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Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940)[1] is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports,[2] Andretti is one of only three drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, the World Sportscar Championship, and NASCAR (the others being Dan Gurney and Juan Pablo Montoya). He has also won races in midget car racing and sprint car racing. Formula One is the highest form of open-wheel racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's international governing body. Although originating in Europe, by the 1960s it included races worldwide. At Andretti's first Indianapolis 500, in 1965, he met Colin Chapman, owner of the Lotus Formula One team, who was running eventual race winner Jim Clark's car.[22] Andretti told Chapman of his ambition to compete in Formula One and was told "When you're ready, call me."[23] By 1968 Andretti felt he was ready. Chapman gave him a car, and the young American took the pole position on his debut at the 1968 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in his Lotus 49.[22][24] Andretti drove sporadically in Formula One over the next four years for Lotus, March, and Ferrari, while continuing to focus on his racing career in America.[22] At the 1971 South African Grand Prix, on his debut for Ferrari, he won his first Grand Prix.[22] "That was a big moment, one of those I’ll always cherish,” recalled Andretti. "Kyalami was a fun circuit to drive with lots of elevation changes and Ferrari gave me equal equipment to my teammates. It was a good weekend."[25] Three weeks later, at the non-championship Questor Grand Prix in the U.S., he brought the Italian team a second victory.[26] The day before the Questor GP, he had finished 9th in the Indy car race at Phoenix International Raceway.[27] At the end of the season, Ferrari called Andretti and made him a pitch to be his No. 1 driver but |Andretti declined. "F1 didn’t pay much back then and my contracts and commitments were so lucrative over here I couldn’t give that up for the security of my family. The timing wasn’t right yet, so I had to turn him down; but I always figured I’d get another opportunity." MARIO ANDRETTI DEBUT F1 GRAND PRIX RACING TICKET STUB 1968 WATKINS GLEN POP1 PSA.