Morris Nunn - "I'd almost rather stay home and play golf."

[SurfaceUnits]

Nunn keeps struggling

At the other end of the IRL spectrum is the team owned by Morris Nunn.

Driver Tora Takagi qualified and finished last in the 21-car field. He was eliminated from the race when Scott Sharp's car abruptly turned into him on the front straightaway just prior to reaching the green flag to start the race.

Nunn can't explain the troubles that have plagued his team since the Japan race in April. But he knows a lot of it can be traced to Toyota's inability to match Honda when the 3.0-liter engine began being used at the Indianapolis 500 in May.

"It's the worst time in my career," said Nunn, who helped engineer championship-winning cars in CART at Ganassi Racing. "It's getting to the point, and I probably shouldn't say this, that I'd almost rather stay home and play golf." :laugh:

[DaveL]

And if he did about as many people would be interested in that as they are in the series he competes in.

[Winston Wolfe]

Its pretty effing sad..... no wait, it is REALLY effing sad, when the guy actually comes out and says something like that. Although he had some great success with Gan-A$$-eeee back in the '96-'99 TCGR\Honda\Reynard\Firestone days, he was always kind of an "almost there" team owner with Tony K, and even with his initial EARL team, he struggled with a japanese flavor of the day driver, with the Pioneer sponsorship.
C'mon, MO, you can do better than that.
Just hang it up, brother, the "vision" aint worth it.... never was, never will.

[racer2c]

I wonder if Honda would pay his green fees.

[Chaos]

I wonder if Honda would pay his green fees.

only if he partners with a japanese golfer with honda clubs

[JoeBob]

Something to remember about Mo Nunn:

Although he was a great team manager/engineer - his team has been reliant on engine manufacturer handouts since day 1.

I'll give him credit - he's somehow managed to squeeze freebies and spending money out of Mercedes, Honda, and Toyota, while employing drivers of his own choice. He was only coaxed off the golf course the first time by assurances that he'd have decent engines and top drivers.

Until this year, he's pretty much managed also managed to stay loyal to "his drivers." When the original Hollywood/Mercedes deal was announced, Kanaan was the driver, and Giaffone was the "test driver." Nunn stuck with them both until the Hollywood money ran out. (For a little while, farmed Felipe out to IRL teams rather than run his own IRL team.)

This season is his first year as a pure ridebuy operation. I can see how he wouldn't enjoy it. But, notice that he'd "almost rather stay home and play golf." For now, he's still content staying home and counting Yen.

Once he's sufficiently rich, I'd look for him to go back to golfing.

[Hink]

For this to be "the worst time in [his] career" means it's worse than the end of Ensign which is saying something.

[JLMannin]

May 2005 is only nine months away - Nunn's team will be needed then. Until then, the series he is competing in could care less if he enters cars or not.

[Rob]

For this to be "the worst time in [his] career" means it's worse than the end of Ensign which is saying something.
Yeah, as well as all those Ensign DNQs and Regazzoni's horrible Long Beach wreck.

[theunions]

The bad karma Mo accepted when he hired Tora in the first place was exacerbated when he told at least one driver during May that Tora's contract specifically prohibited anyone else from using his backup car. This happened as recently as one day before Mo hired Jeff Simmons to drive said backup car... :shakehead