6SpeedOnline Interviews MOMO Owner, Henrique Cisneros at California Festival of Speed
The story of famed motorsports brand MOMO began with race car driver Gianpiero Moretti in 1964. Moretti was dissatisfied with the steering wheel in his race car, so he had a local craftsman make him one that fit his specifications. The first-ever MOMO steering wheel was thicker and grippier than what existed in the marketplace at the time. The product’s superiority quickly caught the attention of other racers who wanted the steering wheels in their cars.
By the time a MOMO steering wheel arrived in John Surtees’ Formula One Ferrari; the car that won him the 1964 World Drivers’ Championship, MOMO’s history began to take off. With each successive year, the company became a more significant part of not only racing, but also winning.
You could make it rain with the skilled hands that have won races while gripping a MOMO steering wheel: hands belonging to Andretti, Senna, Mansell, Piquet, Schumacher, Lauda, Stewart — indeed, a lot of wins behind those surnames.
Today, just as it was back when the company began in 1964, MOMO is led by a race car driver. His name is Henrique Cisneros, and he’s no stranger to winning races. He’s a two-time IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup national champion, and he’s won the Petit LeMans.
If he’s not winning races, chances are he’s on the podium. Since the beginning of his racing career, 58 percent of his finishes have earned him a spot in the top three. As such, he’s placed second in the Pirelli World Challenge Championship, third place in the American Le Mans Series Championship, and he’s earned two third-place finishes in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Since 2015 when Cisneros took over MOMO, the company has been focused on more ways to use its racing pedigree to enrich automotive culture. I sat down with Henrique to find out what drives his automotive passion, and to learn about how he plans on translating that into future products within the MOMO lineup. Check out the video to find out why you’ll be seeing even more MOMO within your own automotive lifestyle.
