Michael Cannon is a protege-turned-mentor, a person you may herald as an overseer and advisor for younger race engineers, or could be slotted right into a hands-on race engineer function. He could be strict however can be regarded in IndyCar circles as one of many extra empathetic people within the function, prepared to offer the driving force what they need somewhat than refusing to budge from what on paper seems the quickest set-up.
It’s assumed that Cannon received hooked on racing by means of watching his British-born father John Cannon race (beneath the Canadian flag) to victory after victory within the Components 5000 Continental Sequence, culminating in turning into 1970 champion, or when profitable the 1968 Can-Am race at Laguna Seca. But Cannon insists not.
He remembers: “From once I noticed the F5000 finale in 1970 and noticed my dad decide up the trophy and cheque, I didn’t go to a different race till the 1975 F5000 occasion at Watkins Glen, after which not once more till the Components 1 race at Montreal in 1978. In between occasions, I used to be attempting to be a pilot, aiming to go to RAF Cranwell, similar to dad.
“In 1983, Jerry Agapiou – he and his brother had run my dad in F5000 and Can-Am – gave me a summer time job placing collectively a Components Ford crew. Driving one of many automobiles was a part of my compensation.”
That dream of being a racing driver had died by 1986, and Cannon discovered he loved “tinkering with race automobiles” as a lot as driving them.
“I don’t suppose the trail I took exists anymore,” he says. “You want a proper schooling. I’m studying Adrian Newey’s ebook in the intervening time and I used to be struck by the parallels, however the large distinction was that he did ultimately end college whereas I received distracted by desirous to be a driver and received into it that means.”
He realized the ropes as a mechanic in Components Ford, Atlantic, Tremendous Vee and Indy Lights, earlier than turning into an early information acquisition engineer within the mid-’80s. Via the ’90s, Cannon was one of many founders of Genoa Racing in Atlantic, which despatched Jimmy Vasser and Greg Ray on to profitable careers on the prime stage. In Indy Lights he ran Dave DeSilva and the “vastly underrated” Mark Hotchkis.
Becoming a member of Forsythe Racing for 1997 was the transfer that Cannon’s abilities deserved. As quantity two to Lee Dykstra, they ran David Empringham and Lee Bentham. Quickly he graduated to Forsythe’s Indycar crew.
Cannon ran rookie Ed Jones to a outstanding Indy 500 third place in 2017 for Dale Coyne Racing
Picture by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images
“I’m so fortunate,” says 61-year-old Cannon modestly. “I’ve had the prospect to work with Lee Dykstra, Bruce Ashmore, Tony Cicale, Chris Simmons, Craig Hampson, Olivier Boisson… great mentors.”
Declaring that a few of these talked about are very a lot his juniors, he responds that age doesn’t outline mentorship roles: “If you happen to’re good, you be taught from all of them, you seize their insights and data and add it to your personal.”
Cannon stayed at Forsythe for a number of years both facet of a stint at Herdez till the tip of 2006, then rejoined the previous Herdez/HVM crew following its Minardi Crew USA rebrand to run rookie Robert Doornbos in a robust 2007 marketing campaign.
Spells at Ed Carpenter Racing, Andretti Autosport and Dale Coyne Racing adopted, but it wasn’t till 2020 that Cannon, newly arrived at Chip Ganassi Racing, engineered a driver to an IndyCar title. That man was Scott Dixon, and Cannon was massively impressed with each the six-time champ and the entire Ganassi operation.
However after three seasons – together with three miserable near-misses on the 500 – he elected to depart. Now the lead engineer at AJ Foyt Racing, he’s decided to ship the legendary crew again up the grid.
Prime ideas for engineers from Michael Cannon
- You’ll want to work with a star driver, an actual expertise, otherwise you aren’t going to see the good thing about your efforts, particularly in a spec collection.
- Assist to construct up a robust crew, supporting those who can assist take your good concepts
and switch them into actuality. - Bury your ego and embrace the subsequent era. They arrive out of faculty so vibrant, all they lack is expertise. You may’t afford to stagnate, so take heed to them.
Quite a few drivers within the subject for this weekend’s Indy 500 have benefitted from Cannon’s knowledge down the years – together with the farewelling Kanaan
Picture by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images