TONY KANAAN
SERIES 1146/1147
GGM.L016.1140.1 ED 08/12
LIMITED EDITION
TONY KANAAN SERIES 1146/1147
CERTIFICATE NUMBER /999
Full Name
Antoine Rizkallah Kanaan Filho
Birth Date
December 31, 1974
Birth Place
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Height / Weight
5‘5“, 160 lbs.
Residence
Miami, Florida
Children
Leonardo
Debut season
1998 CART
2002 IndyCar
Current team
KV Racing Technology
Car Number
TONY KANAAN PROFILE
11
Starts
246 (CART and IndyCar)
Wins
15 (CART and IndyCar)
Poles
15 (CART and IndyCar)
Laps Led
3206 (CART and IndyCar)
Best finish
Champion in 2004
Chassis
Dallara
Engine
Chevrolet
Sponsors
GEICO/Mouser Electronics/Itaipava
Website
www.tonykanaan.com.br
Twitter: @TonyKanaan
PERSONAL
Tony started racing in karts, building them as well as driving – earning the use
of a kart instead of a paycheck. An accomplished tri-athlete, he competed in the
2011 Kona Ironman World Championship. He also enjoys bicycling, go-karting
and water sports, and is a former rollerblade instructor. He speaks English,
Portuguese, Italian and Spanish. Tony lists Ayrton Senna, Mario Andretti, and
Alex Zanardi as his racing idols. Kanaan is a good friend of Brazilian Formula
One driver Rubens Barrichello, and they exchanged helmets for the events on
May 28, 2006. Barrichello wore Kanaan‘s helmet livery during the Monaco GP
and Kanaan wore Rubens‘s one during the Indy 500. The two of them created
a charity offering financial and technical aid to institutions within the voluntary
sector, the Barrichello Kanaan Institute.
RACING CAREER
Tony Kanaan built a solid reputation on the Brazilian karting circuit, earning six
championship titles: the Sao Paulo city Junior Karting Championship three times
(1986 – 88); the Brazilian Junior Karting Championship (1988); the Sao Paulo City
B Category Karting Championship (1989), and the Sao Paulo City Graduated A
Category Karting Championship (1990).
After two successful years in the Brazilian Formula Ford and Formula Chevrolet
Championships, Tony followed a familiar path and went to Europe to build
his career.
After a partial season in the Formula Opel Euroseries, Tony competed in the
Italian Formula Alfa Boxer Championship and won the title. He graduated
to Italian Formula 3 competition and posted nine podium finishes prior to joining
Tasman Motorsports in 1996 at age twenty one.
Tony made an impressive debut in North American racing, he won two races
(Detroit and Laguna Seca), the Sea Doo/Ski Doo Pole Award, earned the Rookie
of the Year title and finished second in the Indy Lights Championship.
In 1997, Tony opted for another season in Indy Lights to gain more experience,
with his sights firmly set on the champion‘s crown. He accomplished this feat,
winning the PPG-Firestone Indy Lights Championship and adding two more races
to his list of victories (Detroit and Trois-Rivieres).
In 1998, having his talent recognized, added to his accumulated experience
earned with Tasman, Tony was hired by Steve Horne, owner of the team, to be
the only driver of the team on the 1998 season on the FedEx CART Championship Race Series. Tony surprised everyone in the category on his inaugural
season: scored PPG Cup points in 11 of 19 starts – the most for a rookie since
1993 – scored two podium finishes, finished ninth-place ranking, highest placed
among the Brazilian drivers and earned the Rookie of the Year 1998 title.
1999 was Tony‘s second year with Forsythe Championship Racing –
McDonald‘s Championship Racing Team (formerly Tasman Motorsports). Finished
11th in points with a victory at the U.S. 500 and nine other top 10 finishes:
Motegi (Japan), Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), Madison (Ill), Elkhart Lake (Wis), Detroit,
Vancouver, Houston, Surfers Paradise (Australia), and Fontana (Calif.). Was
also a pole sitter at Long Beach, California.
After a two-year run with Forsythe Championship Racing, in 2000 Kanaan,
who scored his first victory at the 1999 U.S. 500, Tony began his third CART
season behind the wheel of the #55 Nunn Racing Mercedes-Benz Reynard.
The 2000 season was not Tony’s best year, although he finished the season as
the best driver powered by Mercedes engines in the final point standings. The
Brazilian suffered an accident during the qualifying for the Detroit Grand Prix
and could not compete for four races. Tony fractured the left forearm and had
four broken ribs. He finished in 19th place in the final point standings.
The 2001 season he finished the CART Championship in 9th place for Mo Nunn
Racing. His best finish was third at Japan.
I have a lot to give to Honda and a title to Andretti Green. I will fight for those
things, as I fought this past year.“
In 2002, Tony made his IndyCar Series debut at Indianapolis 500, starting fifth
and leading 23 laps before an accident on Lap 89 ended his race. He finished
12th in CART standings for Mo Nunn Racing. His best finish was third at Vancouver and Montreal.
When racing great Michael Andretti decided to retire as a driver, he searched
for a replacement to anchor his team. Andretti thought Tony Kanaan was the
perfect choice. Kanaan didn‘t let him down, posting a solid season in 2003, with
one victory, won MBNA Pole Awards at Homestead, Phoenix and Pikes Peak,
nine top fives and 12 top 10 finishes in 16 races. Taking the 4th place, with 476
points (against 507 of the champion Scott Dixon). This year he renewed his contract with Andretti Green for another 5 years (up to the year 2008). At that time,
he said… „I think we still have a lot to conquer in the years we have ahead of us.
2004 was an unforgettable year for the Brazilian. With 3 wins and 15 top-5
finishes, one of Tony‘s greatest dreams came true: he won the most important
title of his career. Aside from being Indy Racing League Champion, Tony broke
all the records: he completed all of the 3305 laps of the season, the only time this
feat has ever been accomplished in any form of racing. He led most laps ever in
a season, and finished in the top-5 15 consecutive times. It was a golden year!
He finished the season in 1st place with 618 points and Indy Racing League
Champion.
In 2005, Tony fought the whole year for the second title, but ended the season
as the runner-up. He achieved 2 wins (Kansas and Sonoma) and the pole position
for the Indy 500. Tony’s debut on road circuits was a success. He won one
(Sonoma) and finished 2nd in the other two (St. Petersburg and Watkins Glen).
This year, the championship went to teammate Dan Wheldon, but Tony finished
in 2nd place with 548 points. In September 2005 he tested a Formula One car
with the BAR-Honda Team at Jerez as a reward for his 2004 IRL championship in
a Honda powered car.
2006 saw Tony struggling in some races, but also gave him one win (Milwaukee) and 7 top-5 finishes. Tony‘s signature for this season were the outstanding
recoveries when he started from „bad“ starting positions, overtaking a lot of
cars in the first laps of the races. He finished 6th with 384 points, just 91 points
shy of the champion, Sam Hornish Jr.
In 2007, he took third place in IndyCar Series standings with 5 wins (Motegi,
Milwaukee, Michigan, Kentucky, and Belle Isle – more than any other driver
in the Series) and recorded 12 top-five finishes, 13 top-10 finishes, and one pole.
He also teamed with Bryan Herta and Dario Franchitti to win the LMP2 class of
the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2007, Kanaan‘s first career ALMS start.
In 2008, Kanaan again finished in third place in IndyCar Series standings with
one victory (at Richmond, from pole position). He had 11 top-five finishes overall,
and closed the season with three consecutive top fives, including podiums at Infineon and Belle Isle. He got a new contract with AGR for five more years through
2013, and he won his second victory in ALMS (Laguna Seca).
In 2009, he finished sixth in IndyCar Series standings for Andretti Green Racing.
He recorded five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, with a best of third three times,
and was the only driver with top-five finishes in each of first three races.
RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS
2008
• Finished third for the second year in a row in IZOD IndyCar Series standings
• His win at Richmond marked six consecutive years with at least one win in
IndyCar (2003 – 200 8)
2009
• Finished sixth in IZOD IndyCar Series standings
• Earned five Top-Five finishes and 10 Top-Ten finishes in IndyCar
2010
• Finished sixth in IZOD IndyCar Series standings
• Won at Iowa, advancing 14 positions and leading 62 laps
• Recorded seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes
• Front-row start at St. Petersburg was first since winning pole at Richmond
in 2008
2011
• Finished fifth in the IZOD IndyCar Series Standings
• Earned the pole-position in the last race of the season in Las Vegas
• Finished second in Iowa
• Finished third in Milwaukee
• Finished in the Top-10 six times in 2011 and four times in the Top-five
• Competed for the first time in the famous and grueling Kona Ironman
World Championship, the most difficult and respected triathlon race
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Won the 2004 IndyCar Series championship
• Finished second in the 2005 IndyCar Series championship and
third in both 2007 and 2008
• Has registered 15 career wins and 15 career poles
(CART and IndyCar combined)
• Teamed with Bryan Herta and Dario Franchitti to win the LMP2 class of
the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2007, Kanaan’s first career ALMS start
• Captured an IndyCar Series-high five wins in 2007
• Received the Jerry Titus Memorial Trophy in 2004 for being the AARWBA
(American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association) Driver of the
Year; also a member of the 2004 AARWBA All-American Team
• Claimed first IndyCar Series victory on March 23, 2003, at Phoenix
International Raceway
• Earned two CART pole positions in 2002 at Miami and Fontana events
• Lone career CART win came in 1999 at Michigan Speedway
• Awarded 1998 Jim Trueman CART Rookie of the Year
• Crowned 1997 Dayton Indy Lights Champion
• Was the 1996 Indy Lights Rookie of the Year with two victories
• Drove to victory at the Granja Viana 500 kart race in Sao Paulo,
Brazil, in 2008, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1998
• Won the Capacete de Oro (Golden Helmet) Award presented by
Racing Magazine in Brazil in 2007, 2005 and 2004
• Received the Casci di Oro (Golden Helmet) Award given by
Italy’s Autosprint in 2004
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