My shopping cart
Your cart is currently empty.
Continue ShoppingIM Team Driver Spotlight - Todd Roppo
IM Driver Spotlight - Todd Roppo
It was the early 1990’s and Todd Roppo was the first driver for the Italian Motors team. At the time, IM was the importer for Tibikart and Todd was well known in Region 6 as being the driver to beat.
It was the early 1990’s and Todd Roppo was the first driver for the Italian Motors team. At the time, IM was the importer for Tibikart and Todd was well known in Region 6 as being the driver to beat.
Todd's father got Todd into the sport in 1984 at the age of 12. He raced Junior 1 with a Yamaha KT100 and 1977 Invader chassis. When asked what his top five accomplishments in karting were, Todd’s top two were “the time with my dad and the friendships made” followed by over 40 Region 6 Gold-Cup wins, over 10 class Championships, and multiple top 5 Grand National finishes. Putting the relationships first is a true testament to Todd's ability to keep things in perspective during a race weekend and is what led him to such success.
In 1993, the Italian Motors team consisted of brother and sister team Michael and Claudia Valiante. Claudio was looking for a driver to represent the team in the Senior Category. It wasn’t just Todd’s talent that brought him to the IM team, it was also Todd's intelligence and poise off track, which made him a great role model for the younger drivers. He also had a sense of humor that could turn any sour racer into hysterics. A great example of this was his close friendship with his fierce competitors, the Odenthal brothers. His battles with Joey and David Odenthal were legendary and often had the entire pits lined up along the fence to watch.
Some of the best times spent with Todd were travelling in the IM box van across the country. Claudio at the wheel, and teenagers Michael and Claudia harassing Todd like younger siblings might. More than anything, Todd’s presence helped put Italian Motors on the grid as a leading team and he set high standards for future Italian Motors drivers.
Today, Todd lives with his wife and two children in Puyallup, WA. He works in the composites sector of the aerospace industry and hopes to continue focusing on family, friends and his physical, mental and spiritual well-being. His motto is, “Life is short, have fun”.
