Emerson Fittipaldi is an auto racing legend. The 56-year-old first hit the big time in 1 972 when, at 25, he became the youngest person ever to win a Formula One title. It's a record that still holds today.
BY MATTHEW MORSE
Two years later, in 1974, Emerson secured his legacy by winning a second F1 title. In I 1984, he joined the Champ Car World Series and became a household name in America with even more brilliant performances on the track: In 1989 he won both the Champ Car Championship as well as the Indianapolis 500. Another victory at Indianapolis followed in 1993. Emerson ended his 30-year career in 1996, after 36 career wins and 23 pole positions. The fact that he's raced, and won, Formula 1, Champ Cars and the Indy 500 makes him a singular expert on what it is to drive a variety of cars fast and win races.
After retiring from racing at the age of 49, Emerson concentrated on his far-flung business interests. Since 1985, he's owned the TV rights for the Champ Car series in his native Brazil, where he also has an incredibly successful orange plantation. He has been a spokesman for British Airways, Cartier, Hugo Boss, Mercedes-Benz and Michelin, among others. In addition, Emmo (as he's nicknamed) donates an immense amount of time to his charity that helps impoverished children in Brazil...the Fittipaldi Foundation. Emerson is also a board member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, which annually meets in
Monte Carlo to honor some of the best athletes in the world and sponsor sports programs in undeveloped countries.
Emerson Fittipaldi is a part owner (with James Dingman) of Fittipaldi-Dingman one of the 13 teams involved in Champ Car racing for the 2003 season.
WatchTime: Can you tell me something about the Cartier RoadsterReplica that you have on?
Emerson: Well, I do a lot of work with the Laureus World Sports Awards and one of their sponsors is Cartier. They gave all of the board members a Cartier Roadster. They also auctioned off a bunch of Roadsters with my signature engraved on them in order to raise money for the foundation.
WatchTime: Do you prefer a quartz watch or something with a mechanical movement?
Emerson: I definitely prefer something with a mechanical movement. I like mechanical sports watches, because I need something that can take a little abuse.
WatchTime: Have you always had a selection of nice watches.
Emerson: I've always had at least 10 nice watches. As you know, there's a lot of sponsorships and promotional relationships between wristwatches and racecar driving, so I've picked up a bunch of Chopard Mille Miglias, RolexCosmograph DaytonasandTAG Heurs along the way. I even helped TAG Heuer design a titanium chronograph in 1985.1 love my TAG Heuer Kirium Formula 1 Chronograph, and I've had a Panerai for the last four years. Like I said, I only wear really tough sports watches!
You can find the same designer replica watches wore by Emerson and inhance your collection.
WatchTime: What do you see as the watch/car connection?
Emerson: Well, they're both made of metal and each entails an immense amount of engineering, but for me the connection between the two is all about Precision. A thousandth-of-a-second is important for both cars and sports-timing devices.
WatchTime: Speaking of precision, what's your relationship with time while you're racing? Can you actually watch the speedometer when you're competing?
Emerson: Time is everything for me. On a curvy track with banks I can't watch the speedometer (except on a straightaway). But after every lap is finished I check to see how I've fared. Qualifying for the race is all about the clock. Of course, on an Indy 500 track there's more time to check the speedometer.
WatchTime: What's the experiential difference between driving a Champ Car and an F1? Emerson: The Champ Cars and Formula One vehicles are pretty similar, really. The big difference comes with the oval track that's used in the Indy 500. An oval track is different, but it isn't really easier...in fact it's much more precise, as you always know exactly where you are and the only thing you have to worry about (other than other cars) is wind speed and direction.
WatchTime: But there are some major differences between Champ Cars and F1: Champ Cars have a manual transmission, whereas F1s are automatic. And, Champ Cars all use the same turbo-charged Ford-Cosworth XFE engines and BrWgestone tsres which makes for an equal playing field between the drivers.
Emerson: The biggest difference between Champ Cars and Formula One is that the latter allows much more electronic information to be sent to the driver. The driver of an F1 car is in a car with an automatic transmission and vital signals about road conditions and the other cars (via telemetry) are constantly being sent to him. This drives up the cost and lessens the importance of the instinctual skill of the driver, which I think is too bad. But its seems like Formula One is interested in slowly decreasing the amount and kinds of telemetry that are allowed.
WatchTime: How much does it cost for a team to sponsor a car?
Emerson: You can run a winning team of two Champ Cars for a whole season for about six to eight million dollars, whereas a successful season of Formula One might cost as much as 300 million dollars. An F1 car is a technical marvel: the engine, body and tires are ever changing due to the telemetry. Champ Cars, on the other hand, provide more racing for the dollar and showcase the individual talents of the driver. They're also faster because the engines are turbo-charged. J somewhere that 370s an F1 driver had a one in seven chance of : V wheel during his career, whereas today it's less than one in a thousand.
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Price:$219.00 |
