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NTT DATA to sponsor Dixon in Long Beach

Dixon's sponsorless #9 to get NTT Data backing for Long Beach
Dixon's sponsorless #9 to get NTT Data backing for Long Beach

Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced today that four-time Verizon IndyCar Series Champion and Indianapolis 500 Winner Scott Dixon will be sporting the colors of NTT DATA in Round 2 of the Verizon IndyCar Series on April 9 at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (4pm ET, NBCSN). Now in their fifth year of partnership with CGR, NTT DATA will also expand its relationship as an associate-level partner on the No. 9 for additional key race markets, including Phoenix and Indianapolis.

NTT DATA served as an associate-level partner with Dixon in the season opener in St. Petersburg, where he started on the front row and earned a podium finish of third. NTT DATA will continue as the primary sponsor on the No. 10 Honda with 2004 Series Champion and 2013 Indianapolis 500 Winner Tony Kanaan, now in his fourth season with CGR.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

  • NTT DATA and CGR: NTT DATA began its relationship with the team in 2013 at the Indianapolis 500 partnering on the No. 8 NTT DATA Indy car. Following the Indianapolis 500, NTT DATA maintained an associate partnership with CGR on the No. 83 Indy car of Charlie Kimball. In addition, they fielded an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) with Kanaan in the No. 02 NTT DATA car. NTT DATA became a primary sponsor on the No. 8 entry driven by Ryan Briscoe for the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season and then for the No. 10 entry driven by Kanaan starting in the 2015 season. NTT DATA is also the official IT services partner to CGR.
  • Scott Dixon: The four-time Series Champion (2003, 2008, 2013, 2015) and 2008 Indianapolis 500 Winner returns to CGR in 2017 for his 16th season – the longest tenure for a driver in team history (1990-Present). Dixon holds the distinction of being the winningest active Indy car driver with 40 victories and is currently ranked fourth on the all-time win list. In addition, he ranks third on the all-time list for most consecutive starts with 208 straight dating back to the 2004 race in Michigan. The New Zealander has 271 starts, producing 40 wins, 27 poles, 132 top-five and 189 top-10 finishes (2001-Present).
  • True Partner: NTT DATA has become a true partner to the team both on and off the track with their technical innovations aiding in driver performance. The global business and IT services provider has developed the Hitoe smart-shirt, a wearable technology that Kanaan wears both on and off-track. NTT DATA’s Hitoe technology measures his different physiological traits (heart rate, grip strength, etc.) during the race. That data is then transferred back to the team to be analyzed in real time during on-track activity. NTT DATA’s wearable technology contribution to CGR has allowed the team to not only understand the inner workings of the car, but also the driver.

CGR QUOTEBOARD:

  • John McCain, CEO, NTT DATA, Inc.: "Having the opportunity to be represented by two of the all-time greats in INDYCAR is something that doesn’t come along too often. The team is off to a fast start in 2017, and adding Scott to our lineup gives us another level of visibility, and doubles our chances of getting to victory lane. I think our clients and employees are going to be in for a big treat when the No. 9 and No. 10 cars unload in Long Beach in just a few short days."
  • Scott Dixon, Driver, No. 9 NTT DATA Honda: “This will be a bit of deja vu for TK and I, going back to when he first joined the team in 2014 and we were in similar livery with the same partner. NTT DATA has been a great supporter of our Indy car program for several seasons now, and I look forward to contributing to their program and delivering for them on-track this season."
  • Steve Lauletta, President, Chip Ganassi Racing: “NTT DATA is not only on our race cars, but they also use their technological expertise to help in numerous other aspects of the race team, so this relationship has been a great fit for both parties over the years. In addition to that, it’s always a positive when you have a current partner that sees value in the sport and wants to do more. I think that really speaks to the success of the program for their business. We had an opportunity early in the season to align their focus markets with the No. 9 car, which resulted in an expansion of their racing program. While this allows NTT DATA more opportunity with two cars in the short term– much like Target did previously in their key markets– we are still focused on locking in a full-time partner for the No. 9 car in 2017."