The Catalan, who was born in Buddies close to Barcelona, has loved a remarkably prolonged and different racing profession – which included a few System 1 exams for Prost in 2001 – however he’s greatest remembered for his Champ Automobile World Collection days.
He netted his sole win for Newman/Haas Racing at Montreal in 2005, albeit in controversial fashion after chief Timo Glock was ordered to maneuver apart after blocking on the chicane. Servia went on to complete second in factors that 12 months.
What he additionally managed to realize was double figures when it comes to groups that he drove for throughout CART, Champ Automobile World Collection, Indy Racing League and IndyCar Collection, so when Motorsport.com requested him for his favorite team-mate, he merely refused to call only one…
Oriol Servia, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda
Picture by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Photographs
“I can not say one, as a result of I’ve had a vibrant profession, proper?” he says. “I’ve a file, not most wins, however I’ve pushed for 14 IndyCar groups – so that provides me a number of team-mates!
“Among the best facets of my profession is that a few of the team-mates that I had had been, or can be, nice champions. I had Cristiano da Matta in my rookie season, I had this younger Kiwi man known as Scott Dixon for 3 races in 2002, then I had Sebastien Bourdais, then I had Will Energy.
“So you may say I’ve had 4 guys who’ve, of their time, dominated open-wheel racing within the US throughout the final 20 years. They usually learnt every little thing from me! [he laughs] That’s the underside line as I see it.
“Significantly, I discovered many issues from every one, however it’s exhausting to say which was greatest as a result of all of them had their strengths, they had been all particular in their very own approach.”
Cristiano Da Matta
Cristiano da Matta, PPI Motorsports, Reynard 2KI Toyota
Picture by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Photographs
Servia was team-mates with da Matta at PPI Motorsports in 2000, driving Toyota-powered Reynard 2KIs. Da Matta completed 10th in factors, successful in Chicago, whereas Servia positioned 15th in his rookie CART season.
“Cristiano was superb at what I’d name boring corners,” Servia explains. “Those who you usually wouldn’t take note of, like hairpins.
“As a driver, you all the time concentrate on discovering tenths of a second within the hardest corners, or take a look at who’s braking the most recent, and he was discovering two or three tenths within the corners you simply wouldn’t suppose to take a look at.
“Let’s say you’re at a road observe and there’s a Mickey Mouse space of sluggish corners, you don’t pay a lot consideration to these, however he would go and discover a number of time there. What he did so properly was to seek out what I name ‘simple tenths’.
“Cristiano was simply so superb at that.”
Scott Dixon
Teammates Scott Dixon and Oriol Servia
Picture by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Photographs
Servia was joined by Dixon in the beginning of the 2002 CART season at PacWest Racing, however the staff (then generally known as PWR) was pressured to shut its doorways attributable to an absence of funding. Every had managed top-six finishes of their Toyota-powered Lola B02/00s earlier than Servia was sidelined, whereas Dixon was snapped up by Chip Ganassi…
“I used to be fortunate to see this early on, as a result of all of us obtained to see it later,” Servia says. “Dixon was simply ice-cold in his strategy to every little thing.
“He might have an excellent session or a foul one, and also you couldn’t inform which as a result of he was simply unmoveable, and that’s an important lesson to study. It’s clearly in his DNA, however while you see the benefit he gained from being like that, it was big.
“From the driving standpoint, truthfully, we had been solely collectively for a number of races so I didn’t get a lot perception into that, into what makes him nice. Nevertheless it was that strategy that he had, when nothing fazes you, that’s unbelievable.”
Sebastien Bourdais
Sebastien Bourdais leads Oriol Servia early within the race
Picture by: Dan Streck
Servia obtained his massive break at Newman/Haas in 2005 when Bruno Junqueira suffered a critical again harm and concussion on the Indianapolis 500. He joined reigning champion Bourdais from spherical three, successful in Montreal in comparison with the Frenchman’s six victories on the best way to his second Champ Automobile World Collection title in his Ford-powered Lola.
“Sebastien was dominating the championship at Newman/Haas,” he recollects. “I’d all the time heard that Sebastien likes understeer within the automotive, and nobody likes understeer! You need the automotive to show while you ask for it, you wish to hit your apex, proper?
“However what I discovered from being his team-mate, it wasn’t a lot simply having understeer however having the worth of a safe rear-end. If that results in you having a number of understeer on the apex, there was a lot to realize throughout the entry – not ever questioning the automotive’s rear-end – then there was an enormous benefit.
Paul Newman with Oriol Servia and Sebastien Bourdais
Picture by: Leland Hill / Motorsport Photographs
“I used to be already in IndyCar for 5 years by this level, and I assumed I used to be good at automotive set-up, however I realised that I used to be targeted on having a very good front-end on the apex, and it made me perceive that I ought to concentrate on the rear.
“When he had that, the dedication that he had by way of a 90-degree nook in a bumpy, slender road observe lined by partitions, it was mind-blowing for me! To get to his stage took me many extra races than I assumed, and I had entry to all his knowledge.
“When he obtained to automotive set-up the way it suited him, it’s exhausting to elucidate how a lot that blew my thoughts. Oh my God, he was superb!”
Will Energy
Will Energy and Oriol Servia go away the pitlane
Picture by: Motorsport Photographs
For the primary re-unified IndyCar Collection season in 2008, Servia was teamed with Energy at KV Racing Expertise. Energy gained the last-ever Champ Automobile spherical at Lengthy Seashore in his Panoz-Cosworth, ending 12th in factors, however he was outscored over the season within the Dallara-Hondas by Servia, who positioned ninth.
“In 2008 I obtained Will as a team-mate and you discover somebody who has that stage of dedication that Sebastien confirmed in his automotive it doesn’t matter what,” Servia says. “It didn’t matter what stability he had within the automotive, he was so dedicated, and that’s why he used to crash a lot on the time, greater than he ought to.
“I’d say his stage of dedication that I noticed again then was excessive, it was simply loopy. And when he finally landed in an excellent staff, they usually gave him an excellent automotive, then that’s when he’s capable of produce 70 poles for the file in IndyCar. That dedication has by no means modified.
“Anybody on this paddock may be very fast and aggressive. However there’s a layer that Will has that’s only a step past everybody else.”
Will Energy, Staff Penske Chevrolet, Oriol Servia
Picture by: Michael L. Levitt
Servia – who went on to race within the American Le Mans Collection and System E – stays a well-recognized face within the IndyCar Collection paddock, and nonetheless will get to steer races regularly as a result of he’s the tempo automotive driver.
He says he stays on nice phrases with all his illustrious team-mates, and “I do know I can name any of them to ask a favour, they usually can do the identical to me”.
However when pushed for which he’d fairly exit for a beer with, he reveals: “Nicely, Jimmy Vasser is my closest buddy. However I’m buddies with all of them, and while you’ve been team-mates with somebody and seen how good they’re, it means you share a number of respect.”
