Tony Kanaan believes it is sad to see the KV Racing team that helped him become an Indianapolis 500 winner close its doors ahead of the upcoming Verizon IndyCar Series season.
After seven wins in its fourteen-year history, the most recent coming with Sebastien Bourdais in Detroit in 2016, the team have been quiet during the off-season, but after failing to agree terms with British outfit Carlin to partner them this year, their equipment is now set to go under the hammer at auction next month.
Kanaan took victory at the Indianapolis 500 with KV in 2013 and he believes this victory helped him to be able to continue his career with Chip Ganassi Racing, a drive he continues to hold into 2017.
“Let me put it this way. It’s weird or sad to see a team go, regardless of who those people are,” said Kanaan. “But for me, especially that team, we won the biggest race of our lives together, that’s the team that we struggled together, and I remember how we struggled to get where we got. And honestly, I only made it this far [to Ganassi] because of that win.
“I was with Jimmy [Vasser, co-owner] last week in Vegas, I was even trying to convince him to come do something for us, just to be around. So it’s sad… but unfortunately, it’s racing, I think it’s everybody’s reality. It’s just the way it is. People come and go. But from the bottom of my heart, I didn’t want to see it go.”
