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QUALIFYING NOTES/QUOTES---- Lexington, OH,
August 4, 2012
Fast Facts:
- Servia was in Group 1 for today's qualifying
session. On the last lap he bumped out Helio Castroneves to secure
him a spot in the Fast 12. Unfortunately, he didn't advance to the
Fast 6, but he clocked the 11th fastest time today with a time of
1:06.2053 (122.782 mph).
- During this morning's practice session Servia was
20th fastest clocking a time of 1:07.1980 (120.968 mph) completing
25 laps and in yesterday's practice he completed 22 laps and
clocked the 12th fastest time of 1:07.5207 (120.390 mph).
- This weekend will mark Servia's 8th start at
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (four of those starts were in Champ Car
from 2000-2003). Last year he started 20th and finished 8th. In
2000 he started 17th and finished 10th, in 2001 he started 26th and
finished 9th, in 2002 he started 12th and finished 10th, in 2003 he
started 8th and finished 18th, in 2008 he started 8th and finished
5th, in 2009 he started 14th and finished 11th.
- Servia currently sits 11th in the championship with
227 points and is 10 points from 10th place.
- In eight races, Servia has gained a total of 98
positions (7 positions in St. Pete to finish 16th, 13 positions in
Barber to finish 13th, 7 positions in Long Beach to finish 16th, 12
positions in Brazil to finish 11th, 23 positions in Indianapolis to
finish 4th, 11 positions in Detroit to finish 5th, 16 positions in
Milwaukee to finish 4th and 9 positions in Toronto to finish
5th).
- Since making the switch to Chevy power, Panther DRR
and Oriol Servia have earned four top-five results in seven races,
tying with a season best of fourth place at the Indianapolis 500
and in Detroit.
- The Mecum Auction Company is the primary sponsor on
the No. 22 this weekend. Mecum Auctions has been
specializing in the sale of collector cars for 25 years, now
offering more than 10,000 vehicles per year. Mecum Auctions
is the world leader of collector car, classic motorcycle, vintage
wooden boat and road art sales. Auctions are held throughout the
United States and broadcast live on Discovery's Velocity Network.
For further information, visit www.mecum.com or call 262.275.5050.
- Last year Oriol Finished fourth in
IZOD IndyCar Series standings....Recorded 11 top-10 finishes,
with a best of second at New Hampshire and Baltimore....Among three
drivers to be running at the finish in all 17 races..... Led all
drivers in laps completed (2,103 of 2,011)....Oriol was the only
driver to finish in the top 10 in first five races of the
season.
Panther DRR
- This weekend will mark Panther DRR's sixth time to
compete at the 2.258- mile circuit. Last year, Justin Wilson broke
his back during practice and Simon Pagenaud had to fill in for him
for the race. Pagenaud qualified 18th and finished 13th and Ana
Beatriz started 25th and finished 17th. In 2010, Wilson qualified
11th and finished 27th and JR Hildebrand started from 18th position
and finished 16th.The team finished best of eighth in 2007 after
starting ninth with Buddy Rice. In 2007, Sarah Fisher qualified
17th and finished 15th. In 2009, Mike Conway started 16th and
finished 20th and Duno started 20th and finished 21st. In 2008,
Rice qualified 7th and finished 20th and Duno qualified 26th and
finished 23rd.
- It was announced in May that the Indianapolis-based
squad has united with two-time IndyCar Series champion Panther
Racing to form a strategic alliance on Oriol Servia's entry for the
remainder of the 2012 season. The No. 22 Panther/DRR team will
utilize Panther's second Chevrolet engine lease and work in
conjunction with the No. 4 National Guard team and driver JR
Hildebrand.
Oriol Servia, No. 22 Panther DRR, on
qualifying for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio: "Today is a
step forward from where we've been and we did a great job between
the first session to the second session in qualifying. The car was
a lot better and we made the first cut which was refreshing. During
the second run we improved the car even more and it was the best
that it has been all weekend, but not good enough to make it into
the Fast 6. To be honest, all we needed was two tenths of a second
and I think that I had them I just couldn't to put the lap together
at the end. It's great to be more towards for the front and I'm
very happy with the effort of the team, Chevy, Mecum, and everyone
involved."
Back on Track: Panther DRR will hit
the track tomorrow at 8:05 am ET for warm-up for the Honda Indy 200
at Mid-Ohio in Lexington, Ohio. The race is scheduled for tomorrow
at 1:00 pm ET. Live coverage will be on ABC and the IMS Radio
Network. Please visit www.dreyerreinboldracing.com for more
updates.
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