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"It's hard to imagine the extent of the challenge when you make the jump to the CART series, because quite often you're facing the unknown... But now I know what to expect and how to react in tight situations. I think I've proved that I can stand up to the challenge and I feel that, as a team, we have all the tools to be right in the thick of the championship hunt in 2001." - Alex Tagliani, and his 2001 expectations
"My goal is to produce fewer highlights and more points."
"He's a very, very intense young man - very cold but also extremely motivated...All he does is eat, sleep and dring race cars. We have to literally throw him out of the garage at night....If anything, you have to take time explaining that 'second' is good enough...He's his own worst critic...and we can never put the expectations on him that he puts on himself. But all in all, he's a really neat kid."
"It was heartbreaking. But you need to learn from those experiences, and I'm just now more experienced, better in strategy, and I'm just trying to get a lead again and not do the same mistakes."
"He's wicked quick. His dedication and commitment is second to none, and he has his ego in control well enough that he realizes he has an awful lot of stuff to learn."
"I can't say enough about Tag. He had this bad reputation of being fast but erratic and crashing a lot, but I've never seen any of that... He's got a great deal of common sense, listens well and is totally focused on racing. He's a pure professional."
"You cannot do any mistakes. It makes your life harder."
"I don't like to be slow. I don't know if it's a fear, but I don't like it. I can't live with that."
"I couldn't believe it when I saw him out there. He was so fast all weekend, and he'd driven a great race. I really felt sorry for him. But it's sandy out there, and if you get two wheels off-line, you're gone."
"Alex has done a real good job so far. He came real close to winning his first time out and has shown he knows what he's doing. He'll get that first win soon."
"Alex and I have had some good battles already this season. Not too bad for a couple of CART rookies."
"I swear to God my heart stopped. I knew that was the time, that was the moment of my life... He [Neil Micklewright] said `I want to tell you that you got the ride'. I was crying. My mom was crying, my dad was crying."
"He has more qualities in the overall package than I've seen in many years. He gets into the car; it's like a switch on and off. It's like, boom! There's no in-between with him." |