Tagliani

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tags finally has a home.

Three-time Trans-Am champion Paul Gentilozzi announced on Friday that he had signed Alex Tagliani to run for his new Rocketsports Racing team in the 2003 Champ Car World Series, tabbing the former Player's/Forsythe Racing driver to carry his squad's banner into its first season. Player's will campaign cars for Paul Tracy and Patrick Carpentier in 2003.

"I've watched Alex and he races with great spirit. I appreciate that enthusiasm," Gentilozzi said. "He brings with him good, solid Champ Car experience and, even more importantly, a desire to succeed. To be successful, you must have an ego and the only food for that ego is success."

Tagliani will begin his fourth year in the series this season and has done everything in the series except taste victory. A veteran of 59 Champ Car starts, Tagliani finished a career-best eighth in last year's championship, amassing 111 points. Along the way, he scored runner-up finishes at Motegi and Road America and ran off a team-record string of 10 consecutive points-paying finishes.

The Canadian driver has three career poles to his credit including one on the high-speed California Speedway oval in 2001 and started his career with three straight years of top-five finishes in the CART Toyota Atlantic Series.

"I'm very excited to join Rocketsports Racing," Tagliani said. "I was impressed the first time I met Paul because we had talked about cars and racing aspects, not just business. Paul has joined Champ Car for the right reasons and not just for parades or fun. He's put a great team in place."