IndyCar legend Tony Kanaan is coming to the Goodwood Revival

He is known as one of the most consistent drivers ever at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from 22 starts, he led the race on 15 occasions, with 12 top ten finishes including five podiums and the race win.

Kanaan’s racing career began in 1994, and he immediately found success in the Formula Europa Boxer series, graduating to Italian Formula 3 in 1995 before making the move to Indy Lights in ’96.

He was immediately quick on US soil, claiming his first race win at the sixth attempt in Detroit before winning again at the year’s final round at Laguna Seca. He wound up second in the drivers’ standings and was well set to challenge for the title again in 1997.

The young Brazilian made a steady start, waiting again until round six before making it onto the podium for the first time. He then went on a seven-race podium-finishing run, including two victories, to see off Helio Castroneves and Cristiano Da Matta to become Indy Lights Champion and secure a space on the CART World Series grid of 1998.

Kanaan once again made an immediate impact, scoring several top ten finishes and claiming two podiums to finish up ninth in the Championship and win the Rookie of the Year prize by a huge margin.

His first victory in the series came in 1999 at the US 500 in Michigan, but he was regularly involved in the midfield battle for the remainder of his time in CART.

Together with his Mo Nunn Racing team, Kanaan sampled the Indy 500 for the first time in 2002. He made his customary fast start to qualify fifth in the middle of the second row and raced well to lead 23 laps before hitting a patch of oil and crashing out on lap 89.

He had done enough to prove his worth, though, and a contract with Andretti Green Racing was his reward for the 2003 season, an opportunity he duly grasped with both hands. He won second time out in Pheonix and was a consistent podium finisher, remaining in the title fight until the final round of the season but eventually losing out to Scott Dixon.

Kanaan put things right in 2004 and again got his campaign up and running with a convincing victory in Pheonix. His consistency was remarkable, he completed all 3,305 laps, finishing no lower than eighth all season. Overall he claimed 11 podium finishes including three victories to win the IndyCar Series at the second attempt.

He retained his fierce speed and relentless consistency for the rest of the decade, scoring regular wins and remaining within touching distance of the Championship, but the dominance of Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon stopped Kanaan from winning further titles.

Joining the KV Racing team in 2011 saw him gradually slip into the midfield, and Kanaan went two seasons without a race win — his longest drought in IndyCar up to that point. By 2013, there was only one achievement that had alluded him, but it was the one he was most desperate to claim.

Kanaan had been considered one of the best drivers at the Indy 500 for the best part of a decade, and he was regularly referred to as the greatest driver never to win IndyCar’s most famous race. It looked as though his best chance may have been behind him, but you could never discount IndyCar’s most popular driver.

He was involved in a fraught battle for the lead during the first half of the race but dropped back into the lower end of the top ten, perhaps biding his time to strike late on. Kanaan was back up to second with seven laps to go and made his move to retake the lead as the field returned to green flag racing after a caution period. His victory was assured when the yellow flags came out again, and Tony Kanaan was finally hailed as an Indy 500 winner.

Despite an ultimately disappointing end to the 2013 season, Kanaan joined Chip Ganassi Racing for 2014. He took what to date remains his last IndyCar win in Fontana that year and went on to complete four seasons with the team. He moved to A.J. Foyt Enterprises in 2018 and completed his final full time IndyCar campaign in 2019, moving to a part-time schedule from 2020. His most recent appearance came at Indy in 2023, racing for the Arrow McLaren team that he now leads as Team Principal.

Alongside his exploits in IndyCar, Kanaan also won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2015 and took an LMP2 class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2007.

But now, he will turn his attention to the Goodwood Motor Circuit, where he will make his racing debut at the 2025 Revival. We cannot wait to welcome him alongside several of his fiercest IndyCar rivals, against whom he will be competing in this year's St. Mary's Trophy at the wheel of a Ford Zodiac.

Kanaan will also be diving head first into the Revival's most prestigious race, the RAC TT Celebration. He'll line up against a star-studded grid in a Jaguar E-type 'semi-lightweight' once raced at Goodwood by Bruce McLaren, a fitting partnership for the man who now holds the position of McLaren Team Principal.

Tickets for the Goodwood Revival are limited! Saturday tickets have sold out, so secure your Friday and Sunday tickets to avoid missing out on the world's best historic motorsport event.

Images courtesy of Getty Images.