Matthew John Shapiro

Tonight, March 16th, 2025, is the eve of the day you left us one year ago. My Beloved Brother, John, I still cannot believe you are gone. I miss you every day. I do feel you close as beautiful happy butterflies follow me wherever I go... I love you. You and me--forever.

My wife and I were lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Johnny. We spent almost 4 years traveling and racing, and even during the off times, we found time to see each other.

His kind way and optimistic persona shined brightly on and off the track. His love for dancing, racing, and life overall was contagious.

He brought us so much happiness and gave many drivers and racing support staff opportunities simply by talking about them. Most people won't know, but many opportunities were created by him. His word meant that much to people.

I wish my daughter and my family could have had him around.

He gave me light in my darkest days and strength.

I have a picture of him with my wife that I see when I wake up every day-the day he won us 3 championships in one year, something only a remarkable engineer and leader could have done.

Thank you, Johnny, for all the great times we've had, and I will fulfill the promise I made to you. Love always, Kathy Perez, JC Perez, Isabella Perez.

So happy to see John at the RRVCC dinner in Daytona in January 2024. John, among some of his contemporaries in the racing world. Exactly where he belongs. I had known him for over 40 years in racing. Raced against him many times, and several times with him. He was the type of guy who you raced against, but then he would join you for Christmas dinner with your family. Amazing talented guy, a legend in car setup in the Ferrari Challenge series, builder of cars, manager of teams. He's done it all ! Proud to have called him friend and colleague. RIP my friend, you will be missed.

I met John in early 2000's through a mutual friend. Little did I know that meeting would sculpt the rest of my life. Spent the next ten years traveling the world and chasing race cars. Always guiding and sculpting the guys that worked for him and most went on to lifelong race careers. I am forever grateful for the life that I was able to have because of him. Never was I fearful of tackling a project know John was there to catch me if I fall. I will miss his kindness and his guidance. Thanks for EVERYTHING!

This photo was a pit stop from the 12 Hours of Sebring, 1982. You can see John, (or "Gianni" as my John would always write) leaning over the car. Before my John had to leave the world, he and Gianni had a great conversation reminiscing about that race that they won despite all of the challenges. John always said he won that race because of Gianni and his amazing crew. I didn't meet Gianni until, I believe the year 2000, and knew instantly, he was another incredibly special person, like my John. As John retired from racing to battle Huntington's disease, Gianni, always stayed in touch. I believe they gave each other strength and when they would speak, they would be who they were - each without the horrible disease they both fought against. I like to think they are celebrating, reminiscing, and back in race cars on some heavenly track. The world doesn't shine as bright when beautiful souls are called into the heavens. We all hurt, and I believe the pain never goes away, we just learn, somehow to live with it. It warmed my heart that Gianni had Debra and that very special love that kept him going for such a long time. Debra was a gift that Gianni treasured beyond words. Life is so much richer when we have had a chance to experience it with a very special person, a rarity in this place called life. Gianni Shapiro was a light to all who knew him and loved him. I so love to believe it isn't goodbye. It is, thank you for the memories... until we meet again.

I will always remember the hug John gave me, and I gave him, the evening he was leaving Fort. Lauderdale to relocate to his happy place, The Farm in Tennessee. We could still hug John then... eventually physical touch (like hugging) became more difficult. It was too painful and I didn´t want to inflict any further pain to his already aching body. This photo was taken by Debra and I am forever grateful to her for this and many more wonderful and amazing memories. How I cherish these beyond measure. Now, my body and heart ache. I am inconsolable.

Johnny was my big brother and this is one of my favorite photos with him. It was taken on a Christmas Eve at our parents´ beach-home in Surfside, FL. Those were such carefree happy days.
I will continue to share more precious photos and memories here...

I miss you, and our fabulous fun together, immensely, my brother.

Johnny and I hadn´t seen a lot of each other in recent years...as life and racing tends to do our paths took us in different directions. I was fortunate enough to visit with him and Debra in May of last year and within minutes it was as if we´d seen each other just days before. That´s the kind of guy Johnny was and in my experience there aren´t many like that.
I met Johnny years ago as I was at the very beginning of my racing career when he was already a very seasoned veteran and I had loads of enthusiasm but not much else! He was a mentor in every sense of the word - not just in racing but in life - and the time I spent under his wing set me up with much of what I needed to be able to hold my own with some of the heaviest hitters in business in later years.
He had a way not only with technical prowess but a way of doing things and thinking that have made it possible for me (and I´m sure many others) to do and achieve things that I certainly never could have without the basis he gave me all those years ago.
He and I were fortunate enough to enjoy some pretty significant successes together in Motorsport but it was the times we spent outside of "work" that have had the most lasting influence on me. There isn´t a week that goes by that I´m not relating some story or even directly quoting something that I learned from him.
We never know how much time we have...Johnny certainly used his well.
To say it was a blessing to have known him and be a friend as well as a racing colleague doesn´t begin to do him justice...but we all know that.
He was one of the best and will be truly missed.

Johny was my first Race engineer transitioning over to big cars, he was always so patient annd great ant teaching. He wanted to see me succeed. He taught me great life lessons, through the sport of racing. It was a blessing God could introduce me to Johnny, he was definitely a fighter and didn´t give up. He still pushed past his condition to come out and be at the race tracks next to me.

I can not write enough to tell the whole story about Johnny. All I can say is he was one of the good ones. I have only meet a few!

John was my closest mentor and gave me my first opportunity to work as en engineer in professional motorsports beside him, for which I am eternally grateful. He was an icon in the world of motorsports and will be truly missed by many. Words can not describe the pain of this untimely loss. Godspeed, Johnny.

1985 IMSA. He was working for Shelton Brothers Ferrari.