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

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

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

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