It seems like the perfect combination on paper. The team that won the Indianapolis 500 last year has hired last year’s Indianapolis 500 pole winner to be their driver.
Bryan Herta Autosport announced that Alex Tagliani will drive for them in 2012.
With six top-10 finishes last year and two pole starts, BHA co-owners Bryan Herta and Steve Newey wanted to hire Tagliani due to his experience.
“We are very proud to have Alex Tagliani join our team for our first full season of IndyCar competition,” Herta said in a press release. “He brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the program, and is the perfect fit for us and our sponsor partners. Together with Todd Malloy and Brian Page in engineering, and the Don Lambert-led crew, Alex has the full support of a very talented group of professionals behind him.”
Tagliani will be behind a Lotus next year, as BHA previously announced it’s factory partner. On January 12th, BHA is expected to reveal the team’s primary sponsor.
“I’m really happy to drive for BHA,” Tagliani said. “Having known Bryan for a long time, I recognize that he’s a nice guy with genuine integrity. I believe that he and Steve Newey deserve to own a great IndyCar team, and I’m honored to be part of the building of BHA’s 2012 program.
“It’s also a great honor for me to represent the Lotus brand as a factory partner. Lotus has so much history in the world of motorsports. As a team, we have a lot of work in front of us and while challenging, it will be fun to be at the core of both engine and team development. BHA has a great group of people and I’m looking forward to working with them.”
Veteran race engineer Todd Malloy has already been re-signed by the team to lead the engineering efforts for the team.
Tagliani’s first task will be to lend his experience to the Lotus engine testing program, followed by team testing scheduled to begin in early February. The IZOD IndyCar Series kicks off the 2012 season March 25 on the streets of St. Petersburg.
