Bowmanville, Ontario - Alex Tagliani wrapped up the WeatherTech 200 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 9th place this past Sunday. While the result doesn't reflect the full effort of Theetge Motorsport or the car's potential, Tagliani's performance was still a highlight.

 

Tagliani demonstrated the speed of the No. 80 St-Hubert/BFL/Arobas/Chevrolet 440 during Saturday’s practice, securing the 4th fastest time. He followed that up by qualifying 7th for the race.

 

Once the race began, Tagliani wasted no time climbing through the field. After the first restart, he surged into 5th place, breaking away with the leaders. As other drivers began their first pit stops, Tagliani stayed on track, pushing the car to gain valuable positions.

 

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side. With 32 laps remaining, the front sway bar broke, leaving Tagliani with a car that was difficult to handle. Despite the setback, the veteran driver skillfully managed to stay with the leaders, even climbing to 2nd place.

 

Tagliani fought hard to maintain his position, losing only two spots with just a few laps to go. Running 4th and choosing not to pit, he was in a strong position to finish well.

 

"At that point, the only option was to stay out and manage the gap," Tagliani explained. "The team was feeding me lap times, and my job was to minimize the time loss by driving on the edge while protecting the tires. The last thing we needed was a yellow flag."

 

Unfortunately, with just 4 laps remaining, a caution brought the field back together, erasing the gap Tagliani had worked so hard to maintain.

 

On the restart, Tagliani’s car, hampered by the mechanical issue, couldn’t fend off the competition. He lost several positions, ultimately finishing 9th.

 

"It’s really disappointing because we had the potential for a much better result," Tagliani explained. "Without the sway bar breaking, it would have been a completely different race. The car was almost impossible to control after that."

 

He added, "Even with the issue, we were still in a good position. We had enough of a lead to lose about eight-tenths per lap and still be competitive. But the restart really hurt us; the car just couldn’t turn in the corners."

 

"There was also the risk of cutting a tire because part of the bar was hitting underneath the car," Tagliani continued. "It’s frustrating because we couldn’t challenge the cars ahead of us."

 

In closing, Tagliani reflected, "This season has been tough with a lot of bad luck and minor issues. But the positive takeaway is that we always have a strong car capable of running up front. It's just a matter of time before everything comes together."