After leading a good portion of the last Toronto Indy, Alex Tagliani missed out on a potential victory because of an untimely yellow flag and his boss Eric Bachelart has called on the IRL to reassess the IndyCar Series' pit closure rules.
Tagliani was leading the race when a yellow came out on lap 58. Many drivers had made their final pitstops just before the incident but Tagliani had yet to stop and had to wait until the field formed up behind the pace car before pitting, dropping him down the order.
"It's hard to accept that we can lose a race, when we have been dominating the whole time, because of a yellow," said Bachelart. "The current rules do not always reward the best car and driver on the track and it becomes a bit of a gambling exercise."
Having gained the lead thanks to running long in his first stint, Tagliani said he had been happy to stay out late before his final stop as well.
"That rule really destroyed our whole race," said Tagliani. "It's a shame to see it slip away between our fingers. But in the end, we came here and we showed that we could be faster than anybody else."
photo:Philippe Champoux - Auto123.com
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Tagliani was leading the race when a yellow came out on lap 58. Many drivers had made their final pitstops just before the incident but Tagliani had yet to stop and had to wait until the field formed up behind the pace car before pitting, dropping him down the order.
"It's hard to accept that we can lose a race, when we have been dominating the whole time, because of a yellow," said Bachelart. "The current rules do not always reward the best car and driver on the track and it becomes a bit of a gambling exercise."
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Having gained the lead thanks to running long in his first stint, Tagliani said he had been happy to stay out late before his final stop as well.
"That rule really destroyed our whole race," said Tagliani. "It's a shame to see it slip away between our fingers. But in the end, we came here and we showed that we could be faster than anybody else."
photo:Philippe Champoux - Auto123.com