Tagliani to start year with Conquest
Alex Tagliani is to return to Conquest Racing for this weekend's IndyCar Series opener at St Petersburg
The team's future had been uncertain as it struggled for sponsorship during the winter, but a deal has now been completed with Edmonton-based events company Northlands that will allow Conquest to run Tagliani in a single entry for the first round at least.
Tagliani, a race winner in the Champ Car World Series, replaced Enrique Bernoldi at Conquest from the Detroit event last year, and allowed the team to finish a tough season on a high by fighting for a podium at Surfers Paradise and finishing fourth.
Over the winter Conquest had to scale down its staffing levels and cut back to one car as it battled to find funding for the new season, but team boss Eric Bachelart was delighted that he had still been able to re-sign Tagliani.
"He helped us demonstrate our potential at the end of last season, and we look to build on that this week," said Bachelart. "He's a pleasure to work with and everyone on the team is happy to have him back.
"Alex is not only good with the racing side of the business, but he is also a great ambassador for any sponsor, and being the only Canadian in the Series, he is a perfect fit for an organisation such as Northlands."
Tagliani said he relieved to secure a drive so close to the start of the season.
"It's been a pretty crazy winter and I'm happy to be getting back behind the wheel of a race car this weekend," he said. "I had an excellent experience with the team last year and I'm looking forward to continuing what we started last season."
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