Christian Fittipaldi, the nephew of double Formula One World Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson and son for former Formula One driver Wilson will join the International Superstars grid for a part time attack on the series in 2012, ahead of a full time switch in 2013.
Fittipaldi, who competed in forty Grand Prix before switching his attentions to racing in the US and the Indycar Series, where he spent eight seasons. He has also spent time in NASCAR, Grand-Am and ALMS.
He started his career in his native Brazil, where he secured the Brazilian Formula 3 Championship title, and in 1991 he secured the International Formula 3000 Championship as a rookie.
The switch to the Superstars series is giving Fittipaldi the platform for a high profile return to Motorsport, and he rejoins former Formula One team-mate Gianni Morbidelli on the grid, Morbidelli having been confirmed for Audi Sport Italia in a manufacturer supported Audi RS5.
Some of the opposition that the Brazilian racer will face are previous Champions in the Superstars series, like 2010 Champion Thomas Biagi, who was crowned Champion in 2010.
“I’m really happy and proud to be part of the SUPERSTARS family starting from the upcoming 2012 season,” explained Fittipaldi. “The championship is experiencing a really fast growth, gathering some of the world’s top drivers. I can’t wait to take part in the first three races!”
For FG Group President and the creator of the Superstars Series, Maurizio Flammini, seeing the Fittipaldi name joining the grid will be an honour for him, as he started his own racing career alongside Emerson.
“My career started together with the great Emerson Fittipaldi,” Flammini said. “In Formula 1 at Brands Hatch we lined-up alongside each other, I was with a Williams and he raced a McLaren, and my first professional project after racing, the RASSEGNA MOTORISTICA INTERNAZIONALE of ROME welcomed Emerson as a Presenting Sponsor for the event. Having Christian in our championship is an honor and a way to follow in a family tradition. With him we expect SUPERSTARS to be even more exciting also thanks to the many motorsports champions that we will see lined-up aboard our cars this season.”
The car and team that Fittipaldi will run with will be revealed in Milan on March 16, as part of the 2012 Superstars Series presentation. The 2012 Championship gets underway at Monza over the 31 March/1 April.