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©1998 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Tony Kanaan could become the 20th recipient of CART's prestigious Rookie ofthe Year award at the inaugural Texaco Grand Prix of Houston on October 4.Kanaan has amassed a 39-point lead in the rookie battle with three racesremaining on the calendar. If he can increase his lead by six points, hewould walk away from the weekend with a 45-point advantage to clinch thetitle. Oddly, this was the same situation that teammate Cristiano da Matta faced onSeptember 6 in Vancouver for the Indy Lights Championship. Da Matta'sflag-to-flag win gave him a 45-point lead over second-place contender GuySmith — enough to claim the championship with two races remaining and giveTasman its fourth Indy Lights title. CART has been recognizing the top rookie driver each year since itsinaugural season in 1979. Since 1988, the award has been presented in honorof Jim Trueman, the former owner of Truesports Racing who passed away in1986. Past recipients have included current PPG Cup champion Alex Zanardi, Gil deFerran, Jacques Villeneuve, Nigel Mansell and Bobby Rahal. I'll Be Watching Tony Kanaan's collection of wristwatches — which currently numbers 32 — isabout to get bigger. Kanaan will be presented with an Omega Speedmasterwatch just prior to the start of the Texaco Grand Prix of Houston forposting the fastest lap of the race at the Honda Grand Prix of Monterey onSeptember 13. Just One Steve Horne has confirmed that Tasman will more than likely continue tofocus its efforts on a one-car program led by Tony Kanaan for the 1999 FedExChampionship Series. "We believe we have a strong combination in driver, team and equipment,"said Horne. "It is important to maintain continuity in CART as the levelof competition is so high." Running With The Big Dogs "To be running on the same track as Michael Andretti and Al Unser Jr. is anincredible feeling," Tony Kanaan has said. "I am running with the big dogs.I am still a small dog but I'm trying to be a big dog in the future." It's hard to believe that it was just three years ago that Kanaan turned hisfirst laps on American soil. The 23-year-old made his debut in the 1996PPG-Firestone Indy Lights Championship, and was runner-up in the series.But second was not good enough and he finished the job in 1997, claiming theIndy Lights Championship crown. When Steve Horne announced this past December that he would be graduatingKanaan to Champ Car competition, it was not a big surprise to those whofollowed his talents behind the wheel. Kanaan has lived up to thechallenge. Three weeks ago, he posted his first Champ Car podium finish atRound 2 of the "California Trio" of events held at Laguna Seca Raceway inMonterey. Kanaan has eight top-10 finishes to his credit, including four finishes inthe top five. He is currently 10th in the point standings despite notfinishing five events — Miami (contact), Rio (engine), St. Louis (contact),Toronto (pit fire) and Vancouver (contact). Source: Tasman Motorsports | ||
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