April 28, 2008 09:03 pm
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Marco Andretti’s famous last name isn’t the only reason folks have been paying attention to him.
The 21-year old grandson of Mario Andretti and son of Michael Andretti has shown flashes of brilliance. He finished second at the Indianapolis 500 in 2006 and became the youngest winner of a major open-wheel race later that year.
He hasn’t won since.
Andretti, the IRL Rookie of the Year in 2006, had what he calls a “horrible” season in 2007 and his results have been mixed through four races this year. But Andretti, who took fifth at the Kansas Speedway on Sunday, says he won’t let the pressure to break back into the winner’s circle or the expectations that come with being an Andretti bother him.
“As a competitor, I want to win every race I’m in on my own. To be honest, forget everybody else’s talk about ’Oh I have to do this because my father did it and my grandfather did it,”’ said Andretti, who stopped by Des Moines on a press junket Monday, two months before he returns for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. “I want to win the race because I want to win the race. My mentality hasn’t changed from the past two years.”
The defections of IRL stars Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti to NASCAR — and the fact that most of Andretti’s woes last season came through accidents or mechanical failures — has positioned this as a possible breakout season for Andretti. He started out strong, qualifying fourth for the opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway, leading for 85 laps and finished second to Scott Dixon. But he broke a halfshaft during a pit stop 41 laps into the Streets of St. Petersburg race the next time out, and went into the wall on the first turn of the race in Motegi, Japan.
Andretti bounced back with a strong effort in Kansas, finishing fifth after qualifying 14th. He’s now seventh in the IRL points standings after finishing a disappointing 11th in 2007.
“Not exactly how I would want it,” Andretti said. “We’re still plenty good. We’re going to try to fight back to get in it.”
Though Andretti hails from one of auto racing’s first families and began his career by karting when he was 10, he’s still maturing as an open-wheel driver. The biggest change Andretti says he has undergone since joining the IRL is that he’s more involved in the mechanical side of driving.
As a rookie, Andretti said he’d just worry about driving and leave the car in the hands of his engineers. He says he now understands how important it is to take an active role in squeezing every last bit of speed out of the No. 26 car.
“I’m getting a better understanding of the mechanical aspects of the car,” Andretti said. “My engineer and I have been really great together this year.”
Fresh off his encouraging run at Kansas, Andretti’s focus now shifts toward the next race on the schedule, the Indy 500 on May 25. His goal is to qualify for a top position as quickly as he can, leaving more time for he and his crew to work on setting up the car for race day.
“The mentality, which I definitely learn from my father, is that you don’t come here to qualify. You come here to win the race,” Andretti said about the Indy 500.
Andretti makes no secret of his desire to follow in his father’s footsteps and win the Indy 500. He calls it “his life,” and if Andretti wins the checkered flag at Indianapolis, it would cement his status as one of the IRL’s brightest stars — regardless of his name.
“I live everyday to accomplish that goal,” Andretti said. “Every decision in my life, every step of the way, I want to make sure it leads toward my ultimate goal, which is winning the Indy 500.”
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