12/13 :: Valuable tutor

Special to indycar.com Before the 2009 IZOD IndyCar Series campaign, KV Racing Technology co-owner Jimmy Vasser pushed hard to bring Mario Moraes into the team. Vasser saw potential in the 19 year old from Brazil, but he had to work to convince co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven and managing director Mark Johnson that the youth route was the path to take. After an uneven first half, Moraes came on strong in the second part of the season - top-seven finishes in five of the final eight starts, including the final four races of the season. The highlight was a third place at Chicagoland Speedway. Vasser frequently compares Moraes to his former teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, despite the fact that Moraes graduated to the IZOD IndyCar Series at a younger age and with much less overall experience than Montoya. Because of that, Vasser sees almost unlimited potential for Moraes, and he has tried to help him add some savvy to his speed. Click it: Moraes reviews his 2009 season "He's got a lot of...