Monday, September 21, 2009

Domo Arigato, Mr. Servia

While this weekend’s Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring, Montegi was nothing to write home about, the #06 crew, along with the entire Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Team, had a lot to celebrate.

Both drivers for the Illinois-based squad started within the Top-10 on the grid, and even more impressive, finished within the Top-5. If you by chance missed the race due to the early broadcast, you didn’t miss much. That is, until the last 25 laps or so.

It wasn’t until the end of the race that cameras focused on something other than Briscoe or Dixon, and we saw teammates Oriol Servia and Graham Rahal partake in a lengthy game of leapfrog as they battled it out on course for a podium position. Servia started the action around lap 175 as he flew by the #02 car for third position. Shortly after, he was warned by race officials to “drive in a straight line.” Umm, perhaps they didn’t notice that we’re racing an oval here and forgot to take notes on what happened when Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay drove “in a straight line.”

A ballsy but quick Mario Moraes driving for KV Racing Technology soon overtook Servia, but Oriol took the position right back. Then at 21 laps to go, Rahal regained the third position and held it through to the checkered flag, leaving Servia one position shy of the podium.

While it was Oriol’s third straight Top-10 finish, it may be time to say “sayonara” to Servia as his four-race contract with NHL Racing has come to an end. Although this was the second time he successfully served as a substitute driver for the team, he has yet to secure any type of contract for next season.

Read here for related news.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Left Turn Lane Only

This week saw the return of the IndyCars to the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois for another round of side-by-side, three-wide racing.

Before we begin, let’s ride on-board with Oriol Servia as he leads us on a lap around this superspeedway. Coming across the start/finish line we take a left going into Turn 1, followed by another left immediately into 2. Then down the back straightaway we turn left going into 3, and wrap it all up with a bow turning left again through 4 and back onto the front straightaway to the line.


Today Servia will be starting 9th, on the inside of Row 5 alongside Danica Patrick, recording an average speed of 214.126 miles per hour. We learned that the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Team experienced a bout of bad luck leaving Sonoma last week as both team transporters broke down enroute to Chicagoland. However, it doesn’t seem to have affected them in the race as Oriol wastes no time grabbing one position on the drop of the green flag. Put the pedal to the metal, foot flat to the floor and turn left!

The proceeding laps see Servia drop back to 12th position and then jostle back up to 8th position, demonstrating just how quickly things can change on a superspeedway. The first round of pit stops are underway, and we see the #06 jump to 4th before making his stop. Leaving the pits, Servia smokes the tires, a trick most drivers are employing tonight to get a little more heat into their Bridgestones on this cold evening before re-entering the field.

Insert some more left turns, and Lap 132 Oriol brings the McDonald’s entry up to 5th after the crew corrected a sensor problem preventing him from getting full power. In these tight racing circumstances, we see the majority of the field all running together, separated at times by only tenths of a second. Pan to Lap 162 and we see the two NHL Racing teammates battling neck-in-neck for position before Servia brings it in for a pit stop. Following the last stop for fuel and tires, Oriol plants the car in mid-pack, and in the last few laps, pulls it back up through the field one last time to finish an impressive seventh.

Next week the IndyCar Series takes a hiatus and returns on Friday, September 18th (as seen on VERSUS from the States) from Twin Ring Montegi for the penultimate race of the 2009 season.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Sunday, August 23, 2009

McServia Rides Again

This weekend saw Oriol Servia return to the reins of the #06 Dallara Honda for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing as the IndyCar Series took to the 2.3 mile permanent road course of Infineon Raceway in the vineyard country of Sonoma, California.

Servia qualified for the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma in 17th position, on the inside of Row 9 alongside Raphael Matos. The action began early on as a first-lap melee threw a wrench in the plans for many of the competitors. Oriol, carrying an on-board camera, treated us all to an edge-of-our-seats moment as he expertly maneuvered the battlefield of wounded cars and debris, emerging from the war without so much as a scratch. It was this skillful driving that allowed the Spaniard to pick up eight positions on the restart, after much of the field was forced to pit for repairs.

The NHL crew brought their car in for its first stop on Lap 28. Just after pitting, Servia was involved in a minor incident with Ryan Hunter-Reay as the driver of the #14 entry tried to overtake the #06 car but couldn’t seal the deal and clipped Servia’s tail end.

Uri held his position steady. With nine laps to go, Justin Wilson utilized his Push to Pass to try and overtake Servia, but he was unsuccessful as well and Oriol defended his position. Cut to the last five laps and we see Wilson charging again, before spinning and failing to complete the pass.

Oriol and the McDonald’s Team finished today in an impressive sixth place, to which I can only say, “I’m loving it!”

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Behind the Wheel

Oriol Servia returned to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend in just the position he wanted to be -- behind the wheel. The Honda Indy 200 presented the opportunity this driver was looking for as he found himself teamed with Ohio native Graham Rahal at Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. Servia found himself back amongst some of the familiar faces of N/H/L Racing he previously worked with back in 2005, as he stepped into the #06 McDonald’s Honda entry following the departure of Robert Doornbos from the team.

Oriol qualified on the outside of Row 7 in 14th position, starting alongside Marco Andretti. Servia’s team was one of just two that elected to start on the primary black Bridgestones versus the alternate red sidewall tires, after the Spaniard felt he was quicker on the blacks.

The #06 driver wasted no time, jumping two positions on the opening lap, and continuing the move forward on the following laps. Upon his first pit stop, Servia switched to the red-walled Bridgestones and rejoined the field in 19th position while the rest of the field continued to cycle through. Following pit stops, the #06 McDonald’s entry settled back into 14th position.

Just past the race’s halfway point, Servia cycled up to 11th after other drivers stopped to pit, and following an incident between Conway and Patrick, Oriol found himself in a Top-10 position for the first time in the race.

The #06 N/H/L Team called their driver in for the second round of pit stops on Lap 57 and outfitted him with a fresh pair of Bridgestone alternate reds. Oriol again cycled back to 11th which is where he would find himself at the drop of the checkered flag, finishing his first IndyCar race since the Indy 500 just outside the Top-10.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Deja vu

This feels vaguely familiar...

Oriol Servia to Drive for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing at the Honda Indy 200

Tune in this weekend for updates as Oriol takes to the track at Mid-Ohio!

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Monday, May 25, 2009

Oriol Servia: IndyCar’s most overlooked talent?

A great article which appeared at RACER.com that I just couldn't pass up!

Oriol Servia: IndyCar’s most overlooked talent?

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Fuel Pressure Problems Thwart Indy Run

Oriol Servia and the Rahal Letterman Racing Team put up quite a fight in this year’s Indy 500, yet the leapfrog strategy was just not enough to carry them through to the end of the race.

Servia and RLR started 25th in the field, on the inside of Row 9, and in this race plagued with yellows, Oriol made a slow and steady move to the front of the field, picking off his opponents one by one.

A combination of on-track passes along with mishaps on the part of drivers ahead of him allowed Servia to climb as high as 9th position, passing drivers such as Justin Wilson, Ryan Briscoe and Paul Tracy along the way. All was going well for the team until just before the fourth round of pit stops when the #17 DAFCA Special experienced a fuel pressure problem which took them out of the race.

Servia commented, “Everything was going according to plan…the machine was amazing. It was really a car to win. Honestly I felt faster than everyone around me.”

Oriol was officially recorded in 26th position. Though this race was a one-off for Servia, it was a rough road for a handful of drivers and I’m certain his entire fanbase will wait to see if the super-sub is called upon as early as this coming weekend as the Indy Cars return to the legendary Milwaukee Mile.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Qualification Nation

After running second quickest in this morning’s practice session, Oriol Servia was all ready to get the #17 DAFCA Special on track for qualifying. However, the weather had other ideas.

Following a delay which lasted several hours to allow the track time to dry, Servia placed wheel on track around 3:07 p.m. local time in his first qualifying run. Laying down an average speed of 220.984 mph, the Rahal Letterman Racing Team firmly planted the car on the starting grid in 25th position.

Servia mentioned that he was happy with the car the moment he stepped into it, though the wind did play a factor during the qualifying session. “I honestly want to go back out there because I think we have a car to be the fastest today,” commented Servia. “We have a car in the race now and that’s where we want it.”

Due to the late start of the day’s events, drivers had the opportunity to make only one qualifying run today with a few teams withdrawing before finishing their initial runs.

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On a side note, the announcers on today’s Versus coverage provided some insight into the retro paint scheme of the #17 entry. In honor of the speedway’s centennial celebration, the DAFCA Special is reminiscent of the Dan Gurney Eagle models of the late 60’s with the stripe down the nose of the car. In addition, the tub displays not only the driver’s name, but those of the owners “Bob and Dave” and chief mechanic as well.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Friday, May 15, 2009

Back to the Track

Though he wasn’t out for long, Oriol took a moment to shake down the car once more before qualifying tomorrow. Servia set his quickest lap late in the day, posting a 221.140 for seventh quickest overall.

The track closed early for repairs, but be sure to tune in tomorrow as Oriol takes the green flag and has the opportunity to make up to three qualifying attempts to land the team on the starting grid.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Quotables

"Everyone has been asking me today if there's any pressure," said Servia, who placed 11th in the Indy 500 last year with KV Racing Technology. "I haven't felt this relieved in a long time. Finally I am in a car and I know I'm going to be in the race. I'm in a great team and there are great people around me. I feel great right away from the first lap."

"When you are driving for Rahal Letterman, you better step on it. They won this race in 2004, and honestly, the car felt great the moment I stepped into it. That makes the job of the driver a lot easier. Hopefully, we have another dry day (May 15) so we can prepare for qualifying and just keep the focus on the last lap of a 500-mile race. It's probably the most important race of my life, so I'm very happy with the way things have started."

Read the full article here.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Getting Up To Speed

Oriol Servia completed his first practice day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after it was announced yesterday that he has joined the Rahal Letterman Racing Team for this one-off event. Servia put in a considerable number of laps throughout the day's session and landed on top of the charts for those drivers not yet qualified, posting a speed of 221.353 mph.

Tune in again tomorrow to follow another day of practice at IMS. You can catch all the action live at IndyCar.com.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Servia Returns to Brickyard

Word has just been released that Oriol Servia will return to the Yard of Bricks in this year’s 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 as he competes with Rahal Letterman Racing. Servia hopes to land himself a place on the starting grid this coming Saturday during the race’s third qualifying session. The Spaniard will pilot the #17 entry, carrying primary sponsorship from DAFCA.

Given Servia’s former experience at Indy and seeing how he has past Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal at the head of the team, I’d say his chances of landing a spot on the starting grid come May 24th are pretty good.

Click here for more and stay tuned for updates throughout the month of May, all the way up to the running of “the greatest spectacle in racing.”

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Monday, April 27, 2009

Star Racer

Though some of you may have briefly caught Uri on the Versus coverage of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg a few weeks ago, any news on a fulltime ride is still quiet (though I have hopes he may work a deal in time for Indy).

In the meantime, I found the next best thing to watch, believe it or not, in the form of “reality television.” Star Racer, airing Sunday evenings on Discovery HD Theater, follows a group of young, up-and-coming talent as they compete for a ride in the Formula Mazda Championship Series. The television series is recorded at the beautiful Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Canada, and while you would expect to see several karting hot-shots filling the grid, the series throws a wrench in the fan, inviting participants from the motocross field to compete for the coveted ride as well.

The contestants, broken into two teams (Team Castrol and Team Mazda) demonstrate their prowess in open-wheel cars as they learn vital skills such as braking, cornering and passing, and are judged on their abilities by some names from the motorsports world you just might recognize.

Race commentator and former racer Derek Daly, one-time Servia teammate Katherine Legge, and Mr. Chrome-Horn himself, Paul Tracy, offer contestants feedback before eliminating those who don’t measure up to their competition.

The program also covers some of the obstacles racers encounter both on and off the track, and is a good source for information on the technicalities of racing and operating an open-wheel vehicle.

Each week I want nothing more than to strap into the cockpit and race alongside (I mean in front of) these competitors as they take you through the twists and turns of one of the world’s most beautiful road courses. But don’t take my word for it -- check out additional information here.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Monday, January 26, 2009

No News Is Good News?

With the running of this past weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, all eyes once again turn to the automotive world in anticipation of the upcoming racing season. Driving shoes and gloves are dusted off and announcements finally begin to break regarding which drivers are pairing with which teams.

If this blog seems to have gone dormant the entire winter, it has nothing to do with being buried in snowbanks five feet deep or the fact that we’re frozen solid in negative 40 (F) temperatures here in Wisconsin.

It more so leads back to the fact that, as far as Oriol Servia’s involvement in racing this year, there’s no news to share just yet. Perhaps you tuned in over the weekend hoping to see him back in the #77 Doran Racing entry, but the Spaniard was noticeably absent from the roster.

And as far as KV Racing Technology, word is that their second seat is still up in the air. Last week the team signed former Dale Coyne rookie Mario Moraes to pilot one of their two entries, after news dropped that Will Power will most likely be called upon by Penske Racing to fill the seat left by Mr. Congeniality of the open-wheel world, Helio Castroneves, as he handles his legal issues. The second KVRT seat may still go to Servia, though AutoWeek has reported that Champ Car veteran Paul Tracy has also been in discussions with team owners. However, Tracy is still unable to confirm the sponsorship that might be the deciding factor in this tug-of-war.

Stay tuned as more of this silly season unfolds, and we’ll let you know which pit you need to head to if you’re sporting the red and yellow stripes!

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer