Juan Manuel Fangio II (born September 19, 1956 in
Balcarce, Buenos Aires,
Argentina) is a former
auto racing champion and the nephew of legendary auto racer
Juan Manuel Fangio.
Fangio II grew up meeting some of auto racing's most famous champions of his uncle's era. He inherited his uncle's passion for
motorsports.
He debuted as a professional auto racer in
IMSA in 1985. He had an award winning career, winning two
GTP driver's championships, as well as 2 manufacturer titles when he was racing for
Toyota and
All American Racers. Fangio II further established his legacy in the world of auto racing by winning the prestigious
12 Hours of Sebring two times (as did his uncle), posting 21 GTP wins, and establishing an IMSA record with 19 solo victories.
Fangio II won pole position ten times during his career. He made most of his driving career in the
United States and was chosen in 1992 and 1993 as an "All-American" by the
American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA), an organization which also named Fangio their 1992 driver of the year.
His boss, and also a personal friend, was
Dan Gurney. While Fangio II also participated in the
CART circuit, he did not win any races, a fact that he regretted.
In 1997, Fangio II called Gurney to let him know that he was retiring. He told Gurney, "I have discovered that regardless of what my passion says, despite what I command my mind to do, I am no longer able to give my whole being, my total focus at the...
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