Fangio gained an early introduction to Indy car racing at the end of 1995 when AAR and Pac West Racing reached an agreement to allow Fangio to compete in the final four series races as a substitute driver for Pac West's injured Danny Sullivan. Fangio's Indy car debut came at the August 13 Miller Genuine Draft 200 at Mid-Ohio, where he qualified 14th and finished seventh.

In 1996, Fangio debuted AAR's own Eagle MK-V chassis powered by the new Toyota RV8A Indy engine and completed the campaign by recording the highest individual finish in history by a Toyota-powered Indy car. The series sophomore drove his Castrol-lubricated No. 36 AAR Eagle Toyota to an eighth-place finish in the Texaco/Havoline 200 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., producing the second-largest start-to-finish improvement in the 26-car field.

Prior to his Indy car career, Fangio put together a remarkable five-season stint in the driver's seat for AAR and Toyota in IMSA Camel GTP competition.

In both 1992 and 1993, Fangio reached the pinnacle of IMSA racing, earning back-to-back Camel GT Driver's Championships and leading Toyota to consecutive GTP Manufacturer's titles. His many accomplishments include 21 GTP victories and an IMSA record 19 solo triumphs.

During his final GTP campaign, Fangio registered seven victories and four pole positions in 10 races. He co-drove to his second straight 12 Hours of Sebring victory, and won at Miami, Atlanta, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen and Portland.

For his efforts, Fangio was named American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association's (AARWBA) first-team All American for the second straight year. Additionally, he co-drove a Toyota MR2 to victory at the Bath 12 Hours in Australia.

Fangio also recorded seven victories in 1992, to go along with five pole positions. Among his victories was Toyota's first-ever endurance triumph in the 12 Hours of Sebring. His magical year was capped off fittingly, when he was named the AARWBA 1992 "Driver of the Year," receiving more votes than any driver that year.

"To become the champion, the entire team has to be focused on winning," says Fangio. "It is easy for everyone to be together when the team is winning, but when there is difficulty, it is the most important. The whole Toyota crew has shown the desire to work to get things right, no matter what it takes. No matter how good the car is, they are always asking, 'What can be done to make it better?'"

Bursting into the limelight in 1990, Fangio won four events, only one less than the series champ, Geoff Brabham. He also earned Toyota's first win at Heartland Park, Topeka, starting on the pole and leading every lap in the #99 Toyota. Fangio won at Sears Point by a narrow margin over Brabham and then had spectacular come-from-behind victories at San Antonio and Del Mar.

In 1991, Fangio took the team to its first win of the season at Watkins Glen in the "old" Toyota Eagle MK-II (HF89) and piloted the new Toyota Eagle MK-III to victory at Portland in only its second outing. He also led for most of the Laguna Seca race in the car's debut, but a pit stop penalty seven laps from the end dropped him from first to seventh. Ending the season as he did the year before, Fangio stood on the winner's stand at Del Mar, recording his seventh GTP win.

Remarking on Fangio's ability, AAR team owner Dan Gurney said, "He's a chip off the old uncle."

When young Fangio was born in Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 19, 1956, the attending doctor, a friend of the family, had one request - name him after his uncle, the five-time F1 World Champion. The request was posed to the Grand Prix driver, who was out of the country at the time, and permission was granted. In addition to the name, Juan Manuel Fangio II also inherited his uncle's passion for racing.

"All my life my family encouraged me to pursue my studies. They knew how difficult racing can be and did not want me to go through the agony unless I really wanted to," Fangio says. "I tried engineering school because I thought the easy way to go racing was to build my own car, but it was a lot harder. I found out that I crave speed and driving is my love. Now my family, especially my uncle, lives my career as if it were their own."

It would have been difficult to isolate the young Fangio from racing considering his father, Ruben "Toto" Fangio, was a car builder whose designs and constructions were the class of the field in the 60's and 70's in Argentina.

When he was young, Fangio raced anything he could get to move - bicycles, go-karts, rallies - but broke into automotive racing with a sedan he built with his father and a friend, Juan Bordeau. He piloted the car only two times before getting behind the wheel of a Formula car in 1980. He finished fourth that year and graduated to a Volkswagen factory ride in the most prestigious South American road racing series, F2.

After winning three races, Fangio was named the F2 "Rookie of the Year." In addition to competing in the F2 series, Fangio expanded his horizons to include a few South American rallies with the Citroen factory team.

Then Fangio set his sights on the motor racing big leagues in Europe and the United States. He participated in several Formula 3 races in Europe and finished third overall and first in class at the Dallas Grand Prix Can-Am race. Fangio registered qualifying track records for Can-Am cars at Sears Point and Dallas, and the race lap record at Riverside International Raceway.

By the end of 1984, Fangio was testing F1 cars and felt there was a good possibility to get a ride with a team the following season.

That same year, Fangio met one of his uncle's friends, Dan Gurney;, and asked for some guidance.

"Juan Manuel Fangio was one of my heroes," recalls Gurney. "When his nephew called me, I was happy to discuss racing opportunities with him. Nothing developed at the time, but we stayed in touch."

In 1985, Fangio split his racing time between Europe, driving in the Formula 3000 series, and America, where his best race of the year was his second consecutive win in the Mazda Inter-American Challenge over Emerson Fittipaldi, Roberto Guerrero and Willy T. Ribbs. Among the fans watching Fangio in action was Gurney, who was impressed with what he saw.

At the end of 1985, Fangio decided he needed to choose between racing in Europe and the United States. The United States won. He studied English with a vengeance and speaks it fluently today.

Once again, Fangio talked with Gurney. His first ride for All American Racers was in a Toyota GTO car at Riverside in 1986. Also that year, he became an American Racing Series (ARS) regular in the last half of the season, driving Indy-style cars for TeamKar International. He closed the series with a win in the Miami finale and clinched fifth place overall for the year.

Fangio continued his ARS success in 1987 with a victory at Mid-Ohio, drove for Toyota at Daytona, Sebring, Road America, Sears Point and Watkins Glen, and won the professional division of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach ahead of Parnelli Jones and Gurney.

In 1988, Fangio became highly visible in the racing world with victories in three Corvette Challenge series races (Riverside, Portland and the Meadowlands) to place second in the championship.

In the ARS series, he participated in nine of the 12 events, winning at Cleveland and Elkhart Lake, finishing second three times and qualifying on the pole three times. He also drove for the Toyota/AAR team at Daytona and Sebring. At the end of 1988, Fangio signed with Gurney's GTP program.

Fangio's humble attitude and driving style is not surprising to Gurney. "When I watch him, I feel the echo of his uncle in many respects," relays Gurney. "I mean, he has that tender, finesse kind of touch with the car, but beneath it there's a man of steel, a driver with resolve."

Fangio and his wife, Viviana, reside in Miami with young sons, Juan and Lucas, and new daughter, Rinatta. Fangio's interests outside of racing include all kinds of competitive sports, including cycling, tennis and soccer.

Update: Juan retired from racing at the end of the 1997 season.

Personal Data

• Birthdate: September 19, 1956

• Height:5' 9"

• Weight:148

• Birthplace: Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Residence: Miami,Florida

• Wife: Viviana

• Children: Juan, Lucas, Rinatta

Juan's Journal

• Named 1992 American Auto Writers & Broadcasters Association Driver of the Year, as well as first-team All-American in both 1992 and '93.
• Fangio's 19 solo wins are the most in Camel GT history. His 21 overall victories made him the winningest IMSA driver of the '90s.
• Two-time Camel GT Drivers Champion. His 1992 championship came 35 years after his uncle, Juan Manuel Fangio won the fifth and last of his F1 World Championships.
• Was in car for Toyota's first 12 GTP victories, including its first ever IMSA GTP victory at Heartland Park, 5/6/90, and Toyota's inaugural endurance triumph at Sebring, 3/20/92.
• Qualified on the front row of the last 23 Toyota GTP races.
• Registered four Indy Lights victories from 1986 - '88.
• Finished second in the 1988 Corvette Challenge with three wins.
• Won the professional division of the 1987 Toyota Pro/Celebrity race.