About Max Papis

Massimiliano "Max" Papis is known as one of the world's most versatile race car drivers, and brings his experience and enthusiasm to Team Cadillac. Papis, 35, is coming off a championship season in the 2004 Grand Am Daytona Prototype racing series.

A native of Como, Italy, Papis started racing competitively in karts. Two years later, the young driver moved to the prestigious Italian Formula 3 Championship series. Papis was a three-time winner in that series while driving for Alfa Romeo and VW factory teams. He then moved to the Formula 3000 series and in 1994 won the Spanish Grand Prix from the pole position. That performance led to a stint as a Formula 1 test driver. Papis went on to compete in Formula 1, scoring a career-best seventh-place finish at his home track in Monza.

In 1996, Papis drove for Ferrari in the IMSA Sports Car Championship and won three times, finishing second in the drivers championship. That same year he also made his debut in the CART Championship Series. In 2000 he scored his first CART victory at Homestead, driving for Team Rahal Miller Lite Ford, and won twice more the following year. Papis has 113 CART starts, two poles and three wins. He is also a two-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner, in 2000 and 2002.

Papis had a fantastic 2004, winning four Grand Am races on his way to the championship, and also finishing first in GTS class at the 12 Hours of Sebring, driving for Corvette Racing, and a second-place finish at Le Mans.

A resident of Miami Beach, Papis is engaged to Tatiana Fittipaldi.  

Career highlights

• Winner, Grand Am CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, 2004 (Daytona Prototype Lexus/Riley)
• Winner and pole, 6 Heures du Circuit Mont-Tremblant
• Winner, Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen
• Winner and pole, Mid-Ohio Road Racing Classic
• Winner and pole, California Speedway (11 pole positions in 12 races)
• Winner in GTS class, 12 Hours of Sebring (C5.R Corvette
• Grand Am winner, Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, 2000 and 2002
• Winner and pole, CART GI Joe's Portland Grand Prix, 2001
• Winner, CART Laguna Seca Grand Prix, 2001
• Winner, 2000 Homestead-Miami Speedway (2000, first CART victory)
• 1996 IMSA World Sports Car Championship Team MOMO in the official Ferrari 333SP
• Winner, 6 Hours of Watkins Glen
• Winner, Road Atlanta Grand Prix
• Winner, Lime Rock Grand Prix
• Test driver for Formula 1 team Lotus Honda and F1 team Ligier Renault, 1994
• Winner and pole, Formula 3000 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, 1994
• 1992 Formula 3 Italian Championship VW Factory Team, Piemme Motors Dallara-VW; winner and pole at Vallelunga
• 1991 Formula 3 Italian Championship Team Venturini Dallara-Alfa Romeo
• Winner, Monza GP Lotteria
• Winner at Binetto

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Contact:

Rob Minton
Cadillac Communications
Phone: (313) 667-8600
E-mail: robert.minton@gm.com