The driver of the FAZZT Racing IndyCar team, Canadian Alexandre Tagliani contested the Gold Coast 600 international event last weekend, a round of the Australian V8 Supercars series.
Tagliani was sharing the driving duties of the No. 11 Holden Commodore with regular series’ driver Jason Bargwanna.
"It was a great weekend of racing,” Tagliani told Auto123.com.
“During the first race, which was 300-km long, we finished in 11th place.”
“It's me who qualified the car, took a standing start on full tanks and my role was to to be quick, and to keep the car in good condition for Jason’s stint. But I knew we could improve the handling of the car. After Sunday’s qualifying session, I suggested the guys to do some changes. We raised the roll center, changed the dampers and other mechanical stuff and it really improved the handling,” said Tagliani.
"I took the start of the second, 300-km race in 22nd position. I overtook Scott Dixon and other guys and moved up to 5th place. My engineer, Brendan Hogan, told me by radio that there was still 12 laps to go before the pit stop and the driver change. But the guy who was running behind me, who was also in the hunt for the series’ title, has not been patient. He was not on the same strategy as us and just badly wanted to pass me as quickly as possible. He just drove straight into me! It was a big impact. My car crashed into the tire barriers and it broke the rear axle,” Tagliani explained.
"I'm disappointed because the car did not have a scratch. It's really sad for the team and mechanics who worked so hard. For us, who normally drive open-wheel cars, we are relatively careful when passing other people. We only try to pass if there’s an opening. But the regular series’ drivers do not hesitate to push their competitors to get in front. It's like in NASCAR road racing when everybody hit each other. The guy who pushed me, Russell Ingall, is likely to get a penalty,” Tag added.
The Canadian will probably stay longer than expected in Australia. "The team was pleased with the feedback that I gave. They asked me to drive the car in a test session to be held November 1st. The objective is to compare different set-ups and improve handling of the car, Tagliani declared.
Tagliani was sharing the driving duties of the No. 11 Holden Commodore with regular series’ driver Jason Bargwanna.
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| Photo: BAM Media |
"It was a great weekend of racing,” Tagliani told Auto123.com.
“During the first race, which was 300-km long, we finished in 11th place.”
“It's me who qualified the car, took a standing start on full tanks and my role was to to be quick, and to keep the car in good condition for Jason’s stint. But I knew we could improve the handling of the car. After Sunday’s qualifying session, I suggested the guys to do some changes. We raised the roll center, changed the dampers and other mechanical stuff and it really improved the handling,” said Tagliani.
"I took the start of the second, 300-km race in 22nd position. I overtook Scott Dixon and other guys and moved up to 5th place. My engineer, Brendan Hogan, told me by radio that there was still 12 laps to go before the pit stop and the driver change. But the guy who was running behind me, who was also in the hunt for the series’ title, has not been patient. He was not on the same strategy as us and just badly wanted to pass me as quickly as possible. He just drove straight into me! It was a big impact. My car crashed into the tire barriers and it broke the rear axle,” Tagliani explained.
 |
| Photo: BAM Media |
"I'm disappointed because the car did not have a scratch. It's really sad for the team and mechanics who worked so hard. For us, who normally drive open-wheel cars, we are relatively careful when passing other people. We only try to pass if there’s an opening. But the regular series’ drivers do not hesitate to push their competitors to get in front. It's like in NASCAR road racing when everybody hit each other. The guy who pushed me, Russell Ingall, is likely to get a penalty,” Tag added.
The Canadian will probably stay longer than expected in Australia. "The team was pleased with the feedback that I gave. They asked me to drive the car in a test session to be held November 1st. The objective is to compare different set-ups and improve handling of the car, Tagliani declared.