Oriol Servia itching to make a statement at Barber
Oriol Servia ready to set a fast time at Barber with Honda's latest engine |
Oriol Servia, 39, will compete in his 14th season in a major open wheel series and will make his second appearance in a RLL-prepared entry. He competed for the team in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 and was in ninth place halfway through the race when a mechanical failure led to his retirement in 26th place. He was previously Rahal’s teammate for four races late in the 2009 season at Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.
"It's great to have ‘spring training’ with all cars and teams participating. You could think that some would hide a bit of their true potential and only show it in St. Pete but I can assure you that is not the way it works. For some reason we all feel — drivers and teams — that it is the opportunity to send a message to the rest of the paddock and everybody’s message wants to be the same ‘Hey, this year you better count me as the reference!’ Only one driver will be able to send that message at the end of the test."
"The last time I drove an Indy car was for the last race of the season at Fontana. Many drivers have tested since then. It has been too long and cannot wait to get in the car again. In general terms you always miss driving an Indy car as they are really fun and challenging to drive. On this occasion I am even more excited as it will be my first and only test with the new team and will become a reference point for the year."
"We are all running the newest evolution of Honda’s twin turbo engine at the test," said teammate Graham Rahal. "It will be the first time I will get to drive with this version and I am excited to see what kind of gains Honda has made. We have all the faith in them and believe 2014 will be a much better year for all the Honda teams."
"I am very excited to be back with the Honda family," said Servia.
"My last time with them was in the 2011 season and we finished fourth in the championship and started from the front row in the Indy 500. Honda is always a reference point in any racing series they participate in and I am proud to be representing them – and hopefully winning together."
"It's a great track, probably one of the nicest around the United States," said Rahal. "I enjoy racing there every time. The atmosphere is great, the people are friendly, the food rocks, and the track is just stunning."
"Barber is probably the most challenging and technical track we race at," added Servia. "It is almost its own different world. I have had great runs and not so great ones. It is so hard that a lot depends of how good you are that day. If you are nothing else than your greatest, the track won't give you a "free pass" and it will show. It is very demanding and that is a big part of its charm. What is great about it too is that with some of the fast and blind corners, the fans can appreciate the level of commitment it takes from the drivers. All and all it will definitely be a great test to get the winter rust off!"