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Fittipaldi's love for fast machines ran in the family, as his father was also involved in motor sports professionally. This interest was encouraged in the family. Fittipaldi competed in races as a teenager. In 1961, as a sixteen-year-old, he drove his first race on a 50cc motorcycle. Between 1962 and 1966 he took part in various motorcycle, kart and sports car races. Fittipaldi became a multiple champion of São Paulo and Brazilian national champion.
In 1967 he took part in the Formula Vee championships and won the title for the first time. In the same year, Emerson Fittipaldi became karting champion. In 1968 he won the title of Formula Vee champion again. In 1969 he left his home country and moved to Great Britain. There he started in Formula Ford for the first time. He recorded three victories in nine races. In the same year he also drove in Formula 3, in which he completed eleven races and won a total of eight. In 1970 he switched to Formula 2. Emerson Fittipaldi was now driving for the Lotus racing team. He completed a total of five races in this class.
He then made his debut in the supreme discipline of car racing, Formula 1, in the same year. He started for the first time at the British Grand Prix in a Lotus-Ford. In the US race of Watkins Glenn, Fittipaldi celebrated his first Grand Prix victory. He was in tenth place in the overall standings this season, but only took part in five races. The following year, 1971, he was able to improve to sixth place in the world championship standings. Again he started in a Lotus Ford and a Lotus turbine car. He completed ten races and scored a total of 16 points.
The following year, 1972, began his most successful season of his career to date. Emerson Fittipaldi won five Grand Prix races. In the points tally for the 1972 World Championship, this performance meant a total of 61 points in 12 races - and the world championship title. Another record was his age; the twenty-six-year-old racing driver from Brazil was the youngest Formula 1 world champion in racing history to date. In the following season, 1973, Fittipaldi completed a total of 15 races, of which he won three, and achieved 55 points.
He drove five fastest laps. This year it was enough for second place in the World Championship. The Scottish racing driver Jackie Stewart took first place. A change of racing team was imminent for Fittipaldi. He was signed by McLaren. The success of 1972 was to be repeated in the 1974 season. Fittipaldi took part in 15 Grand Prix races, three of which he finished with one win each. He came second twice. In his balance sheet he was able to collect 55 points, which was enough for the second world championship title in 1974. In 1975, Fittipaldi won the runner-up title again with 45 points in a total of 13 Grand Prix races, of which he won two.
He then built his own racing team. In 1976 he drove Copersucar-Ford. But there were no successes. He finished this season in 16th place in the drivers' world championship standings. He took part in a total of 15 Grand Prix races, but was only able to score three points. The following year, 1977, his results were somewhat better. Emerson Fittipaldi reached twelfth place in the World Championship standings in a Copersucar-Ford. He drove in 14 races and scored 11 Grand Prix points with no wins this season. In 1978 he drove more than ever before with 16 Grand Prix races in one season, but actual success remained elusive. Compared to the previous year, he improved by three places with 17 GP points and ended up in ninth place in the World Championship drivers' standings.
In the following 1979 season, Emerson Fittipaldi fell to 21st place in the world championship standings. In 15 Grand Prix races he only scored one point with Copersucar-Ford. In 1980 the Brazilian improved his balance. He finished the season in 15th place in the World Cup standings. He competed in 14 races, this time in a Fittipaldi Ford, and scored four Grand Prix points. In the same year, Emerson Fittipaldi ended his Formula 1 career. In this class he took part in a total of 144 Grand Prix races, winning 14 of them. After a break of two years, he started in the North American Indy Car Series for the first time in 1984. He immediately took fifth place. Emerson Fittipaldi took part in every race in this series until 1996.
His record includes 22 victories and he started 17 races from pole position. In 1989 and 1993 he finished the legendary Indianapolis 500 mile race as winner. In 1996, Fittipaldi survived a serious accident while racing the Michigan 500 Mile in the USA. After that he gave up racing completely. In 1997, the racing driver suffered a crash in an ultralight aircraft, in which he was injured sustained serious injuries to the spine. He then retreated into private life. Fittipaldi became a foundation member of the World Sports Academy of the "Laureus World Sports Awards" in 2000.
