Conquest Racing announced late yesterday that it has replaced Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi, who is out with an injury, with veteran Canadian race car driver Alex Tagliani for the Detroit Indy Grand Prix this weekend.
Bernoldi initially injured his left hand thumb during a spin caused by a suspension failure in Sonoma last week. He was able to fight through the pain last weekend, but after two practice sessions today, the bumpy street course in Detroit was causing too much strain on his left hand.
Alex Tagliani, a former Champ Car driver, will have little time to get accustomed to his new surroundings. The driver from Lachenaie, Quebec will get 30 minutes of practice on Saturday morning before heading into qualifying and then only another 30 minutes on Sunday before the race. Tagliani will have the advantage of having raced at Belle Isle Park - although on a slightly different course configuration - in two events back in the days of CART in 2000 and 2001, scoring a best finish of sixth.
Bernoldi initially injured his left hand thumb during a spin caused by a suspension failure in Sonoma last week. He was able to fight through the pain last weekend, but after two practice sessions today, the bumpy street course in Detroit was causing too much strain on his left hand.
Alex Tagliani, a former Champ Car driver, will have little time to get accustomed to his new surroundings. The driver from Lachenaie, Quebec will get 30 minutes of practice on Saturday morning before heading into qualifying and then only another 30 minutes on Sunday before the race. Tagliani will have the advantage of having raced at Belle Isle Park - although on a slightly different course configuration - in two events back in the days of CART in 2000 and 2001, scoring a best finish of sixth.