- Avid workout enthusiast with a daily regimen that includes cycling, strength training, and sport specific workouts. Also enjoys in-line skating and bowling.
- Enjoys video games with a current favorite of Rock Band—because he loves to play the drums! Also enjoys playing the Virtual GT & D-Box racing game.
- Likes a variety of music including pop, rock and his current favorites are the band Daughtry and singer Colbie Caillat.
Biography
Alex began his professional open-wheel career in the Toyota Atlantic Championship Series—a feeder system for the Champ Car World Series—in 1996 racing for P-1 Racing and scoring a best finish of third at Trois-Rivieres and finishing seventh in the Championship standings. In 1997 he moved to the Player’s Forsythe Atlantic team and raced there for the next two seasons, scoring a career best finish of third in the Championship in 1997 and amassing six victories over three season stint. In 2000, Alex made the move to the Player’s Forsythe Champ Car World Series team where he finished 16th in the standings in his rookie campaign. His 2001 season showed marked improvement when he scored his first podium finish of second place at Toronto and additional podium finishes in Surfers Paradise and California Speedway on an ultimate run of an 11th place finish in the Championship. In the 2002 season, Alex broke a Player’s Forsythe team record scoring 10 consecutive points paying finishes and finishing second at both Twin Ring Motegi and Elkhart Lake. In 2003, Alex made the move to Rocketsports Racing and in his first outing for the team scored a pole position, his first of two that season, and scored three podium finishes, five top-five’s and 11 top-10s for the first year team on his way to a 10th place finish in the final standings. In his second season at Rocketsports (2004), Alex scored his first career victory at Road America, had a string of eight consecutive top-10 finishes that put the team in third place mid-way through the year but two DNF’s in the final four events led him to a career best seventh place finish in the standings. The 2005 season brought a team change for Alex when he joined Team Australia as the veteran driver in its two-car Champ Car effort. The team had made the switch to the Lola chassis, which Alex had extensive experience running and Alex scored five top-five finishes which included three podiums during the season en route to a seventh place finish in the Championship.
In 2006, Alex remained consistent scoring podium finishes at Surfers Paradise and Long Beach while amassing seven top-10 finishes. Alex finished eighth in the championship in 2006 and unfortunately saw his streak of 107 consecutive starts end at Milwaukee when a qualifying day crash and no back-up car prevented him from starting the race. Alex continued a strong run into the 2007 season after rejoining Rocketsports Racing and started the season on a campaign of seven consecutive top-10 finishes. He finished the final Champ Car Series season 10th in the standings with 10 top-10 finishes at the close of the season. In 2008, Alex ran a limited open-wheel schedule for Conquest Racing as a substitute for the injured Enrique Bernoldi and competed in two IndyCar series sanctioned events in a Dallara chassis, Belle Isle and Chicagoland, while also competing in the non-sanctioned Surfer’s Paradise event where he finished fourth. In addition to his open-wheel schedule in 2008, Alex ran nine NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races with a victory in Edmonton and two other top-10 finishes. Alex continued racing a limited schedule with Conquest Racing in 2009 starting six events for the team and compiling three top-10 finishes, Rookie of the Year honors at the Indianapolis 500 after starting 33rd, gaining 22 positions and ending with an 11th place finish and then leading his first laps (21) at an IndyCar Series event in Toronto where he posted his best start (fifth) and finish (ninth) of the season. 2010 is the first year of a five-year contract for Alex and his partners Andre Azzi, Jim Freudenberg and Jason Priestley who have formed the FAZZT Race Team. The team will enter the #77 car with Alex as driver and campaign their inaugural season in 2010in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2011 Indianapolis 500 PEAK Pole Winner
2011 Texas Motor Speedway PEAK Pole Winner
2009 Chase Rookie of the Year at the Indy 500
Finished career-best seventh in 2004 and 2005 championship standings
Scored first Champ Car victory with win at Road America, 2004
Helped Canada to win consecutive Nation’s Cup victories in 2003-04
Finished among top five in Toyota Atlantic Championship standings from 1997-99
Alex has been in the open-wheel racing world since his rookie campaign in the Toyota Atlantic Series in 1996. Alex has extensive racing experience to draw from as the driver of the FAZZT Race Team and also brings many business and partner relationships that he has built over his 13 year professional racing career. Alex, a Montreal native, is a devotee of fitness and training which has assisted in honing his strength and competitive skills behind the wheel.
