After finishing fourth last season in the IZOD IndyCar Series Championship standings, Oriol Servia has partnered with Dreyer and Reinbold Racing.
“I couldn’t be more excited, for many reasons,” the 37-year-old said. “DRR is a team that I raced against since 2008 and they’ve always shown to be very professional at the racetrack. Although I knew the owners, I didn’t know them very well, to be honest. Before signing with the team, like everybody else, I did my research and I couldn’t find one individual that didn’t speak highly of Dennis or Robbie (Buhl), which gave me a lot of confidence.
“I went to the team’s sponsor summit last week (in Florida) and met all of their partners that they have been involved with for many, many years, which was another clear sign that they are good people.”
The driver from Catalonia, Spain, posted 11 top-10 finishes with a high of second at New Hampshire and Baltimore for Newman/Haas Racing. He also led all drivers in laps completed with 2,103 of 2,111 and was the only driver to finish in the top 10 in the first five races of the season.
“With a new engine, new chassis and a revamped engineering department, we believe it is crucial to have a highly talented veteran driver to be able to develop these new components,” Dreyer & Reinbold co-owner Dennis Reinbold said. “Oriol has always been a smart driver and has always put himself and his team in a position to win races. We are going to have to be well-prepared to take advantage of his abilities and we look forward to the challenge.”
Servia got his start with Newman-Haas back in 2005 and the following season, he was able to finish second in points. From there, they tried to put a deal together, even running four races in 2009, though the deal didn’t come together till this year. He caught the eye of Newman-Haas after success in the Firestone Indy Lights, including a championship in 1999.
“That’s a moment in my life where I was trying to become a professional racer, but I wasn’t yet,” he told me back in July of last year. “That meant that I had to win the championship if I wanted any chance and the day I won the championship, I only lost control of all of my emotions and it was a great feeling.”
Dreyer and Reinbold Racing had already announced that they will be partnering with Lotus for 2012. Servia is eager to begin testing as the season-opening race is on March 25th with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
“I’m at the best point in my career and it was very important to partner with the right team,” he said. “When I visited the DRR facility in Indianapolis, I couldn’t have been more impressed. We are starting with a new engine and chassis, and I have confidence in Lotus and our ability to develop a quality product in 2012. When you have everyone pulling in the same direction like we are now is when we can accomplish our goals.”
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing continues to work toward a second full-time entry for the 2012 season.
