Robert Giannou joined the St. John’s Motor Club in 1958, where he began organizing rally, solo and hillclimb events in 1962. He brought the club into the CASC ranks and negotiated with the U.S. Embassy in Newfoundland to use two of their properties for events, including runways at Naval Station Argentia, where he eventually brought the Molyslip Endurance Series.

Giannou has held various roles with CASC over the years, including Race Director Atlantic Region and Assistant National Race Director. In 2002, he organized the first Targa Newfoundland and worked with others to develop 30 event operating manuals. In 2010, he worked with Janet Brake to create a safety protocol that made Targa Newfoundland the safest of the three main Targa events, with incident rates being reduced from 17% to 1.5%.

Giannou has also raced himself, winning titles in club karting and rallying, hillclimb and B Sedan.