|
ADVANCE NOTES/QUOTES---- Indianapolis, IN, July 3,
2012
Fast Facts:
Oriol Servia
- This weekend will mark Servia's 11th start in Toronto (eight of
those starts were in CART/Champ Car from 2000-2007). Last year he
started 6th and finished 12th. Servia has finished in the top-5
twice (2003-finished 5th and 2005- finished 2nd) and the top-10
twice (2004-finished 9th and 2007-finished 10th). His best
start was third in 2007 when he was driving for Forsythe
Racing.
- After the Milwaukee IndyFest, Servia joked that he should chill
during the race weekend and just show up for the race. In seven
races, Servia has gained a total of 89 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, and 16 positions in Milwaukee
to finish 4th).
- Since making the switch to Chevy power, Panther DRR and Oriol
Servia have earned three top-five results in five races, tying with
a season best of fourth place (was 4th in the Indy 500).
- Servia will be visiting The Hospital For Sick Children in
Toronto on behalf of Racing For Kids. The visit will be held on
Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 10:00 am. Oriol will spend time with the
young patients outside at the Racing For Kids show car and visit
patients in their rooms. Racing for Kids was founded in Detroit in
1989 by pediatric cardiologist William Pinsky, M.D. and is an
international charitable foundation focused on improving child
health care. It seeks to use the popularity of motor sports to draw
attention to the needs of children. This year, Racing
for Kids celebrates its 23rd Anniversary and its 12th season of
affiliation with DRR. Co-owner Robbie Buhl is a
spokesman for RFK. In its 23 years, Racing for Kids has visited
more than 20,000 children in hospitals in local race markets across
the globe. If you are interested in attending please contact Susie
Petro at 416-813-7654 ext # 28466 or Ron Hingst with Racing for
Kids at (734) 276-7237.
- Iowa didn't go according to plan for Panther DRR and Servia. He
started the race 13th and on his first stop on Lap 70 the valve in
the fuel hose wouldn't close which caused the fuel to keep
releasing. As a result, it caused a fuel fire in the pits.
Fortunately Servia was able to go back out and came in again on Lap
92 to repair the car and check the engine. He was able to get back
out on Lap 96. Unfortunately, Servia had to come back into the pits
on Lap 100 where his day would end early and he would finish in
21st position. He currently sits 12th in the championship, 8 points
out of the top-10.
- Valspar will be the primary on the No. 22 machine this weekend.
The Valspar Corporation is one of the largest global coatings
manufacturers in the world, providing coatings and coating
intermediates to a wide variety of customers and applications.
Since 1806, Valspar has been dedicated to bringing customers the
latest innovations, the finest quality, and the best customer
service in the coatings industry.
- 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.
- In 12 seasons of competing in open wheel racing, Servia has 173
starts, 19 podium finishes, a win in Montreal (2005), a pole
position at Surfer's Paradise (2005), 45 top-five finishes
(including podiums), 85 top-10 finishes (inclues top-five) and has
led a total of 130 laps in his career.
Panther DRR
- Panther DRR will be competing for the fourth time at the
1.75-mile temporary street course. They have had one car qualify in
the top six in the first two races at the track. Last year, Justin
Wilson started 11th and finished 15th and Ana Beatriz started 26th
and finished 11th. In 2010, the team set a track record and earned
their first pole at the circuit with Justin Wilson, who led for
32-laps. Unfortunately, a late race spin caused Wilson to fall back
positions, but he finished with a 7th place result. In 2009, Mike
Conway started sixth and finished 22nd and Tomas Scheckter led for
six laps before being eliminated from the race.
- 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 the Honda
Indy Toronto: "I'm really looking forward to
our second outing on a street course with Chevy power. Detroit was
a good event for us and we finished in the top-five. Toronto is a
race that I've been on the podium before and I've never won it and
I think that we should be really competitive. I can't wait to hit
the Canadian streets again and see what we can do."
Oriol Servia on the Toronto
circuit: "I just really like the city and I
kind of forced myself to like the race track the first year that I
went there. Now, after doing it so many years it's just so familiar
to me that you're almost looking forward to that bump here or that
concrete there or whatever it is that defines the track. I really
don't have one thing that I really love about the track, just the
fact that it's in Toronto."
Back on Track: Panther DRR
will hit track this weekend for the Honda Indy Toronto on July 8th.
The race is scheduled at 1:00 pm ET. Live coverage will be on ABC
and the IMS Radio Network. Please visit
www.dreyerreinboldracing.com for more updates.
|