Alex Lloyd goes from racecar driver to car critic for Yahoo! Autos

They say the best detectives are former criminals. It only stands to reason, then, that the best car critics are not career journalists, but former racecar drivers (see Denise McCluggage). Therefore, I'm pleased to announce that Alex Lloyd has joined our staff as Editor-at-Large for Yahoo! Autos.

For anyone who doesn't follow American open-wheel motorsports, here's some background: Alex is a former IndyCar driver who competed in the Indianapolis 500 four times during his 11-year professional racing career, once as his wife was in the preliminary stages of labor. During his career, he earned the nickname "Pink Lloyd" by driving a pink racecar, ignoring emasculating taunts from his fellow drivers up and down pit lane. So we're confident he knows how to operate under pressure while maintaining a sense of humor — two keys to success at an Internet-based media company where deadlines are fast and furious, and reader comments often resemble a roast hosted by Andrew Dice Clay.

Transitioning his career from the racetrack to the newsroom has been a yearlong journey. When Alex first approached us about writing automotive reviews for Motoramic, he had only his racing credentials — in 2010 he was recognized as the IndyCar series Rookie of the Year — an English degree, and some unique track photography to show for his aptitude. But after gaining a foothold here, he quickly built on his journalistic experience with freelance assignments for enthusiast publications such as Road & Track magazine and Jalopnik.com. Though he received other offers, Alex was patient enough to wait for us to offer him a full-time role as a key part of the Yahoo! Autos editorial staff.

Please join me in welcoming Alex to the Yahoo! Autos newsroom, where he’ll be writing daily for Motoramic — working closely with myself, Justin Hyde, Aki Sugawara, Ezra Dyer, Neal Pollack, and the Motoramic masthead of freelance writers — as our resident expert test driver and car reviewer. He’ll work primarily from his home base in Indianapolis (where he remains the only driver to have won on both the big oval and road course), splitting his time between that famous racetrack and the mean streets of Detroit, where he'll cover automotive news emanating from the Motor City and the heartland of the American car industry. When he's not touring the Midwest, he'll travel the globe to test some of the world's most revered cars and provide reviews of the performance, style, and technological advances of each car from a former professional racecar driver's perspective.

I'm not suggesting you cancel your car magazine subscriptions or ignore the multitude of other automotive blogs. But when you're serious about deciding what car to buy, come to Yahoo! Autos for the most trusted expert commentary on vehicle dynamics this side of The Stig. We won't steer you wrong.

Top photo: Gerry Calub via Flickr