By David G. Firestone
As I said last week, the name Andretti is to racing what the names Gretzky, Jordan, Unitas, and Ruth are to hockey, basketball,football, and baseball respectively. It is a name associated with the sport. Mario Andretti is considered to be one of, if not the greatest race car drivers in the world. He has to his record, 33 USAC Champ Car wins, 19 Cart/CCWS wins, 12 Formula One wins, 3 IROC wins, and has also won the 1966 Fuji 500, and won the 1967 Daytona 500.
After his career ended, he opened up his own racing experience, The Mario Andretti Racing Experience, where you can pay to ride in, or even drive an IndyCar. He gives fans a chance to live their dreams. The suits that he uses are simple firesuits that anyone can use, and are designed to be easy to use, such as this one.This Pyrotect SFI 1 rated suit shows a decent amount of wear, with tears and some stains.The collar is unadorned, and is a standard collar.
The suit is not Nomex, but is a treated cotton. The Pyrotect tag states that. There is also no warranty label on this suit…which is odd.
Both the left and right chests feature small MARIO ANDRETTI RACING EXPERIENCE logos.
The front torso features a large MARIO ANDRETTI RACING EXPERIENCE logo.
The front of the belt has 1-877-RACELAP embroidered into it. There is a tear in the fabric. The suit doesn’t use a zipper, but oddly uses Velcro.
The legs have standard cuffs, and have white and black stripes running up the sides.
The shoulders have epaulets, but they are almost torn off of the shoulders.
The right sleeve has a MARIO ANDRETTI RACING EXPERIENCE logo embroidered in black on a white background, in television position.
The left sleeve has the same MARIO ANDRETTI RACING EXPERIENCE as the right sleeve, but the SFI certification is also present.
The back of the suit doesn’t show much wear.
The back of the neck is unadorned.
The upper back torso features a MARIO ANDRETTI RACING EXPERIENCE logo embroidered into it.
The seat area has a little bit of padding added.
Mario Andretti joins Rusty Wallace and Richard Petty in opening a racing experience. These have proven to be popular, and I’m wondering if guys like Dale Earnhardt Jr., or Jeff Gordon will start their own experiences. Who wouldn’t want to get racing lessons from guys like these? I certainly would!
Next week, another firesuit, this one worn by a professional.
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