Just like it has been speculated Tony Kanaan has finally joined the team of his old friend Jimmy Vasser, KV Racing Technology to drive the No. 82 car sponsored by GEICO.After eight seasons with Andretti Autosport, Kanaan left the organization when his primary sponsor 7-Eleven terminated its funding program for the No. 11 entry. Although he had joined de Ferran Dragon Racing for the 2011 season, team was obliged to cease operations due to lack of sponsorship and Kanaan was found again on the market as a free-agent trying to secure one of the last racing positions in the 2011 IZOD Indycars season.
On a personal level, Kanaan and KVRT co-owner Jimmy Vasser have been friends for more than a decade, dating back to their days as competitors in the CART Indy car series. The bond between the Brazilian and Californian obviously played a significant role to bring Kanaan in the team who was looking to add some racing experience to combine with Takuma Sato and E.J. Viso's talent.
Tony Kanaan commented:
"(Team co-owner) Jimmy (Vasser) and I started talking about joining forces at the end of last season, but the timing was not ideal and I ended up signing with Gil (de Ferran). When I became a free agent in mid-February, calling Vasser seemed like a natural thing to do since KVRT was one of the top teams still looking for a driver. Jimmy and I go back a long way, we were rivals during the CART days, but more than that we have always been good friends, which helped a lot with our negotiations.
KVRT - Lotus is one of the most successful teams that joined IndyCar from Champ Car and I can't wait to sit in the legendary Lotus No. 82 car and start working with the crew. I've spent the last six months looking for sponsorship and not thinking about racing. so I missed all the pre-season testing. But I really can't complain. With a group of guys like Vasser and his team backing me, plus the help of my new teammates, Takuma Sato and E. J. Viso, the only thing I can say is that I'm ready to do what I do best, drive a race car and push hard to give KVRT - Lotus their first IndyCar win.
I want to thank GEICO for their help in making it possible for me to join KVRT - Lotus. I would also like to thank all of my fans and supporters that stuck with me during this extra long off-season and invite them to stay tuned on the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series. I can assure you it will be a very exciting one. I can't forget to mention that my son Leo is very thankful that I kept my car green, he was having a hard time accepting any other color.
Jimmy Vasser commented as well:
"I think Tony is a great addition to our team. Tony's knowledge and experience will be extremely valuable to our team. I would also like to thank GEICO for their support and KVRT - Lotus general manager Mark Johnson for his tireless work getting all the parties together."
Furthermore, it was announced that Kanaan's efforts will aided by one of the most respected engineers in the paddock as Michael Cannon. Cannon, who came to prominence at Forsythe Racing and nearly won the 2006 Champ Car title with AJ Allmendinger, previously served as Simona De Silvestro's engineer at HVM Racing before making the switch to the team co-owned by Vasser. While Vasser and Kanaan have been friends since the late 1990s, the Vasser and Cannon relationship dates back more than two decades when Cannon acted as Vasser's engineer in the Toyota Atlantic Championship at Genoa Racing, and his experience will definitely increase team's winning potential.
