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©2000 SpeedCenter Publishing Newly formed Mo Nunn Racing, featuring young Brazilian star driver Tony Kanaan, announced today a multi-year primary sponsorship agreement with the Hollywood brand of Rio de Janeiro-based tobacco company Souza Cruz SA beginning with the first race of the 2000 CART FedEx Championship Series March 26 at Homestead, Fla. "We are delighted to have Hollywood partner with us in presenting the great Brazilian driver Tony Kanaan to the Championship racing world," said Morris Nunn, who founded the new #55 Mercedes-Benz team in partnership with California-based marketing executive Rod Campbell and PacWest Racing owner Bruce McCaw. "With Hollywood joining our new team, we now have all the tools necessary to make Hollywood and Tony champions of the CART FedEx Championship Series." The 61-year-old Nunn, technical director of the last four series champions before leaving Target/Chip Ganassi Racing this past November, has noteworthy experience with Brazilian driving stars during his illustrious career. He engineered for Nelson Piquet in Formula One, and Emerson Fittipaldi in 1989, winning that year’s Indianapolis 500 and CART series championship. As part of the Hollywood agreement, Kanaan, 25, will work this season with fellow Brazilian Felipe Giaffone as a Mo Nunn Racing test driver. Giaffone is in his second year in the Dayton Indy Lights series with the Conquest Racing team, which is also sponsored by Hollywood. "I have taken a big step in my career, and believe it’s time to fight for the title," said Kanaan, last year’s U.S. 500 winner and polesitter at Long Beach. "This is more of my dream come true. I am so excited about racing with Hollywood under the guidance of Morris Nunn. He is the engineer every driver in the paddock wants. As for working with Felipe, we have raced together in the past. Besides being a friend, Felipe is one of the most underrated drivers I know." "To sponsor a driver with Kanaan’s potential and a team that was already born with a winning profile is a great honor for us," said Fernando Pinheiro, Hollywood brand manager. Hollywood joins Mercedes-Benz, Firestone, Magneti-Marelli and Turbo Garrett as Mo Nunn Racing supporters.
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