Team owner, engineer

Soft-spoken, self-educated and well-liked, the Englishman was a racer-turned-constructor-turned team manager. He achieved great success as an engineer in American oval track racing, including five CART championships. Nunn drove F3 in the 1960s and began to build F1 cars as Ensign Racing in 1973. Though he attracted top talents like Chris Amon, Nelson Piquet and Jacky Ickx, the underfunded team failed to win. Nunn jumped to Indianapolis, where he helped deliver Roberto Guerrero’s second-place 1984 500 finish for IndyCar legend George Bignotti. Nunn moved to Pat Patrick Racing (PPR) to oversee Emerson Fittipaldi’s first Indy 500 win and PPR’s 1989 CART championship, then to Chip Ganassi Racing, where he helped the team clinch four consecutive CART titles (1996-99). Nunn’s genius at setup complemented his close relationships with drivers. From 2000-04, he led Mo Nunn Racing, with a best finish of fourth in the 2002 IndyCar series. Upon his death in 2018, Ganassi tweeted: “Best in the paddock at getting the most out of his drivers. His fingerprints still all over our team.”