Andretti named Grand Marshal of Edmonton GP
The announcement was made today by Jim Haskins, President and GM of the Edmonton event.
"It is an honor to have Mario Andretti take part in the Grand Prix of Edmonton. With wins at almost every form of auto racing, Mario is considered by many to be the greatest driver of all time. This year will be extremely memorable with Mario Andretti taking part in the event," says Haskins.
Mario won just about everything in his legendary career: the Indy 500, the Daytona 500, the Formula One World Championship and the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. He won the Champ Car National Championship four times and was a three-time winner at Sebring. He won races in sports cars, sprint cars and stock cars – on ovals, road courses, drag strips, on dirt and on pavement. He won at virtually every level of racing since he arrived in America from his native Italy at age 15.
"I'm delighted to have the opportunity to visit Edmonton, a Canadian city which has a long history in motorsport, dating back to the International Speedway and Speedway Park in the 40s and 50s. Just like champ cars, news travels fast about the race circuit; the reputation of the quality of racing and recognition of the competition has risen steadily. The Edmonton Grand Prix is highly regarded by the drivers as one of the best tracks on the circuit," says Andretti.
Mario took the checkered flag 111 times during his career – a career that stretched five decades. And he was competitive for all of those years: He was named Driver of the Year in three different decades (the 60s, 70s, 80s), Driver of the Quarter Century (in the 90s) and Driver of the Century in January 2000.
Tickets for the Edmonton Grand Prix are available from: Ticketmaster (780) 451-8000 www.ticketmaster.ca
Edmonton Grand Prix (780) 488-8882 tickets@grandprixedmonton.com