Tony Kanaan's passion for racing began in his childhood in Brazil, where he participated in karting, but didn't consider it a full-time occupation due to his focus on education.
Tragedy struck when Tony was a teenager, as his father, a factory owner, passed away, and his uncle stole money from the family business, leaving Tony's family in a difficult financial situation.
To provide for his loved ones, Tony made the bold decision to move to Italy, seeking to advance his racing career despite having no financial backing. He faced numerous challenges, including living in the race shop and struggling to fund his rides.
However, Tony's determination and talent paid off, as he went on to win several races, including the 1994 Italian Formula Alfa-Boxer Championship. These hardships also helped Tony develop a strong sense of humor, which is now renowned throughout the racing community.
For the 1996 season, Tony received an offer from Audi to compete in touring cars in Italy, but he instead chose to join the Tasman team in the Indy Lights series, where he was the quickest in a test and went on to win the championship the following year.
In 1998, Tony graduated to the CART Champ Car series with Tasman, earning the Rookie of the Year title with a 9th place finish in the final standings. The next year, he secured his first pole and then his first race win.
In 2000, Tony joined the start-up Mo Nunn Team, where he often ran at the front of the pack but was still seeking his first CART victory as of April 2002.
