|
FAST FRIDAY/ DAY 7 PRACTICE NOTES/QUOTES----
Indianapolis, Indiana, May 18, 2012
Fast Facts:
Oriol Servia
- Unfortunately, Oriol wasn't able to get any track time today.
As the team warmed the car up this morning there was an issue with
the car smoking. Fortunately, what was thought to be a problem with
the motor ended up not being the reason, so the team will not have
to take the penalty in Detroit for an unapproved engine change.
However, the team had to spend most of the day to change the motor
and then change it back to the original, which resulted in not
being able to get out on track, but the team did get to the bottom
of the problem.
- On day one of practice Servia was 11th fastest (217.20 mph), on
day two he was 19th fastest (217.656 mph), on day three he was 8th
fastest (220.304mph), on day four of practice he was 15th fastest
(219.948 mph), on day five he was 21st fastest (219.021 mph), and
on day six he was 13th fastest (220.643 mph).
- With all six practice days combined, Servia has completed a
total of 283 laps.
- Teammate JR Hildebrand posted a top lap speed of 225.571 mph,
finishing 8th in the final standings in his No. 4 National
Guard/Panther Racing entry.
- Oriol Servia will be vying for his fourth start for the
greatest spectacle in racing. Practice for the 96th Running of the
Indianapolis 500 begins on Saturday.
- Last year, Oriol qualified on the front row for Newman/Haas
Racing. He started 3rd, finished 6th and led for 18 laps. In 2009,
Servia ran for Rahal Letterman Racing and he started 25th and
finished 26th as his day was ended early due to a mechanical issue.
In 2008, he qualified 25th for KV Racing Technology and finished
11th. In 2002, Servia practiced for the month of May and attempted
to qualify for Walker Racing, but did not make the show.
- In the last four races combined, Servia has gained a total of
39 positions (7 positions in St. Pete to finish 16th, 13 positions
in Barber to finish 13th, 7 positions in Long Beach to finish 16th,
and 12 positions in Brazil to finish 11th).
- 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
- DRR has competed in the Indy 500 for the last 12 years.
Last season the team ran four cars: Davey Hamilton (SP: 15th
/ FP: 24th), Justin Wilson (SP: 19th/ FP: 16th), Ana Beatriz (SP:
32nd/ FP: 21st), Paul Tracy (SP: 24th/ FP:
25th)...2010: Justin Wilson, Tomas Scheckter and
Mike Conway all led laps for the 500-first time in DRR history for
three of the four entries entered to lead the Indy 500. Wilson (SP:
11th /FP: 7th), Scheckter (SP: 20th / FP: 15th), Ana Beatriz (SP:
21st / FP: 21st). Both Bia and Mike had contact on the last lap of
the race....2009: For the first time in the team's
history, DRR entered four cars for the 500 with one of the entries
being with Richard Petty (making it his first Indy 500 entry). Mike
Conway (SP: 27th/ FP: 18th), John Andretti (SP: 28th / FP: 19th),
Milka Duno (SP: 30th / FP: 20th), Davey Hamilton made contact (SP:
22nd / 29th).....2008: Buddy Rice (SP: 17th/ FP:
8th), Milka Duno (SP: 27th/ FP: 19th), Townsend Bell (SP: 12th/ FP:
10th).....2007: Sarah Fisher (SP: 21st/ FP: 18th),
Buddy Rice (SP: 16th/ FP: 25th), Roger Yasukawa (SP: 23rd/ FP:
21st)....2006: Al Unser Jr (SP: 27th/ FP: 24th
---accident), Buddy Lazier (SP: 25th/ FP:
12th)....2005:Roger Yasukawa (SP: 17th/ FP: 18th
-mechanical), Jeff Buknum (SP: 21st/ FP: 22nd
-accident)....2004: Felipe Giaffone (SP: 25th/ FP:
15th), Buddy Lazier (SP: 28th/ FP: 23rd ---fuel
system)...2003: Robbie Buhl (SP: 18th/FP:
22nd-engine), Sarah Fisher (SP: 24th/
31st-engine/accident)...2002: Robbie Buhl (SP:
2nd/ FP: 16th), Sarah Fisher (SP: 9th/ FP:
23rd)....2001: Robbie Buhl (SP: 9th/ FP:
15th)...2000: Robbie Buhl (SP: 9th/ FP: 26th),
Steve Knapp (SP: 27th/ FP: 19th)
- Lotus and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing reached an amicable
resolution to end their agreement. The two entities had entered
into a contract back in November for Lotus to be the team's engine
supplier in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Lotus remains completely
committed to IndyCar and has worked diligently to rise to the
challenge. Given the circumstances of the regulatory requirement to
supply multiple teams, the late timing of Lotus' entry and the
unanticipated difficulties caused by the change of ownership, Lotus
made the decision to reduce the number of cars it runs. As a
result, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing ran the Lotus engine for the
final time in Brazil.
- Last week it was announced 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
beginning with this month's 96th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Oriol Servia, No. 22 Panther DRR, on Fast
Friday: "Obviously, it was not in our plan nor was it our
ideal day because we wanted to get a feel of the car. We started
the car and we saw some smoke and thought it was the engine. We
rushed to change it to try to get out on track. When we put in the
new engine it was still smoking just as much, which we then
discovered that it didn't have anything to do with the motor. The
bad thing is we didn't get to run today, but the good news is we
didn't have the penalty that we thought we were going to have in
Detroit. The truth is, JR had the whole day and he only did two
runs. It's not like we missed a lot. All we wanted to do was check
to make sure that everything was fine and he did and he's happy
with the car. I'm pretty sure tomorrow we'll just need to do a
couple of runs before qualifying and we'll have the time to do that
in the morning and I know that we will have a strong
car."
Back on Track: Panther DRR will be back
on track tomorrow for qualifying for the 96th Running of the
Indianapolis 500. The race is scheduled for noon (ET) Sunday, May
27. Live coverage on ABC and the IMS Radio Network will start at 11
a.m. Please visit www.dreyerreinboldracing.com for more
updates.
|