Tagliani sneaks peek at course

On Sunday, a man repeatedly stopped his SUV in downtown Las Vegas, jumped out with his palm-sized camera and took pictures and video of what is now the racing surface for the inaugural Vegas Grand Prix.

He toured the course again, gripping the camera atop the steering wheel while driving.

But this was no tourist recording vacation moments for family or friends. It was Champ Car driver and Summerlin resident Alex Tagliani doing research for the engineer of his No. 8 RSPORT race team in preparation for Sunday’s inaugural race in downtown Las Vegas.

Tagliani, a Quebec native and 10-year Southern Nevada resident, is one of 18 drivers who begin practice today in preparation for this afternoon’s qualifying session of the Champ Car World Series.

Tagliani, 34, is familiar with downtown, but Sunday was his first chance to see it nearly completed as a major league 2.44-mile street-racing circuit with 12 challenging curves and turns.

He liked what he saw, except the few times his voice hit high octaves when he approached the grade change heading into the underpass on Ogden Avenue just past Main Street.

Tagliani was shocked by the idea of entering it in his race car at high speed. Exiting also got his attention.

"Oh my God," he said. "We come out of this on a curve heading uphill like this? And we go from bright sky to dark, back into the sun?"

Once his blood pressure settled, Tagliani took a third lap making slow turns while trying lines that might work today in his Champ Car.

"It is a very, very interesting track," he said. "I’m excited. It’s very technical, going up and down, left and right."

He said he was impressed with the smoothness of the repaved surface, especially for a street course.

Tagliani, who has one Champ Car victory, often complimented the product created by Grand Prix circuit manager Chris Kneifel.

"I’ve never seen anything like it. It is one unique racetrack. It will be tough physically," he said. "This track will be fun. No one’s been on it, so it should be equal for everyone."

• LEGGE IN — Katherine Legge will fill one cockpit for Dale Coyne Racing’s two-car Champ Car team.

Legge, 26, drove for the team last season as a rookie and finished 16th in points.

The native of Guilford, England, and Indianapolis resident last year became the first woman to lead a Champ Car race. In 2005, she won three Champ Car Atlantic titles before moving to the premier series.

It has not been announced who will drive the other car when practice begins today.

• QUALIFYING FORMAT — Today’s 2 p.m. Champ Car qualifying session is the first of two that will determine the pole winner for Sunday’s race.

The fastest in today’s session is ensured a position on the front row, as is the fastest on Saturday. The overall fastest from both sessions will be on the pole for the race, scheduled for 70 laps or a 1-hour, 45-minute time limit.