Autoblog

Marco is set to become the third Andretti to get behind the wheel of an F1 car as he heads to the Jerez test track on Friday. The son of former McLaren driver Michael Andretti and grandson of the legendary F1 champ Mario Andretti, Marco has become a rising star in motorsports, named IRL rookie of the year.

Marco will test for Honda, whose engines power the Indy car he races. But that doesn't mean he'll be making the jump to F1 quite so quickly. He's contracted to Andretti Green Racing for the next two seasons, though somehow we can't imagine his dad holding him to it if Marco had a shot at moving up to the big leagues. But at 19, the youngest race winner in IRL history (short as it is), Marco's got plenty of time to dominate in Indy cars before switching to F1.

Still, just the idea of a third-generation Andretti coming anywhere near Formula One is an exciting notion. With Scott Speed just barely getting by in a back-marker team, F1 struggling to thrive with the US audience, and Honda competing with Toyota for the mantle of "most American" of Japanese carmakers, an exciting American driver behind the wheel of a Honda F1 car could be just what the doctor ordered.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

Accomplished race driver, living legend and patriarch of a veritable racing dynasty Mario Andretti is being honored by the Italian government with the title of Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana. The prestigious award will be presented on October 23 by Consul-General Antonio Bandini at the New York Columbus Citizens Foundation.

To say Mario is an accomplished driver is like saying the Pope is Catholic. Andretti has won the Formula 1 driver's world title, the Indy Car championship (four times), the USAC national dirt track championship, the Indy 500, the Daytona 500 and the 12 Hours of Sebring (three times), to name a few. To top that he's been named Driver of the Year spanning three decades, not to mention Driver of the Century.

His son Michael, head of Andretti-Green Racing, and grandson Michael Marco, IRL rookie of the year, will be there for the ceremony as well.

Word has it the Commendatore can't refuse a favor on this, the day of his decoration, so better get in line. Just kidding... felicitazioni, Mario!

[Source: Sports Car Market]

In case you thought his nearly winning the Indy 500 was a fluke, on Sunday Marco Andretti became the youngest driver in U.S. history to win a major-league open wheel race when he captured the Infineon Indy Grand Prix in Sonoma, California. The 19 year-old son of Michael Andretti, and grandson of former world champion Mario Andretti, also locked up the IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year title in the process.

Marco beat Andretti Green Racing teammate Dario Franchitti to the line by only 0.6 seconds, after gaining the lead on a brilliant out-of-sequence pit stop call by crew chief Kyle Moyer. The two AGR cars were 10 seconds clear of third place Vitor Meira (Panther Racing).

On the championship front, the IndyCar Series heads into its last race at Chicagoland Speedway with Helio Castroneves holding just a one-point lead over Penske Racing teammate Sam Hornish Jr.

[Source: Honda]

Honda Performance Development is leveraging its involvement with the Indy Racing League to launch a three-team effort for the 2007 ALMS season. IndyCar veterans Fernandez Racing and Andretti Green Racing will join the Acura LMP2-class effort, along with Highcroft Racing.

Fernandez Racing will mount their HPD/Acura engines in Lola B05/40 chassis and focus on engine development with HPD, while Highcroft will run an Acura-Courage LC75 (shown above in generic Acura livery), working with HPD on chassis development, as Honda prepares to develop its own chassis for the 2008 season. Andretti Green, also running a Courage, brings sponsor XM Satellite Radio from their IRL effort, while Fernandez Racing will be sponsored by the Lowe's home improvement chain. All three teams will run Michelins. Highcroft Racing is the only one of the three teams currently running in the ALMS, competing in LMP1 with its Lola EX257-AER.

This will be another boost for the fast-growing ALMS, not least because of the inevitable rumors of a Mario/Michael/Marco three-generation Andretti driver matchup. However that storyline plays out, it's clear that Honda isn't fooling around with its ALMS effort.

[Source: Honda]

It's been said that Mario Andretti and fast cars pair like fine wine and good food. Well, on Saturday, June 24, fans and oenophiles will have the chance to experience at least three out of four of those things, and by our reckoning, that ain't half bad.

Andretti's prowess on the racetrack is well-documented, but he's also the proprietor of a well-regarded winery in Napa, California, which is celebrating its 10 Year Anniversary on June 24.

The festivities will include wine tasting (natch), food, live music, and of course, Mario will be in the house.  There is an admission charge, but it's open to the public, so check out www.andrettiwinery.com if you're in the area.

Who knows? Perhaps Mario will break out some vintage iron to mark the occasion.

[Source: Andretti Winery]