Tony Kanaan is a highly accomplished Brazilian racing driver who has made a significant impact on the world of motorsports. He is the son of Antoine Rizkallah Kanaan and Miriam Kanaan.
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Tony Kanaan’s love for racing ignited at age five when his father Antoine introduced him to the sport through televised races. Kanaan was instantly hooked on the sport, and three years later he asked his father for a GoKart.
His father passed away from cancer when he was 13 years old. Tony Kanaan revealed in an interview with Esquire that his dad was always his biggest supporter. He added ” The day before he passed, we were in the hospital, and we were just talking. I think he knew already.”
He was like, “If I’m not around in the future, I need you to take care of your mom and sister. But I also would like for you to promise me that you will keep racing.” One day, when I meet my dad in heaven, I’m going to slap him before I hug him. Because he gave me responsibility as a kid I don’t think I was ready for it. But it’s not how you overcome it. I had two choices: Do it, or do it. That’s pretty much it.
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Kanaan has maintained his passion for racing since then. He’s also worn the same helmet throughout his career because, like most things he did as a young racer, he did it with his father.
Kanaan won the Indianapolis 500 in 2013 and the IndyCar Series championship in 2004. He completed 3,305 laps that season, becoming the first IndyCar Series driver to complete every possible lap in a season. He also set an IndyCar Series record by leading 889 laps in 13 different races.
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