After vacating his seat for Tagliani prior to last year's 500, Tags is bringing the fast Brazilian aboard for this year's 500
~~~Former Indianapolis 500 Pole Winner Bruno Junqueira has been announced as the driver of the FAZZT Race Teams’ #33 entry for the 2010 Indianapolis 500. Junqueira will join the teams’ full season driver Alex Tagliani in a second car for the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 30, 2010.
“I am thrilled with the opportunity to compete for the FAZZT Race Team at the Indianapolis 500,” said Junqueira. “The team will give me the resources and support to compete in a car that has the capabilities of winning at the Indianapolis 500. To win at Indianapolis has always been a dream of mine. I’ve had some very competitive opportunities at Indianapolis and each time, either through a mechanical failure or accident, that dream has been just beyond my grasp so I am hoping that in 2010 I can bring my dream to reality.”
Junqueira, a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, has competed in five previous Indianapolis 500 events capturing the pole in his second effort at the Indy 500 in 2002. Junqueira has led 52 laps at the famed 2.5 mile oval and has finished 5th on two occasions, 2001 and 2004. Junqueira most recently qualified the Conquest Racing entry on Bump Day in 2009 in the 30th position but did not compete in the race due to a driver change. Junqueira graciously stepped out of the entry for the teams’ full-time driver Alex Tagliani who had failed to make the field due to a technical fault.
“Because we have enough sponsorship to run a second car at Indianapolis, we felt it important to give that chance to Bruno,” explained Tagliani. “ Last year with Bruno as the second driver in the team I was at, he let his spot in the field go after I had a mishap in qualifying. And it turned out, I had a pretty good race at the Indy 500 so it is nice way to say thank you to Bruno for what he did for me last year.”
The FAZZT Race Team is a newly formed full-time entry for the 2010 IndyCar season owned by driver Alex Tagliani, motorsports veteran Jim Freudenberg, actor Jason Priestley and entrepreneur Andre Azzi.
Owner Jim Freudenberg elaborated on the signing of Junqueira for the Indianapolis 500 saying, “When we formed the FAZZT Race Team we had a few goals in mind. One of those goals was that if we had the opportunity to field a second entry at Indianapolis that we wanted to put Bruno in that car. Bruno is an extremely talented driver and is the perfect compliment to our current program. Based on the situation from 2009, it is nice to be able to return the favor to Bruno after he graciously stepped aside for Alex last year. We are also excited that Bruno will be piloting the #33 car at Indianapolis as that is the car number he drove to the Pole Position in 2002 and we are hoping that number will serve him well again in 2010.”
