When Michael Cannon of Montreal, Quebec joined Chip Ganassi Racing as their new race engineer in October, not many expected Scott Dixon of New Zealand to have had the success he has had so far on the IndyCar circuit. What Dixon has to be able to accomplish to date, has been sensational.
There have been four IndyCar races so far this season, and Dixon, with Cannon as his engineer, has won three times. The victories came at the Genesys 300 in Fort Worth, Texas on June 6, the Global Medical Response at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 4, and the REV Group Grand Prix in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on July 11. Dixon currently has 173 points, and has 54 more points than second-place Colton Herta of Valencia, California.
Dixon also became the fourth IndyCar winner ever to win the first three IndyCar races in a season. He followed A.J. Foyt of Houston, Texas, Sebastien Bourdais of Le Mans, France, and Al Unser of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Foyt won a remarkable seven consecutive races to begin the 1964 season.
Cannon has experience as a mechanic and engineer with Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic, and IndyLights according to Marshall Pruett of racer.com. He has also been with Player’s Forsythe Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing, and Andretti Autosport. Michael’s father John was a racecar driver who competed at the 1971 United States Grand Prix and finished 14th.
Even though no Canadians will be competing this weekend in Iowa, there will be an elite Canadian engineer. Dalton Kellett of Stouffville, Ontario is set to return for the Honda Indy 200 in Lexington, Ohio on August 9, and Kellett and James Hinchcliffe of Oakville, Ontario both hope to compete in the Indianapolis 500 on August 23.
