Gentlemen, start your engines. This weekend, the Honda Indy returns to Toronto to test the limits of man and machine. We caught up with this year’s Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, Montreal-born driver Alex Tagliani (pictured above) about babes, brawls and blueberries.
DailyXY: After driving 380 km/h on the track, does a 100 km/h speed limit seem ridiculous?
Tagliani: It’s so slow. You feel like you can just mash that pedal to the floor. You have to be careful not to become a freaking danger on the road.
How do you fuel up for such a testosterone-driven sport? Steak and potatoes? Baby back ribs?
You need food that will give you energy for three and a half hours. What works for me are slow digestive carbohydrates like brown rice or oatmeal with blueberries or strawberries.
Does Indy racer and S.I. swimsuit model Danica Patrick’s searing beauty ever compel you to gallantly offer her spot ahead of you in a race?
No! She’s good-looking, but to me, she’s just another driver.
In 2006, a collision with fellow Canadian Paul Tracy resulted in trackside fisticuffs. What was that about?
Paul went into a run-off and when he rejoined the track, he t-boned me into the wall. He completely destroyed my car, and almost took my legs off. I expected an apology. Instead it was a confrontation.
How do you feel about the ecological impact of your fossil-fuel-spewing sport?
Actually, our cars run on ethanol, a gas made out of corn. The guy who drives his SUV to the gym everyday puts more emissions into the atmosphere than an Indy car.
See Tag take on Tracy, Patrick and others this weekend at the Honda Indy.
