the ‘Tifosi’ thread - when did you enter amore with the scuderia?

I was always into cars, first with hot rods and the golden era of drag racing in the 1960s. Saw Monaco on "Wide World of Sport" and started reading Road & Track. Henry Manney III and Denis Jenkinson were my real gateways into F1, prototypes and Ferrari. Was lucky enough to attend Sebring in 1970 and that was it. Used to see a blue 206 Dino when I was walking to class in college. Most beautiful car I had ever seen and still think so to this day. Phil Hill, Lauda, Giles, Schumacher and now Vettel. The red cars rule.

 

In 1992, I was 13. In Brazil for the summer, living with a German family in Rio. I was already into cars at that time, but not marque-specific. The family was heavily into F1, watching races in their underwear lol.

They were cheering for this Schumacher guy - in the Benetton. I had never watched an F1 race before. I was immediately hooked. Maybe it was the German mom in her undies... Anyway, I started watching F1 from that point forward, cheering for Schumacher. When he moved to the Scuderia, my passion for the brand intensified. Now I work for them!

 

I don't do it anymore..but i get seriously pissed....i did cry however on 2 ocasions when i was already a grown up...first in 1990, when Senna rammed Prost at the start of Suzuka! second, when Michael tried to put jaques out of the race and ended in the gravel trap in Jerez 97....so close and yet so far..once again!

 

When Senna rammed Prost in Suzuka, I was soooooo p*ss*d that I organized a party at my parents' home: "The Ayrton Senna S*nofab*tch Party"!

Those were the days...

 

As an 8 year old watching this:


And this:


That same year I saw My first ever Ferrari - A red 308 GTS with beige leather interior. It was in a row of parked cars, and it was half the height of every other car around it. It looked more like a spaceship than a car to My 8 year old mind, because cars were always boxes on wheels back then - I was both mesmerised and smitten with it instantly.

To this day, the 308 GTS is the automotive love of My life!

 

Honestly, I have no idea when it started. I've always loved Ferraris. The first car I actually lusted after was the 360 CS. I still do. I remember the top gear episode with the CS vs the GT3RS Porsche, and I was instantly in love with it. I'm young though so I didn't have the posters of 308s or Testerossas as a kid. I had 355s and 550s..

Michael Schumacher was my foray into F1 though. Early 00s when I saw the light and was awakened to the world of the Tifosi.

 

1977 as an USAF brat in Germany went to Hockenhiem with my father and watched Lauda win in the 312T2B. Have been hooked ever since.

 

Dad and my older brothers were race fans and truly mechanically gifted. Learned to read from dog eared copies of every automotive magazine stored in the closet of my room. Never had a favourite make but preferred certain models of every marque, and I had access to many odd vehicles dropped off at our barn for repair. Dad decided to drive us all to the first Grand Prix held in Montreal and naturally, Gilles was our man. I think we all liked Ferrari and Lotus cars prior to the race but Gilles’ win in Canada pushed our interest in F1, and Ferrari itself, into overdrive. Make that fifth. .

 

A lot of us forget--

WAAAAAY before the internet I used to wait each month for Road and Track magazine to come out. There was always an article about Ferrari. I used to read Paul Frere's reviews over and over. That's how I got my Ferrari monthly fix as a teenager.

In the 70's in Phoenix there was only one dealer who sold sports cars: Max of Switzerland. I used to drive by and see if there were any Ferrari's there -- and dream.

 

Apart from seeing the odd Ferrari on the road, my love for Scuderia Ferrari started on 28th December, 1963, at the X Grand Prix of South Africa, East London (85 Laps).

My Father worked for Shell Oil Company, so my Father had access to the paddock and as a Family we used to wander amid the cars, taking in the sights and sounds.

Myself (10) and my younger brother (8) used to hover amid the cars and if possible tried to touch a tire on the cars, before being chased away by team mechanics.

The two Ferrari's entered that year were Lorenzo Bandini and John Surtees, both driving Ferrari 156 Aeros. Lorenzo finished 5th and John retired on Lap 42 with engine trouble.

My paternal Grandfather who lived in East London (Our Family was on a Christmas visit) drove us to the track in his 1958 Plymouth Belvedere 2-Door Hardtop Golden Commando.

 

My first Ferrari introduction was a visit to the 1966 Chicago Auto Show, where Chinetti had his range of cars, including the Le Mans winning 275LM from Pedro Rodriguez. Then in June 1966, my family visited my grandmother in the province of Reggio Emilia and my dad bought a Fiat 1500 at the authorized Fiat dealer in Sassuolo. I asked if we could have a visit to the Ferrari factory, the salesman called the factory, and they let us in. First car I saw was a black 500 Superfast with beige interior, destined for Saudi Arabia, a visit to the assembly area and then a visit to the race shop which included the F1 cars and the LeMans cars side by side being worked on. My dad did some filming, but these movies are in storage in the US. I was in heaven. The factory gave me a lepel pin, and some decals.

And given that the origins of my dad's family is 15km into the appenines above Maranello, I could I not love Ferrari, and his wonderful cars !!!

 

I always found it interesting that most of us support the team ahead of the drivers. As a result, some of the drivers once viewed as the "enemy" suddenly become "friends" when they joined the Scuderia. How many of you used to curse Mansell, Prost, Schumacher, Alonso or Vettel when they were winning races and championships for other teams before they joined Ferrari? We've probably all done it.

 

It hapened to me with several....Prost wa sthe first i didn't like...he was always on those "evil" mclarens...but he did a superb job in 1990, so i cheered for him...Mansell i already liked his stile, so i welcomed him to ferrari.
Rubens i disliked because he was always whining...Michael i hated, he was the enemy, and when they swithed him for my beloved Alesi he was definitly on my black list!!! his ramming against jacques didn't hep one bit either! But the guy was os, so good, and never ever criticezed the team, he was the ebst professional driver i ever saw, and i started to asmire him for that, than hsi amazing driving skills, in teh end, i liked him a lot, and owe him a big thank you!

 

Hard to say for me, but was probably watching Schumacher dominate in his prime. But I can say for sure that it started last Sunday for my 5 year old boy. Watching a race with me for the 1st time, he was screaming with excitement throughout the last 5 laps as "the Ferrari" kept the lead and won the race.

 

It all started with this guy in an AFX slot car kit and continued watching Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni on ABC sports with my dad (there were only 2 or 3 GP's on television back then, I would assume Watkins Glen and Monaco but I don't really remember). Jackie Stewart had moved on to commentator by that point and that's the voice I most recall from my early fandom. It was the 512 in the race set that gave me my team of choice though, and I've been following them since.

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I met Clay R. back in the early 2000's through the place that I bought my Ferrari slot cars from. His health wasn't great back then and sadly he passed away in an auto accident a couple of years later. It's cool to meet the guys that were driving when you first started following the sport.

(on another note, my signed Schumacher photo from the 2004 USGP is kept under lock and key. Those were great days for fans of the Scuderia!)

 

And to think, I liked my collection wall. That is damned impressive!!!

 

I used to ride my bicycle past Harley Cluxton's shop/used car store near the Glenview Naval Air Station. Drool city . . . .

 

Thanks for the kind words!