| | Target/Chip Ganassi Racing has a four-year hold on the CART FedEx Championship Series. And Morris Nunn was a big part of the team's rise to the top
But in 2000, the Champ Car guru is on his own after deciding to leave Ganassi and put together a brand new team. Nunn hired Tony Kanaan as his driver, and together, the pair is ready to rise to the top.
But they know the road to success will not be an easy one.
"I felt like it was a better opportunity to learn with Morris," said Kanaan.
"I wanted a new challenge," Nunn said.
Both figure to get exactly that starting Sunday in the season-opening Miami Grand Prix.
When Nunn and Kanaan became a team, they knew the road ahead of them would be tough. Kanaan had a home a Forsythe Racing, winning the U.S. 500 last year and showed unlimited potential as a driver. Nunn was the driving force behind Target/Chip Ganassi Racing's success. He was the lead engineer for both Alex Zanardi's two titles in 1997-98, and Juan Montoya's championship a year ago.
But in one offseason, Nunn went from a team with enormous resources, millions of sponsorship dollars and multiple championships, to a new team with almost nothing.
"It's going to be tough, it's not going to be easy, that's for sure," said Kanaan.
"We put this whole program together to be on the track in 56 days -- from nothing," Nunn said. "We were very lucky in a way -- unlucky for Mr. Hogan -- but we purchased a lot of his equipment."
Nunn also wanted Carl Hogan's driver -- Helio Castro-Neves. As the 1999 season came to an end and the Hogan team folded, the rumors were that it would be Nunn and Castro-Neves in 2000. But Castro-Neves ended up with Penske, leaving Nunn in need of a driver.
"The deal we were making with (Mercedes) was with Castro-Neves, as you know," Nunn said. "That was a shock when that happened. We lost the driver, who had agreed to be the driver. So that set us back a little bit."
Nunn continued to search and his search led him to Kanaan.
"We kind of got a vibe that Tony wasn't happy with what was happening with Forsythe. They were changing chassis and he was unsure about that," Nunn said. "It was very difficult because he was under contract. We didn't want to get into any lawsuits, so we told Tony we couldn't discuss things until he was free."
Forsythe Racing ultimately sold Kanaan's contract to Nunn. But not before plenty of negotiating.
"There were negotiations all winter, back and forth," said Kanaan. "It was terrible. I didn't want that. I told my guys, 'I don't want to negotiate contracts, I just want to drive a car.'
"But when you see a better opportunity, you have to shoot for it. I'm looking to win a championship and I think Morris has proven he can do that. I think if I work hard, I'll be able to do so as well."
Considering what's happened at Forsythe Racing, Kanaan has to feel fortunate he made the switch. When Forsythe sold Kanaan's contract to Nunn, Hollywood jumped in to sponsor the car. He also won't be driving the troubled Swift chassis this season.
The bottom line is Mercedes is really counting on Nunn and Kanaan to showcase its program in 2000. And the duo is hoping for its own success in Year One. | |
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