formula One season, as he brought valuable sponsorship to the cash-strapped outfit. Despite being a race-winner in Formula 3000, he often struggled with the unfamiliar car, and was occasionally outpaced by his much-maligned team-mate, Taki Inoue. When Morbidelli returned, Papis was out of a drive and headed to America for 1996.
Papis earned the nickname "Mad Max" at the 1996 24 Hours of Daytona during his last stint at the end of the race. Although his second-place Ferrari 333SP had been battered due to collisions, some of its bodywork held together by tape, Papis unlapped himself by passing the race leader (the Doyle Racing Riley & Scott-Oldsmobile driven by Wayne Taylor) and proceeded to set some of the fastest laps of the entire race. Taylor was nursing his car around the track due to an overheating problem and otherwise would have been able to cruise to a win, but Papis' pace and the slowing Oldsmobile suggested that Papis could theoretically take the win from him. Papis' speed was achieved at the cost of maximum fuel consumption and although he drove down the pit lane at full speed to re-fuel (pit lane speed limits were imposed the next year), Taylor was still ahead by 64 seconds at the end of the race.
He moved to CART Champ Car racing in 1996 as a replacement for Jeff Krosnoff who was killed in the race in Toronto. He has three Champ Car victories.
Papis made his NASCAR debut in August 2006, going on to a total of 50 Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series races.
Papis is married to Tatiana, daughter of the racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi, and has two kids Marco and Matteo Papis. His sons godfather is fellow Italian Alex Zanardi.
Born in Como, Italy.
A veteran of NASCAR, Formula One, Champ Car, Sportcar, Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hours.
Max Papis was raised in Italy and got an interest in car racing at a young age, winning several go-kart races and several rounds for racing clubs in Italy. After a spell as the Lotus team's test driver in 1994, Papis replaced Gianni Morbidelli in the Footwork team for seven races in the middle of the 1995 Formula One season, as he brought valuable sponsorship to the cash-strapped outfit. Despite being a race-winner in Formula 3000, he often struggled with the unfamiliar car, and was occasionally outpaced by his much-maligned team-mate, Taki Inoue. When Morbidelli returned, Papis was out of a drive and headed to America for 1996.
Papis earned the nickname "Mad Max" at the 1996 24 Hours of Daytona during his last stint at the end of the race. Although his second-place Ferrari 333SP had been battered due to collisions, some of its bodywork held together by tape, Papis unlapped himself by passing the race leader (the Doyle Racing Riley & Scott-Oldsmobile driven by Wayne Taylor) and proceeded to set some of the fastest laps of the entire race. Taylor was nursing his car around the track due to an overheating problem and otherwise would have been able to cruise to a win, but Papis' pace and the slowing Oldsmobile suggested that Papis could theoretically take the win from him. Papis' speed was achieved at the cost of maximum fuel consumption and although he drove down the pit lane at full speed to re-fuel (pit lane speed limits were imposed the next year), Taylor was still ahead by 64 seconds at the end of the race.
He moved to CART Champ Car racing in 1996 as a replacement for Jeff Krosnoff who was killed in the race in Toronto. He has three Champ Car victories.
Papis made his NASCAR debut in August 2006, going on to a total of 50 Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series races.
Papis is married to Tatiana, daughter of the racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi, and has two kids Marco and Matteo Papis. His sons godfather is fellow Italian Alex Zanardi.
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