Besides being one of the nicest athletes you’ll ever meet, Tony Kanaan is one amazing driver – and when it comes to the IndyCar Series, the 39-year-old Brazilian has done it all.
Since his career began in 2002, Kanaan has won the Indianapolis 500, won the IndyCar Series championship and been the first driver to complete every possible lap in a season. But one of his happiest moments came late last year, when he joined the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team – a team with a rich 25 year history that’s long given the opposition troubles on the track. Fast forward over six months and there’s no team the No. 10 driver would rather have backing him.
We recently got the chance to speak to Kanaan and he explained how he prepares, the specifics of his vehicle and what it’s been like since joining Target Chip Ganassi Racing. He’s currently 9th in the standings with 189 points, heading into this weekend’s races in Houston.
CraveOnline: Can you talk a little bit about leading up to race – how you prepare, what you eat, that kind of stuff?
Tony Kanaan: I mean, I actually have a physician and a nutritionist – it’s same the same guy – who comes to every race with me, so basically over the years we have been working together to just have a balanced meal. Preparing all depends on each individual. For me, it’s a very balancing of protein, carbohydrates and a lot of hydration. You know, we spend three hours in a car, we have a little drink bottle, but you can’t eat, you can’t really like get any fuel in because of the helmet, the speeds and stuff.
We try to do all that prior to a race, so since Thursday I have been hydrating a lot – and the food, to be honest, it’s not a diet because we’re not trying to lose weight. I do that regularly at home on a daily basis anyway. It’s seven meals a day, small portions with the stuff you learn over the years, typical stuff like a lot of protein at breakfast. The race starts at 12, so you have to have lunch at like 11 o’clock. I try to wake up earlier so I still have time to have lunch – and lunch is something easy to digest.
Crave: Yeah, because you want something that’s light.
Kanaan: You don’t want something to be heavy. So, it’ll be like real chicken with some plain pasta sometimes, or any sort of carbohydrates or veggies. Stuff that’ll just – so, you don’t get tired. Because sometimes you eat a lot and you digest it and you need a nap. So that’s pretty much it.
Crave: Now, we’re somewhat of a novice when it comes to IndyCar. Can you explain in detail some of the characteristics of your vehicle?
Kanaan: It’s a very fast car – we’ve reached 230 m.p.h. and a lot of G-Forces, so the car is very demanding on your core, on your shoulders and on your neck, especially as you go around the corners. Like when you take a rollercoaster ride, it’s pulling left and right – so very physical. It’s a fast car. It’s a car that’s made to go that fast, so if you slow down, it feels worse than actually driving at the limit. People don’t realize how physical it is to drive this thing – they think it’s a walk in the park.
Crave: But it’s not right?
Kanaan: No, it’s really hard. People relate it to driving street cars and that’s all right. With all the G-forces you pull, you got to hold on, you hold on for every single lap for 200 laps around this place at 230 m.p.h. – it can’t be easy.
Crave: We can’t believe how the tires look, since they’re bald. That’s kind of unique in racing.
Kanaan: People look at it and wonder if it’s an old tire but without the grooves, you have more grip. Obviously, because it’s not a street car, if it rains we have to stop. That’s why we have grooves on street cars, because you don’t have pit stops – you don’t change tires every time you leave the house. The track is always dry, so with tires like that you definitely have a lot more grip, because you have more tire contact – instead of the grooves, which make you lose some of the grip. That’s why they’re bald.
Crave: What’s it mean for you to be a part of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, which is celebrating 25 years?
Kanaan: It’s been an amazing journey for me. I got beat by those guys for so long. I’m in the best team in the IndyCar series. We’re the best in the business. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to win every race, but I’m always confident. They spoil me and after this, I think I’m not going anywhere else.
Crave: Judging by what we see in the quality and staff, you’re going to be prepared.
Kanaan: We prepare ourselves to win every race, unfortunately races are completely unpredictable, but I can rest assured that I know every time Target Chip Ganassi Racing puts this car on the track, we have a car that can win. Now, plenty of other things have to happen together to make that happen, but it’s one less thing for me to worry about.
Crave: How’s it feel to finish all the pre-race stuff and to get in the car on Sunday afternoon?
Kanaan: Well that’s the best part of my day [laughs]! I can’t wait to get in the car, actually.
Crave: Can you take us through what goes through your mind when you first get in there?
Kanaan: I feel right at home, like I think: ‘Now this is up to me, this is what I’m going to do, this is what I know.’ I just try to concentrate and be ready. It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen, so I try not to picture it – I just try to be concentrated and focused and do the best job I can.
Crave: When you’re coming out to the track, are you in the zone, do you have music playing?
Kanaan: You see, we’re busy until like five minutes before we’re into the car. We have people around talking, so I got used to feeding from people’s energy. So basically, I don’t wear anything on my ears, I just try to take the good energy from people and that relaxes me a little bit. And then, my moment really is when I get into the car. We get into the car 10 minutes before the start, then I put my helmet on, then I’ll close my eyes and just get into the zone. But before that, it’s next to impossible. You’re going to be rude to people if you have your headphones on and they want to talk. Sometimes you’ll have a sponsor that hasn’t seen you yet – and, you know, you can’t ignore the guy.
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
