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| Features |
| The EKN Interview: Max Papis |
| Article by: - by Glenn Holland |
 | | Max Papis |
On the Thursday prior to the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis, Foster's Lager held a celebrity event at the Stefan Johansson Karting Center. We caught up with CART/ChampCar driver, Max Papis and grilled him about his longtime interest in karts. As always, the personable Italian had much to say.
Ekartingnews.com: When was the last time you actually got in a kart?
Max Papis: Maybe three or four months ago.
EKN: Why do you continue to drive them?
MP: I just do it for fun sometimes, a few times a year. Karting has been my life since I was 11 years of age. I drove for several teams, including CRG. I stopped when I was 19, and I had won three World Championships in 135cc, four European Championships. I won the Intercontinental Championship in Hong Kong in 1987.
EKN: Do you recall a most memorable karting experience?
MP: Yeah, I remember, it's a very funny story... I was driving the Australian Grand Prix in Sydney. David Coulthard was driving Junior and I was driving Senior, when David came over with a banner and I signed it for him. He still has it in his house. When we see each other we joke about it. But, my most memorable experience was the Intercontinental Championship with Michael Schumacher and Alex Zanardi in Hong Kong. I was competing in three different classes. I won one of them and finished in second in another one. It was a great weekend for me.
EKN: Are you a left foot braker in the Champ Car?
MP: Yeah. I learned to do it driving go karts. I use right or left foot now, depending on the circumstances. Karting has taught me the basics of my driving, and the basics of my will to succeed. A lot of things that I learned while driving karts I still apply them when I drive Champ cars now.
EKN: When you started karting at 11, did you know that racing is what you wanted to do for a career?
MP: No, I only did it because of special circumstances. I was very lucky I could do it. I had to go to school, I always went to school. If I was not good in school, I could not go and drive a go-kart. It was not like, go-kart only. I thank my dad for that because it gave me a good opportunity to learn, drive, and at the same time mature as a man. I really don't like sometimes when I go to the go-kart track and I see a lot of the parents pushing their kids. My dad always told me I needed to do my best and work within the values of life. I always apply that, all of my life. I feel I built my life and career around being at the limit of my potential.
EKN: Did your dad get you into karting?
MP: Not really. It was a mechanic who was a friend of my dad. His son was driving go-karts. He came over to the house, and he took me to my first go-kart track close to my home in Italy. The weekend after that we rented a kart, a 100cc Cadet, and I finished second in my first race and that's the way my dad found out I was racing.
EKN: One last question, Max. Who was your toughest opponent in your karting years?
MP: Definitely Alex Zanardi. Alex was one of the fastest. Alan McNish... Michael Schumacher as well. I had a lot of battles with him in the European Championships. |
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