|
QUALIFYING NOTES/QUOTES---- Detroit, Michigan June
2, 2012
Fast Facts:
Oriol Servia
- Servia was in Group 1 for today's qualifying session.
Unfortunately he did not advance to the Fast 12. He clocked the
17th fastest time today with a time of 1:12.5754.
- This morning's practice session did not go as planned for
Panther DRR and Servia. On the first lap out, Oriol made contact
with the wall in Turn 14. There was significant damage to the right
front suspension and he was unable to run the remainder of the
session. Fortunately, the No. 22 crew got the car repaired in time
for qualifying.
- During yesterday morning's practice session Panther DRR did not
do any running due to the rain, but luckily the afternoon session
was dry and the team was able to get plenty of track time. Servia
completed 20 laps in the second practice and clocked the 10th
fastest time of 1:13.9032.
- This weekend will mark Servia's 4th start at the Detroit Belle
Isle track. In 2008, he started 3rd and finished 4th. During his
rookie season in 2000, Servia finished on the podium, earning a 3rd
place result. He has finished in the top four twice in three starts
at the Belle Isle circuit.
- In the last five races combined, Servia has gained a total of
62 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, and 23 positions in
Indianapolis to finish 4th).
- The Mecum Auction Company is the primary sponsor on the No. 22
machine 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.
- Servia qualified 27th for last weekend's Indianapolis 500 and
finished a career-best at the IMS track with a 4th place result.
After a last minute stop due to a tire going down in the early part
of the race, Servia went a lap down for most of the event as a
result. During the last stint, Servia got his lap back and went
from 18th to 4th place in 20 laps.
- 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 the team's 3rd time to compete at the
Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.
- Panther DRR's best finish at Belle Isle was 7th in 2007 with
Buddy Rice driving. The team's best start of 15th in 2007 with
Buddy Rice.
- Last weekend's Indianapolis 500 marked a career-best result in
the race for Oriol Servia and Panther DRR. It was the Spaniard's
fourth start and he finished the day with his best result for the
race. It was the same story for the team. Last Sunday's event was
Panther DRR's 13th start and their best result for the Indianapolis
500 as well.
- 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.
Oriol Servia, No. 22 Panther DRR, on qualifying
for the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix: "I'm
really sorry. I put the team behind the eight ball by crashing this
morning on the first lap. A, it didn't give me time to get into the
rhythm of how the track was changing and we couldn't try setup
changes that we wanted to. We went out guessing on how the track
was going to be and the engineers guessing how the car was going to
be and it wasn't enough. We needed a couple of more laps. That's
what happens when you make a mistake in such a competitive field.
It's hard to get back. The Mecum Auctions car was great since we
started and I'm sure we will move to the front
tomorrow."
Back on Track: Panther DRR will be back
on track tomorrow at 10:45 am ET for warm-up for the Chevrolet
Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. The race is scheduled for Sunday,
June 3rd at 3:30 pm ET. Live coverage will be on ABC and the IMS
Radio Network. Please visit www.dreyerreinboldracing.com for more
updates.
|