Today, Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) announced that series veteran Oriol Servia will return to the Verizon IndyCar Series for the 2015 Indianapolis 500. Servia, 40, previously drove for the team in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 where he finished 26th due to mechanical failure. In 2014, he ran four races for RLL including Long Beach, Barber Motorsports Park, and both events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In his second Indy 500 with RLL, he qualified 18th and finished 11th. Outside of his direct work with the team, Servia was also teammate to RLL driver Graham Rahal when both of them drove for Newman/Haas/Lanigan in 2009.
“A la tercera va la vencida”
The 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will mark the third time Servia has competed with Rahal Letterman Lanigan. The native of Pals, Spain has been a journeyman of sorts throughout his career; in fifteen years of competition through CART, Champ Car, and IndyCar Series, the Spaniard has raced for twelve different teams. Through that time, he has amassed 195 starts with one victory (Montreal, 2005) and one pole (Surfers Paradise, Australia, 2005) as well as 19 top-three, 51 top-five, and 101 top-ten finishes.
“I honestly couldn’t be any happier to announce that I will be entering the 99th Indianapolis 500 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing,” said Servia. “There is a saying in Spanish ‘A la tercera va la vencida’ (Third time lucky) that I feel fits our effort very well. This will be our third attempt together to cross the most famous brickyard first after 500 miles. The first two efforts were very promising and encouraged all parties to go for it again with the most ambitious aspirations. I have followed closely all the changes that the team has gone through over the winter and I am really excited as I have worked with most of the new hires. I believe the whole team is perhaps the strongest and most talented group in the whole Indy car paddock.”
Bobby Rahal on Servia
Bobby Rahal, co-owner of RLL with CBS Late Show host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan, expressed praise for Servia’s ability and reputation.
"Oriol is a very talented driver,” said Rahal. “He’s a smart driver and he’s got a lot of experience so we’re looking forward to bringing him back to run the Indy 500 with us for the third time. When we looked at who the best driver was to join us for the Indy 500, Oriol was our first choice. He’s competitive; he’s smart, has good race craft and brings it home.”
What’s Next for Servia
Servia will participate in the scheduled open test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 3. He will also take part in Indy 500 practice May 11–15. Qualifications are scheduled for May 16–17 and the green flag for the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 falls on Sunday, May 24.