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ADVANCE NOTES/QUOTES---- Indianapolis, IN, September 11,
2012
Fast Facts:
- This weekend will mark Servia's sixth start at Auto Club
Speedway (two of the six starts were in the Indy Lights
championship where he finished 25th in 1998 and 14th in 1999,
clinching the Indy Lights championship). Oriol competed at the
track from 2000-2002. Hisbest finish was fifth in the 2002 CART
race and his best start of 16th in 2000.
- For the last three years Servia has called Santa Monica,
California home. He moved out west with his girlfriend Jackie at
the end of 2008 and the couple still lives in California, which
will make this weekend a "homecoming" for the Spaniard.
- Servia currently sits 12th in the championship with 275 points
and is 30 points from 10th place.
- In nine races, Servia has gained a total of 107 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, 9 positions in Toronto to finish 5th , and
9 positions in Baltimore to finish 7th).
- Since making the switch to Chevy power, Panther DRR and Oriol
Servia have earned five top-ten results (four of them being
top-five results) in ten races, tying with a season best of fourth
place at the Indianapolis 500 and in Detroit.
- Motegi Racing will be the primary livery on the No. 22 machine
this weekend. Through technical partnerships with leading
professional racing teams, Motegi Racing Competition and High
Performance Tuning wheels are designed and engineered for
performance. Motegi Racing is owned by Wheel Pros, one of the
largest suppliers of branded custom wheels, performance tires and
related accessories for cars, SUVs and light trucks.
- For the Grand Prix of Baltimore, Servia qualified 18th, but
started the race 16th due to two cars in front him receiving a 10
grid spot penalty due to unapproved engine changes. The Spaniard
got a good start and maintained his 16th position. Things got
interesting as the yellows started to come out with the first
yellow coming out on Lap 8. The restart came out on Lap 13, and
Oriol started P15. He felt that he made contact with Charlie
Kimball, but the team looked at the front wing and he was okay and
continued on. He gained one more position to P14 as a result.
Servia came in on Lap 18 for his first stop to receive a full fill
of fuel and to switch from the Firestone Firehawk Primary
(black-sidewall) tires to the Firestone Firehawk "wet" tires due to
the rain causing parts of the track to be slick. The
team also had to replace his front wing because Oriol made contact
with Marco Andretti in Turn 1 on the Lap 17 restart. As the track
started to dry, Oriol had to come in on Lap 25 for a full fill of
fuel and to switch from the "wet" tires to the Firestone Firehawk
Alternate (red-sidewall tires). He came in P12, but filtered back
to P22. After continuous yellows throughout the race, Servia would
bounce back and forth on the grid. He came in for his final stop on
Lap 56 for a full fill of fuel and to switch from the Firestone
Firehawk Alternate (red-sidewall) tires to the "sticker" set of
"red" tires. When he came in he was P2 and after the stop he
filtered back out to P7. On the Lap 73 restart Oriol made some
great passes with two laps to go and went from P10 to P7. Servia
brought the car home in 7th place.
- 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 will mark the team's fifth time to compete at the two-mile
oval. In 2002, Memo Gidley started 27th and finished 21st. In 2003,
Robbie Buhl started the race 6th and finished 10th and Sarah Fisher
started 15th and finished 18th. In 2004, Felipe Giaffone started
the race 19th and finished 8th. In 2005, Roger Yasukawa started the
race 20th and finished 16th.
- 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 MAVTV 500 at
Auto Club Speedway:"First of all, I'm excited to go back
to Fontana. I think that it has provided some of the best oval
racing. I actually have good memories of Fontana because it's the
track where I became the Indy Lights champion in 1999. It's the
type of race, with it being 500 miles, that suits me best. It's a
long race and you have to be patient and you have to work on the
car towards the end of it. I'm sure the race will be a great season
ending. I'm excited to go back there and I'm also excited that we
will have a chance to test the week of the race. We will be able to
refresh our oval skills because we haven't been on an oval in
awhile, especially a fast one like that, and I think that we will
be very well prepared. I'm looking forward to have a strong end of
the season and to get that podium or win that we've been
chasing."
Back on Track: Panther DRR will test in Fontana
on Wednesday, September 12 and will hit the track for official
practice on Friday. The race will be at 8:30 pm ET on Saturday,
September 15th. Live coverage will be on the NBC Sports Network and
the IMS Radio Network. Please visit www.dreyerreinboldracing.com
for more updates.
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