Kanaan, driver of the No. 11 ITAIPAVA | GEICO | MOUSER ELECTRONICS – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone, qualified 12th, but started 11th.  The 37-year-old Brazilian, who pitted a couple of laps earlier than his teammates during the first stint was essentially on the same strategy and in line for a top-10 finish, however a late race incident dropped him to 13th.

“Unfortunately, our strategy didn’t work out the way we wanted because of the number of yellow flags,” Kanaan said.  “That is racing.  If everything had played out the way we envisioned and we had not got caught up in that pile-up we would have been in the top-five.  It’s a shame, but it is always fun to race in front of the Brazilian fans.  Iwant to thank them and my sponsors for supporting me.  From here we go to Indy, which is the most important race of the season and we looking for a good result in a race I have been close to winning, but never have.”

Kanaan made his sixth U. S. based series start in Brazil.  In two previous races in São Paulo, Kanaan has a best finish of 10th in 2010 (raced three times on the oval in Rio in CART with a best finish of fifth in 1999).  After opening the season with a run of bad luck in the first two events, Kanaan broke out with a spectacular fourth place finish two weeks ago in Long Beach.  A perennial championship contender (has finished in the top-six in the final standings in all nine of his full IndyCar seasons), Kanaan earned 13 points today and currently sits 14th in the standings with 71 points

Next up for KVRT is the Indianapolis 500, May 27, at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.  The racewill be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 12:00 p.m. (ET).

Kanaan, No. 11 MOUSER ELECTRONICS | GEICO – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone, qualified 10th, but started 19th after a penalty was levied against all the Chevrolet and some of the Lotus powered teams for changing-out an engine that had not reached its minimum mileage threshold prior to the Long Beach race.  The 37-year-old Brazilian was on the move from the drop of the green flag and benefitted from a solid strategy, faultless pit stops and a car that allowed him to record the fastest lap of the race.  As the team’s strategy played out, Kanaan used his tremendous talent to pick up track position at every opportunity.  However, in the end it came down to his race craft as he passed car after car to finish his first race of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season and in the process score his first top-five showing of the year.

“It was a great day for the MOUSER ELECTRONICS | GEICO Team,” Kanaan said.  “After two very bad races, it’s great to have momentum going into Brazil.  We have moved up in the points quite a lot, which is very important. It was a fun race.  I got to drive fast and it was a fantastic result for us.”

Kanaan who made his ninth start in Long Beach has finished in the top-10 six times with a best showing of third in 2009 (fifths in 1998, 2010 and 2012).  In the first two races of the season he had qualified well (in the top-10 in all three races this year) and drove skillfully, however bad luck ended both the first two events early.  Kanaan, in his 15th U. S. based open-wheel season 11th in the IZOD IndyCar Series and second with KVRT,  is a perennial championship contender having placed in the top-six in the championship every year he has run the full IndyCar season, a total of nine consecutive seasons.  He earned 32 points today giving him 54 on the season placing him in a tie with his teammate Viso.  However, today’s fourth place finish gives him the tiebreaker putting him 11th in the championship race.

Kanaan has driven strong races in the first two rounds of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season only to victimized by bad luck. Next up for KVRT is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 13-15, on the streets of Long Beach, California.  The race will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 3:30 p.m. (ET).

“It was a shame today because I think we could have had a good result.  We had an electrical problem.  We are not really sure right now what it was or what caused it, but my dashboard just went blank and the car shut down.  Looking around, it is a beautiful day with everyone remembering Dan (Wheldon).  It reminds you that there are a lot more important things in life than dropping out of a race.”

Next up for KVRT is the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, March 30 – April 1, at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.  The race will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 2:00 p.m. (ET).

“Unfortunately we could not stick to the program we had set for this test, but we managed to work on other areas of the car and still make it a productive test. Next week we will test in Barber and we’ll be good to go for the first race of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series. I’m very excited about this season!”

Jimmy Vasser, the V in KVRT said.  “We are very excited to have both Rubens (Barrichello) and Tony (Kanaan) competing for our team in 2012.  Tony was a great addition to the team last year, once again demonstrated his leadership abilities and his proven ability to compete for wins and the championship. I would also like  to thank all the sponsors for making this deal possible and KVRT General Manager Mark Johnson for his tireless work getting all the parties together.”

Kanaan, the 2004 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion, will contest his 15th U. S. based open-wheel season, 11th in the IndyCar Series (ran one race, theIndy 500 in 2002) and second with KVRT.  One of the most consistent and fearless drivers in the Series, Kanaan is a perennial title threat.  The 37-year-old Brazilian, who finished fifth in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship in 2011, has placed in the top-six in the championship every year he has run the full IndyCar season, a total of nine consecutive seasons.  Kanaan, who holds the IndyCar Series record for consecutive starts at 148, has made a total of 149 IndyCar starts (242 career) earning 14 victories (15 career), 52 podiums (58 career), 85 top-five top-five finishes (101 career) and 111 top-10 showings (160 career) with 11 poles (15 career).

“I am very excited to be returning to KV Racing Technology not only with a two year deal but also to have Rubens Barrichello as my team mate,” Kanaan said.   “We have always dreamed about racing together but never imagined it would actually happen and certainly not in the near future or in IndyCars.  So I am looking forward to the start of the season, I think its going to be a very exciting year.”

Barrichello, #5 KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone, who was driving an IndyCar for the first time and for the first time at Sebring, ran 94 laps, approximately 150 miles, making progress throughout the day.  By the end of the day he was posting times that were competitive with drivers who have been in the series for several years and tested at Sebring before.
“I had a very very nice day with KV Racing Technology,” Barrichello said.  “In the morning I was getting used to the car and not doing anything silly because obviously you don’t want to put it in the wall.  It’s a different machine from what I’m used to, but it had a good feeling.   Whatever happens for the future, which might change, all I said at the beginning was I want Kevin (Kalkhoven), Jimmy (Vasser) and Tony to remember when we were here at Sebring, ‘Rubens tried that and it was really good and made us go faster, so let’s try that again for this circuit’.  So, I’ve had a very good and productive day behind the wheel and with all the setup options that I have tried, I think it went well.  You could call me a rookie, even though I’ve had 33 years doing this job, but today I was an IndyCar rookie. ”

Kanaan, #11 KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone, who was testing at Sebring for the second time with the new car completed 84 laps, approximately 135 miles.  He spent the entire day working on car development, but in the process still produced competitive times.

“Well, there really isn’t much to say,” said Kanaan. “The guy comes here for the first time and after 20 laps he’s already running the same lap times as me!  His knowledge and experience helped confirm some ideas that we had for this test, so it was very productive having Rubens around.”

Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus qualified with a two-lap average speed of 222.078 mph.  This was the 15th pole of Kanaan’s 14 year career and 11th in the IndyCar Series.  It is his first earned pole since June 27, 2008 at Richmond International Raceway.  Kanaan sat on the pole earlier this year in Texas No. 2, but that was by virtue of a draw.

“It feels awesome,” Kanaan said. “It has been awhile.  I guess I’ve got to do more Ironmans on my weekends off.  I’m extremely happy.  I can’t thank the GEICO – KV – Lotus guys enough.  We had such an awful race at Kentucky that we needed to turn it around.  They went back to the shop to massage that car as much as they could and it paid off.”

Today’s pole is the third for KVRT – Lotus this season (fourth including Texas No. 2) and fifth in team history not counting Will Power’s pole at the Surfers Paradise exhibition race in 2008.