Max Papis Joins Cheever Racing At Barber Park
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Monday, July 24, 2006) -- Max Papis, the
versatile
driver of open-wheel and sports-car racing, has been hired to
drive the #39
Cheever Racing/Crown Royal Daytona Prototype, along with Christian
Fittipaldi, in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car series race
at Barber
Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend.
The news comes just days after the birth of Max and his wife
Tatiana's son
Marco Fittipaldi Papis, who was born Friday, July 21 at South
Miami
Hospital.
"I am glad to be back in the Grand-Am series," said Papis,
who is a two-time
Rolex 24 at Daytona winner and a 2004 Grand-Am Series champion. "It
will be
the first time I have teamed with Christian, who I have known
since I was 14
years old, so it will be like a family reunion. It is a great
way to
celebrate the birth of my kid, Marco. I will work very hard to
help bring
success to the Cheever organization."
Papis also drove for Cheever Racing this year at the Indianapolis
500,
finishing 14th.
"Max did a great job for us at Indy," said Cheever. "With
his experience in
the Grand-Am Series he will be a great pairing with Christian."
A native of Como, Italy, Papis moved up the ladder of European
formulas
during his late teens and early 20s before finding a Formula
One test ride
with Lotus and Honda in 1994. The following year, he competed
in seven
Formula One races with Arrows.
In 1996, Papis posted three wins in IMSA World Sports Car,
then joined
Championship Auto Racing Teams, where he won three races in five
years.
Since then, Papis has been one of the top competitors in American
sports-car
racing. He posted an overall win at the 24 Hours of Daytona in
2002, a Grand
American Rolex Sports Car Series championship in 2004, and class
wins at the
12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona and two runner-up
finishes at
the 24 Hours of LeMans. Papis also drives in the Crown Royal
IROC Series and
does road course testing in NASCAR.