SarahFan
28th April 2009, 18:00
Of his 93 starts prior to joining the IRL, the bonds formed with his fellow competitors are what TK cherishes the most. “My CART days – it was the years when I was growing up as a driver. I did five beautiful years in the series and made great friends – Dario, Greg [Moore], [Max] Papis, Jimmy [Vasser], [Alex] Zanardi, and I was also driving for small teams against guys I watched on TV when I was a kid. I only had one win, at Michigan, which was CART’s 'Indy 500' at the time, but that's not how it really was. A win is great, and of course you take it, but that trophy gets old after fifteen years…it starts to rust and fall apart.
“As far as CART, it was a fun part of my life. My best memories are of the people I made friends with. That’s what got me to where I am today. I had good relationships with so many guys – Steve Horne from Tasman Racing, and so on. All those relationships added up to me meeting people that helped me grow and move up to where I am today.
His long tenure in the sport has come at a price, namely the younger, ‘prettier’ drivers nipping at his heels. “I know 193 is just a number, but it’s flattering to me to know I’ve had such a long time here doing what I love. I have to take care of myself these days – to keep myself looking young…I have so many young teammates…it’s a challenge!”
If there’s one thing Kanaan misses from his days in CART, it’s the huge power, sticky tires, and massive downforce the cars provided. qualifying during the CART era was something to behold. “The big horsepower days…the thousand horsepower days…those were amazing times to qualify a car. The turbos you could year so loud, the pop-off valves, the traction control…my pole position here in 1999 was a crazy lap.
“Everything was by hand; there were no electronics like we have today. And FAST. Everything was FAST. For people that run, qualifying in the CART days was like a sprint – a sprint inside the car. Your movements were just lightning fast. The only time you had to rest was on the straights,
but think about it, with a thousand horsepower and seven gears you have to shift by hand…it was crazy. You’d leave the hairpin here in 1st gear, and with that power, the whole length of the Shoreline Drive straight would last less than ten seconds.
"So you’re pulling 1st, BWAAA, 2nd, BWAAA, 3rd, BWAAA, and so on. Your head would snap back every time you upshifted, and you’d just try to keep the car pointed straight with one hand. It was a lot of work. It was just ridiculous – an unforgettable feeling, for sure."
“As far as CART, it was a fun part of my life. My best memories are of the people I made friends with. That’s what got me to where I am today. I had good relationships with so many guys – Steve Horne from Tasman Racing, and so on. All those relationships added up to me meeting people that helped me grow and move up to where I am today.
His long tenure in the sport has come at a price, namely the younger, ‘prettier’ drivers nipping at his heels. “I know 193 is just a number, but it’s flattering to me to know I’ve had such a long time here doing what I love. I have to take care of myself these days – to keep myself looking young…I have so many young teammates…it’s a challenge!”
If there’s one thing Kanaan misses from his days in CART, it’s the huge power, sticky tires, and massive downforce the cars provided. qualifying during the CART era was something to behold. “The big horsepower days…the thousand horsepower days…those were amazing times to qualify a car. The turbos you could year so loud, the pop-off valves, the traction control…my pole position here in 1999 was a crazy lap.
“Everything was by hand; there were no electronics like we have today. And FAST. Everything was FAST. For people that run, qualifying in the CART days was like a sprint – a sprint inside the car. Your movements were just lightning fast. The only time you had to rest was on the straights,
but think about it, with a thousand horsepower and seven gears you have to shift by hand…it was crazy. You’d leave the hairpin here in 1st gear, and with that power, the whole length of the Shoreline Drive straight would last less than ten seconds.
"So you’re pulling 1st, BWAAA, 2nd, BWAAA, 3rd, BWAAA, and so on. Your head would snap back every time you upshifted, and you’d just try to keep the car pointed straight with one hand. It was a lot of work. It was just ridiculous – an unforgettable feeling, for sure."