If you do not yet know the story of “Mad Max”, I highly suggest the November 1996 issue of RACER magazine. Until then, here is what I remember about the North American debut of Max Papis.

The 1996 24 Hours of Daytona was the place. A bitterly cold place to be this particular year in early February. Unless, of course, you are Max Papis and it is your turn to do the final stint in the MOMO Ferrari 333sp.

The Ferrari had surendered the race lead because of mechanical troubles and was further hindered by teammate, Bob Wollek, after hitting a slower car in the chicane. During repairs in the pits, the Ferrari was handed over to Papis.

Papis jumped behind the MOMO steering wheel and headed out onto the track to finish the job and bring the team home to a secure second place. Well, no one told Papis the race was over in their heads, because in his mind he had a lap to get back so that he could put the heat on Wayne Taylor in the race-leading Oldsmobile. Taylor’s car was being nursed around the track in the final hour to try and insure it would make it to the finish in the lead. Besides, why push the car when the second place car was well over a lap back and in need of nursing, too?

What Papis did could have caused a lesser car to break (blow the engine). With scant minutes left on the clock, Papis had lit a fire and was scorching the track in pursuit of the ailing Oldsmobile. Papis was putting on the greatest late-race comeback ever seen in the history of the 24 Hours of Daytona. Papis repassed the Oldsmobile to put himself on the lead lap. His plan was working. The Doyle Racing Oldsmobile was slowing even more to try and survive the last dozen minutes. They were prey to Papis in his Ferrari as he pulled out a sequence of fast laps!

What few fans remained at the track were applauding with their gloved and frozen hands for the unthinkable might happen. Watches were being studied, timing Papis’ amazing speed around the near-frozen track. Can he do it? Is he going to catch the Oldsmobile? Was Wayne Taylor a sitting duck to the fiery Italians hunting him down? Was there enough time remaining on the race clock for the MOMO Ferrari to do the untinkable?

With every blazing lap Papis made, the “200mph tape” holding his Ferrari’s left side together (damage caused by Wollek’s pass attempt) would relieve it’s grip slightly. Was Papis’ abused and battered red sled falling apart on him? Was his Ferrari going to be the car that broke first?

With less than ten minutes remaining in the 24 hour spectacle, Max drove the fastest lap of the race. He was possessed. What would be the punishment if he didn’t finish the race at all after being handed the car while in second place? What would happen if he won? The mind wonders.

One of the most startling sights ever at the 24 Hours of Daytona was Papis' full-speed shot (200 MPH) down the pit lane for fuel (pit lane speed limits were imposed the very next year). At the end of the race, Taylor still beat Papis by 64 seconds, but it was Papis' bravura performance that people talk about to this day and earned him the nickname "Mad Max."

Dissappointed Papis didn’t get to drive the Ferrari into the Victory Lane, the fans knew in their hearts who the winners were this year. Them. For the fans got to witness an entire season of the newly crowned and adored “Mad Max”