SERVIA MOVES UP 13 POSITIONS IN GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA

April 4, 2012

RACE NOTES/QUOTES—- Birmingham, Alabama, April 1, 2012

 

Fast Facts:

  • Servia qualified 26th for the race and finished 13th. As he crossed the start/finish line at the end of the race, Oriol came over the radio to the guys saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Great job guys, we will keep getting there.”
  • The strategy worked for Lotus DRR today. They went with a three-stop strategy, going off sequence and pitting early. Servia came into the pits for the first time on Lap 14, switching from the Firestone Firehawk primary (black-sidewall) tires to the alternate (red-sidewall) tires and filled the car full of fuel.
  • Servia pitted again on Lap 38, receiving a full fill of fuel and switched from the Firestone Firehawk alternate (red-sidewall) tires to a new set of “red” tires. With each stop he gained positions.
  • Oriol came in for the final time on Lap 63 to fill full with fuel and switch from the Firestone Firehawk alternate (red-sidewall) tires to a new set of “red” tires. He would need a yellow to come out to help see him to the end and that’s exactly what happened. On Lap 66 the yellow came out for Katherine Legge and he was able to save enough fuel to get him to the end.
  • On the Lap 74 restart, Servia started in 15th position and passed Dario Franchitti and James Jakes, putting him in 13th position. He lost a position to Franchitti on Lap 79, putting him in 14th position, but that wouldn’t last for long as he passed JR Hildebrand on Lap 88 for 13th position.
  • Servia had very limited track time this weekend. During yesterday’s qualifying session, Lotus DRR used it as a test. Servia was able to complete 8 laps and saved a set of Firestone Firehawk alternate (red-sidewall) tires for today’s race. He only ran 7 laps in Friday’s first practice session. There was an electrical problem and the Lotus DRR crew had to fix the issue, and as a result Servia was unable to get back out. During the second practice session, Oriol ran two laps and had to bring the car back into pit lane. There was a problem with the motor and the team had to change it. Due to the unapproved engine change, Servia was penalized 10 grid positions for the race.
  • This weekend marked Servia’s second start at Barber Motorsports Park. In 2011, he qualified 6th and finished 5th.
  • Servia piloted the No. 22 Charter primary livery for the first time this season.  Charter is a leading broadband communications company, and the nation’s fourth-largest cable operator providing broadband entertainment and communications services that includes advanced Charter TVTM, Charter InternetTM access, and Charter PhoneTM to homes and businesses across 25 states.
  • 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.

 

  • This year will be Lotus DRR’s 13th season of IndyCar competition, making them one of the longest tenured teams in the series.
  • This weekend marked the team’s 3rd time to compete at Barber Motorsports Park. In 2010, the team started 2nd with Mike Conway and 11th with Justin Wilson at Barber and finished 7th with Wilson and 9th with Conway in the race. Last year Wilson started 5th and finished 19th and Simon Pagenaud started 23rd and finished 8th in the race.

 

Oriol Servia, No. 22 Lotus DRR, on the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama:

“Once again, my team and engineer rose up for the battle. We didn’t have much practice time and we were guessing on the setup. They came up with a great one for the race and I’m very happy, they did an amazing job. We were as good as anyone in the corners for sure, and that’s what helped me move to the front. We had good lap speed, a good strategy, pitted early and put good laps together and passed a couple of cars, which is an odyssey with the lack of speed that we have on a straight line. I know it’s 13th place, but it feels like a podium.”

 

Dennis Reinbold, Co-Owner Lotus DRR:

“I feel like that we got everything out of the car and out of Oriol that we could get. We ran all day and had good pit stops. We got everything that we could get today, I couldn’t be more proud of the way the entire organization persevered.”

 

Back on Track:

Lotus DRR back on track in two weeks for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach at 3:30 pm ET. The race will be telecast live on NBC Sports. Please visit www.dreyerreinboldracing.com for more updates.