Morris Nunn, a former Formula 1 team owner and a prominent fixture in the American Open Wheel Racing scene through the 1990s and the early 2000s, died at 79 on Wednesday after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Nunn’s career in racing spans both sides of the Atlantic. He started in the 1960s as a driver before shifting his attention toward the mechanical side of the sport. He then founded a Formula 1 effort, dubbed Ensign Racing, which competed in over 100 F1 races between 1973 and 1982 - the team had a best result of fourth.
However, Nunn may be best known in the U.S. for his exploits in American Open Wheel Racing. He crossed the pond after closing the Ensign outfit in 1982, and was a part of the Patrick Racing team that won the 1989 Indianapolis 500 with Emerson Fittipaldi.
He moved to Chip Ganassi Racing in the 1990s, where he perhaps achieved the bulk of his success. He worked with Alex Zanardi as both his crew chief and engineer during Zanardi’s tenure from 1996 to 1998, and the combination saw Zanardi take Rookie of the Year Honors in ’96, followed by a pair of championships in ’97 and ’98 in the old CART series.
Nunn also won the 1999 championship with then CART rookie Juan Pablo Montoya.
In 2000, he formed his own team, Mo Nunn Racing, with driver Tony Kanaan - Bryan Herta also contested a trio of events for Nunn that year after Kanaan suffered an injury - and the outfit grew to two cars in 2001, with Zanardi competing alongside Kanaan.
Nunn also ventured into the series that is now called the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2002, fielding an entry for Felipe Giaffone. They went on to win one race that year (Kentucky Speedway) and Nunn’s outfit won another in 2003, with Alex Barron at Michigan International Speedway.
Nunn was a popular and highly regarded figure in the paddock, and a number of people in the racing world took to social media to offer condolences and tributes.
RIP Morris Nunn. Best in the Paddock in his Era at getting the most out of his drivers. His fingerprints still all over our team @CGRTeams
— Chip Ganassi (@GanassiChip) July 18, 2018
Saddened for Morris Nunn’s passing; pure race guy; one of the architects of the present @CGRTeams culture. Understood that priority reshuffled daily made us better. Still to this day, think, when pushed by conventional thinking: “what would Morris do?”
— Mike Hull (@IndyMHull) July 18, 2018
@MarioAndretti and Morris "Mo" Nunn conferring on @IMS Pit Lane, 1986. Our sincere condolences to Mo's family and friends, on the news of his passing. We wish them peace and celebrate the memory of such a gifted member of the racing fraternity. pic.twitter.com/egjtctCYVK
— IMS Museum 🏁 (@IMSMuseum) July 18, 2018
Really sad to hear of the passing of Mo Nunn. I was very fortunate to work with him during the 94 season and win in Toronto when he was my engineer. RIP Mo!
— Michael Andretti (@michaelandretti) July 18, 2018
Sad news RIP Morris Nunn a legend @IndyCar garage especially w @lxznr @CGRTeams https://t.co/6jqdpJkIh3
— Max Papis (@maxpapis) July 18, 2018
RIP Morris Nunn. A truly special talent who I remember working for @CGRTeams during the CART days. I watched as a fan as he was a guiding force to seeing @jimmyvasser @lxznr & @jpmontoya to succesive titles 1996-1999 #RIPMo pic.twitter.com/KNmjSuWoZI
— Phil Kinch (@Phil_Kinch) July 18, 2018
IndyCar on NBC’s Robin Miller offered this detailed look at Nunn’s life in the sport on RACER.com, covering the origins of his career and the impact he had on such drivers as Zanardi and Montoya.
Nunn was 79 years of age at the time of his passing.