The pairing of Newman/Haas Racing and Oriol Servia saw the 2011 IndyCar Series season off to a great start with round one at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg over the weekend. Despite beautiful weather and nearly ideal track conditions, both team and driver had to stay on their toes to remain competitive, due in part to disapointing qualifying results earlier in the weekend.
However, the event did get off to a promising start as the team unveiled new sponsorship for the #02 entry with Telemundo Communications Group, a perfect pairing as the series' sole Spanish driver works to bring the exciting sport of IndyCar racing to Spanish viewers through this exciting partnership.
Onto the race, Servia and the N/H Racing crew qualified the #02 Telemundo entry in 15th position which landed them on the inside of Row 8, alonside Raphael Matos. From the get-go, the team worked through their share of unfortunate circumstances from getting caught up in the first-lap incident, to having a left rear tire go down, to various pit issues. Yet all involved soldiered on and Oriol held his own on the racetrack, bringing the #02 Dallara home in ninth place.
Overall, the results spoke a lot for a driver who has not competed in the series since 2009. Oriol has definitely proven once again that he can not only "bring it home in one piece" but can also produce consistent results.
Tune in to round two on April 10th from Birmingham, Alabama as the stars of the IndyCar Series battle it out at Baber Motorsports Park in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama!
Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Servia Confirmed for St. Pete's; Hinch to Remain Sidelined
Just days before the first race of the season, our amiable Spaniard Oriol Servia has been officially confirmed in a one-car entry for Newman/Haas Racing for this weekend's opener at St. Petersburg. Having posted good test times during day two at Barber Motorsports Park just last week, it was expected that Servia would find a home at NHR, even if just for the time being.
Itwas also expected that rookie and Indy Lights standout James Hinchcliffe would join him as a teammate; however, it appears as though Servia will be flying solo...for now. Hinch will join the team on the sidelines during this weekend's activities with hopes of joining the field at a later point in the season. Could he step in as soon as the next round at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama? No one is quite sure yet.
For now tune in to the weekend's festivities from St. Petersburg, check out Servia's newest (gold) helmet design, and cheer on Uri to a great start to the IndyCar season!
Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer
Itwas also expected that rookie and Indy Lights standout James Hinchcliffe would join him as a teammate; however, it appears as though Servia will be flying solo...for now. Hinch will join the team on the sidelines during this weekend's activities with hopes of joining the field at a later point in the season. Could he step in as soon as the next round at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama? No one is quite sure yet.
For now tune in to the weekend's festivities from St. Petersburg, check out Servia's newest (gold) helmet design, and cheer on Uri to a great start to the IndyCar season!
Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Servia Posts Impressive Test at Barber
While not officially signed yet for a ride, Oriol Servia and rookie "teammate" James Hinchcliffe quickly got up to speed in the two-day test at Barber Motorsports Park this week.
"Hinch" was the first to show what he's got, posting a fast time of 1m 12.8729, landing him fifth on the board for the first day of testing. Oriol likewise landed 14th quickest with a time of 1m 13.2537, while still shaking some off-season rust.
In the second day of testing, it was Servia who took the lead, landing 5th overall with a time of 1m 12.3594, while his teammate was just two positions behind in 7th place overall. For a short period, the two even led the board in true Newman/Haas style.
Though no contracts have been finalized, expect to see these two making waves at next week's IndyCar season opener at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 27th.
Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer
"Hinch" was the first to show what he's got, posting a fast time of 1m 12.8729, landing him fifth on the board for the first day of testing. Oriol likewise landed 14th quickest with a time of 1m 13.2537, while still shaking some off-season rust.
In the second day of testing, it was Servia who took the lead, landing 5th overall with a time of 1m 12.3594, while his teammate was just two positions behind in 7th place overall. For a short period, the two even led the board in true Newman/Haas style.
Though no contracts have been finalized, expect to see these two making waves at next week's IndyCar season opener at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 27th.
Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer
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