|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|  | View more photos |
A graduate of the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya with a degree in mechanical engineering, Servia began racing in 1988 driving go-karts. From 1992-1997, he competed as a member of the Elf 'la filiere' driver development program. During that period he finished fourth in the 1996 French Formula 3
Championship, sixth in the 1997 Macao Formula 3 World Championship and competed in one British Formula 3 race finishing fifth.
Servia moved to the United States in 1998 and competed in his first Dayton Indy Lights Championship season. He finished seventh in the championship that season on the strength of six top-ten finishes. In 1999, Servia captured the Indy Lights Championship for Dorricott Racing. Although he did not win a race he scored five runner-up finishes and achieved a series high three pole positions.
Servia made his Champ Car debut in 2000 with PPI Motorsports. He scored championship points in 11 of the 20 events that year led by his first career podium finish, a third place showing at Detroit. Servia finished 15th in the point standings in 2000 and was the runner-up to Kenny Brack for the Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year Award. Moving to Sigma Autosports in 2001, Servia finished 19th in the championship standings earning consecutive fifth place showings at Vancouver and Germany. He also earned his first career start in the first two rows qualifying third at Texas and demonstrated his consistency by finishing 15 of the 20 events placing second in laps completed and third in miles completed.
In 2002, Servia ran the first three races of the season with PacWest Racing scoring points all three times. When PWR ceased operations he sat out the next six contests before signing with Patrick Racing for a five race trial beginning in Vancouver. After impressing the team with both his driving talent and knowledge his contract was extended for the remainder of the season. Servia finished in the points in eight of the 13 races he contested in 2002. He had six top-10 showings including two top-five finishes, a fifth place performance at Fontana and a season high fourth place showing at the Rockingham 500 in Corby, England. Servia placed 16th in the championship standings with 44 points.
In 2003, Servia ran the full season for Patrick Racing. Driving for a top-level team for a full season for the first time, Servia had a solid season scoring nine top-10 finishes including seven top five showings with three podiums (second place in Milwaukee and Montreal, third in Denver). He finished in the top-10 in the championship for the first time in his career placing seventh. Servia also notched the first two front-row starts of his career in 2003, qualifying second on consecutive weekends in Montreal and Denver.
At the conclusion of the 2003 season Patrick Racing closed their shop. Moving to Dale Coyne Racing in 2004, Servia led the team to the best season in its 19-year history. He scored eight top-10 finishes capped by a third place showing at Laguna Seca. The podium finish at Laguna was the fifth of his career and the first for Dale Coyne Racing since 1996. Servia finished the season tied for ninth in the points, placing 10th in the championship standings (second consecutive season in top-10).
Servia had his best Champ Car season, and the best by a Spanish driver, in 2005 placing second in the championship standings. He started the year with Dale Coyne Racing, but replaced the injured Bruno Junqueira at Newman/Haas Racing after the first two events. Servia made 11 starts for Newman/Haas, earning seven podiums including a win in Montreal, his first career Champ Car victory (first by a Spanish driver). He started on the front-row a career high four times and scored his first career pole (first by a Spanish driver).
Driving for PKV Racing in 2006, Servia finished in the top-10 eight times in 14 races including four top-five showings with one podium performance. He placed 11th in the standings just three points out of 10th and 22 out of fifth. In the six races Servia did not place in the top-10, he DNF'ed (did not finish) each time, only once due to pilot error. All six times he was running in the top-five when he went out of the race. Servia qualified in the top-10 in 12 of the 14 races with five top-five starting spots. His qualifying record earned him the team record for consecutive top-five starting positions (four) and tied him with Jimmy Vasser and Cristiano da Matta for the most top-10 starting spots in a season.
Servia contested 13 of the 14 events in 2007, two with PKV Racing and 11 for Forsythe Championship Racing, earning 11 top-10 finishes including five top-five showings with three podiums. His best finish was second in Long Beach. In his two races with PKV Racing, Servia qualified second and was running with the leaders in Surfers Paradise when a late race incident damaged his car. In Mexico City, he qualified fourth then drove one of the most exciting races of the season coming from seventh place late in the contest to finish third. He finished sixth in the championship standings last year with 237 points.Source - KV Racing Technology
| | View more photos |
Power began his racing career in go-karts at the age of six then made the jump to cars at 16 competing on dirt tracks in his native Australia.
In 2000, he moved up to the Formula Ford State Series in Australia and his talent immediately became apparent. Power won the Queensland State Champion, qualifying on the front row for every race then going on to score 18 podiums in 18 starts including seven wins, nine seconds and two thirds. He also competed in the Formula Ford National Series in Australia in 2000 finishing seventh overall with five podiums. At the Formula Ford Gold Coast Indy support races at Surfers Paradise, he captured the pole in both qualifying sessions then went on to win the first race and finish fourth (gearbox) in the second.
In 2001, Power again competed in Formula Ford National Series in Australia finishing second in the championship with five wins and 10 podiums in 16 starts. To cap the year he was invited to participate in the Honda Indy Young Guns event at Surfers Paradise where he took pole, won the first race and finished second in second race.
Power competed in both the Formula Holden Championship in Australia (Australian Gold Star Drivers Championship) and the Australia F3 Series in 2002, winning the former with seven wins in 12 races and earning Rookie of the Year honors, and finishing second in the latter, despite missing four races, with 10 podiums including six wins in 12 starts (took the pole and won both races at Surfers Paradise). He also ran two V8 Supercar events qualifying 11th and finishing 11th out of 32 cars in the Queensland 500 and qualifying 16th and finishing 18th out of 38 cars in his first Bathurst 1000
Moving to England in 2003, Power competed in three rounds of British F3 Championship with Diamond/Ralt – Honda Mugen Racing. He then moved to the Fortec Motorsport/Dallara-Renault Series where he had a season high second at Thruxton. Power concluded the 2003 season driving the Bathurst 24-hour race with three co-drivers.
In 2004, he ran the full season of British F3 with Alan Docking Racing placing ninth in championship with five podium finishes including two seconds at Knockhill. As a result of his performance in F3 Power earned tests with Minardi Formula 1, European F3000 and World Series Powered by Renault teams.
Power competed in World Series Powered by Renault in 2005. Driving for Carlin Motorsport he earned two wins, Le Mans and Bilbao and finished seventh in the Championship despite missing the last two events to accept a ride in the Champ Car World Series. The Australian open-wheel prodigy ran two Champ Car events for Team Australia in 2005 making his debut in Surfers Paradise, Australia, starting 11th and was running in the top-10 before being victimized in an accident. He finished 15th. In his second start, at Mexico City, Power qualified 13th, but then went on to earn his first Champ Car top-10 finish placing 10th. His 22 points in two starts placed him 22nd in the championship standings that year.
Moving to the United States in 2006, Power had a breakout year in his first full Champ Car season. Competing again for Team Australia he finished sixth in the championship standings with 213 points scoring nine top-10 finishes including three top-five showings and his first career podium (third – Mexico City). Power qualified in the top-10 in 12 of 14 races, twice in the first two rows including his first career pole, which he earned in front of his countrymen on the streets of Surfers Paradise. He also led the Series in laps (1191 out of 1251) and miles (2350.748 out of 2432.645) completed. For his efforts Power was named the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year and won the Bridgestone Passion for Excellence Award.
In just his second full Champ Car season, again with Team Australia, Power showed that he is a force to be reckoned with. He was in the hunt for the championship until the final two races of the 2007 season and eventually finished fourth with 262 points (highest finish by an Australian). Power recorded nine top-10 finishes including eight top-five showings with five podiums and the first two wins of his Champ Car career (first by an Australian). He qualified in top-10 in 13 of 14 races, 10 times in top-5 all 10 in first two rows with five poles and was second in laps led with 153.Source - KV Racing Technology
KV RACING TECHNOLOGY PLACES BOTH CARS IN TOP-FIVE FOR FIRST TIME SINCE JOINING INDYCAR SERIESPOWER FINISHES FOURTH, SERVIA FIFTH AT HONDA INDY 200
Round #12 2008 IndyCar Series season – KV Racing Technical completed a remarkable turnaround by placing both cars in the top-five for the first time since joining IndyCar Series yesterday at the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
KVRT, which was 18th and 20th on the speed charts following the first day of practice on Friday, began the turning things around yesterday when they quailed eighth and 12th. The process was completed today when the team finished fourth and fifth earning their highest showing of the season in an IndyCar race and tying their second highest finish, all in one race. Only at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Grand, which was the Champ Car World Series final event, and did not include IndyCar Series teams, has KVRT had a better performance this season.
KV Racing Technology General Manger Mark Johnson, 'I am very proud that this team. We have made a lot of progress and to have a result like we did today…to be competitive with championship caliber teams like Penske and Ganassi, builds moral and give us a big boost as we work to improve our team.'
Power, KV Racing Technology #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone, who made his first appearance on the challenging 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio permanent road course, was 18th on the speed charts after practice on Friday. He qualified 12th on Saturday, then during this morning's warm-up he was third on the practice report showing he could run up front. Following the morning warm-up two thunderstorms inundated the track forcing teams to start the race, despite sunny skies, on rain tires. On lap two, the KVRT Aussie Vineyards team implemented a prearranged strategy and pitted for dry tires. The plan worked to perfection when the majority of the field pitted two laps later for tires, and Power moved into third place. From then on, a solid race strategy, outstanding pit work and flawless driving enabled Power to not only challenge for a podium finish, but actually lead his first IndyCar race. Unfortunately, as the race played out slower cars and lapped traffic prevented him from building the gap he needed to make the strategy work and prevented him from finishing on the podium.
'I am really happy for the KVRT Aussie Vineyards team,' Power said. 'This was a track I had never been to and we started well behind the eight-ball. The team made the car better and better all weekend, made the right choice on tires early on in the race and had a good race strategy. We had the pace to ride at the front and we did. I am just really happy that we got good Championship points here and hopefully we can do that again next weekend in Edmonton.'
Servia, KV Racing Technology #5 Honda/Dallara/Firestone, who made his fifth start at Mid-Ohio, qualified eighth. He used a similar early tire strategy as his teammate, but waited two laps more before making the switch to dry tires. As a result he dropped behind the cars that pitted before him. From then on Servia drove a smart, patient race, passing slower cars, benefitting from the team's race strategy and getting solid pit work from his crew to battle his way into the top-five.
'I am just really happy for the KV Racing Technology team,' Servia said. 'You saw where we started and how we progressed through the weekend from 20th to eighth yesterday. We had a car that could win today. We could have chosen a crazy strategy and maybe been a hero, but having a car that could contend at the front was a smarter thing to do, was more logical, maybe more conservative, but definitely the right thing to do as we need those Championship points.'
The fourth place showing is the best Power, 27, has had so far during his inaugural IndyCar season (he won at the Champ Car event in Long Beach) and first top-five showing in an IndyCar race. He earned 32 points for his effort and jumped two places in standings to 11th with 245 points. Power is seven points out of 10th place, 51 out of fifth and second in the Bombardier Learjet Rookie of the Year race 31 points behind Hideki Mutoh. Power, in his fourth U.S. based open-wheel season, made his 42nd career start and 33rd on a road/street circuit yesterday. He has now finished in the top-10 in four of the 12 races this year and scored 22 of his 23 career top-10 finishes, all 13 of his top-five showings, all seven podium performances, all three of his career victories (Las Vegas and Toronto, 2007 and Long Beach, 2008) and all six of his career poles on road/street circuits. His only top-10 oval finish occurred this year at Iowa where he placed ninth.
Servia, 34, who is in his first IndyCar season, but is not considered a rookie, equaled his best showing of the season having finished fifth on at Richmond and Long Beach. He scored 30 points yesterday and moved up one place in the standings to 10th with 250 points. Servia is two points out of ninth place and 46 out of fifth. The native of Spain is the highest ranked of the drivers transitioning from Champ Car to the IndyCar Series this year. Servia, who earned his fifth top-10 finish and third top-five showing in 12 races this year, also had his best performance in five races at Mid-Ohio topping a ninth place finish in 2001. Servia, who is in his ninth season, made his 137th career and 102nd road/street course start today. He has earned 58 of his 75 career top-10 finishes, 27 of his 37 top-five showings and 13 of his 16 podiums on road or street circuits. Servia's only career victory came on the road course in Montreal, Canada, 2005, and his only pole on the streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia, 2005.
This was KVRT's second start at Mid-Ohio. In 2003, its inaugural season, Max Papis finished ninth.
The Honda Indy 200 is the first of four out of the final seven points paying races remaining on the 2008 calendar that will be contested on road or street circuits. KVRT is looking at this portion of the season, with its emphasis on road/street races, as their best opportunity to earn a spot in the top-10 in the final standings. The team has shown that they can be competitive on the road/street circuits this year. In addition to yesterday's performance Servia finished seventh and Power eighth at St. Petersburg and while mechanical and electrical problems ended their races in Watkins Glen, both drivers were among the fastest. KVRT has also been extremely consistent on ovals this year. Servia has the best finish of any transition driver on a oval placing fifth at Richmond and the team has had the best finish of the transition teams at five (Servia: Homestead, Indy, Milwaukee, Richmond; Power: Iowa) of the eight oval events contested this year and the best or second best finish in all eight (Servia second best at Kansas; Power second best at Texas and Nashville).Source - KV Racing Technology
Round #12 2008 IndyCar Series season – KV Racing Technical completed a remarkable turnaround by placing both cars in the top-five for the first time since joining IndyCar Series yesterday at the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
KVRT, which was 18th and 20th on the speed charts following the first day of practice on Friday, began the turning things around yesterday when they quailed eighth and 12th. The process was completed today when the team finished fourth and fifth earning their highest showing of the season in an IndyCar race and tying their second highest finish, all in one race. Only at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Grand, which was the Champ Car World Series final event, and did not include IndyCar Series teams, has KVRT had a better performance this season.
KV Racing Technology General Manger Mark Johnson, 'I am very proud that this team. We have made a lot of progress and to have a result like we did today…to be competitive with championship caliber teams like Penske and Ganassi, builds moral and give us a big boost as we work to improve our team.'
Power, KV Racing Technology #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone, who made his first appearance on the challenging 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio permanent road course, was 18th on the speed charts after practice on Friday. He qualified 12th on Saturday, then during this morning's warm-up he was third on the practice report showing he could run up front. Following the morning warm-up two thunderstorms inundated the track forcing teams to start the race, despite sunny skies, on rain tires. On lap two, the KVRT Aussie Vineyards team implemented a prearranged strategy and pitted for dry tires. The plan worked to perfection when the majority of the field pitted two laps later for tires, and Power moved into third place. From then on, a solid race strategy, outstanding pit work and flawless driving enabled Power to not only challenge for a podium finish, but actually lead his first IndyCar race. Unfortunately, as the race played out slower cars and lapped traffic prevented him from building the gap he needed to make the strategy work and prevented him from finishing on the podium.
'I am really happy for the KVRT Aussie Vineyards team,' Power said. 'This was a track I had never been to and we started well behind the eight-ball. The team made the car better and better all weekend, made the right choice on tires early on in the race and had a good race strategy. We had the pace to ride at the front and we did. I am just really happy that we got good Championship points here and hopefully we can do that again next weekend in Edmonton.'
Servia, KV Racing Technology #5 Honda/Dallara/Firestone, who made his fifth start at Mid-Ohio, qualified eighth. He used a similar early tire strategy as his teammate, but waited two laps more before making the switch to dry tires. As a result he dropped behind the cars that pitted before him. From then on Servia drove a smart, patient race, passing slower cars, benefitting from the team's race strategy and getting solid pit work from his crew to battle his way into the top-five.
'I am just really happy for the KV Racing Technology team,' Servia said. 'You saw where we started and how we progressed through the weekend from 20th to eighth yesterday. We had a car that could win today. We could have chosen a crazy strategy and maybe been a hero, but having a car that could contend at the front was a smarter thing to do, was more logical, maybe more conservative, but definitely the right thing to do as we need those Championship points.'
The fourth place showing is the best Power, 27, has had so far during his inaugural IndyCar season (he won at the Champ Car event in Long Beach) and first top-five showing in an IndyCar race. He earned 32 points for his effort and jumped two places in standings to 11th with 245 points. Power is seven points out of 10th place, 51 out of fifth and second in the Bombardier Learjet Rookie of the Year race 31 points behind Hideki Mutoh. Power, in his fourth U.S. based open-wheel season, made his 42nd career start and 33rd on a road/street circuit yesterday. He has now finished in the top-10 in four of the 12 races this year and scored 22 of his 23 career top-10 finishes, all 13 of his top-five showings, all seven podium performances, all three of his career victories (Las Vegas and Toronto, 2007 and Long Beach, 2008) and all six of his career poles on road/street circuits. His only top-10 oval finish occurred this year at Iowa where he placed ninth.
Servia, 34, who is in his first IndyCar season, but is not considered a rookie, equaled his best showing of the season having finished fifth on at Richmond and Long Beach. He scored 30 points yesterday and moved up one place in the standings to 10th with 250 points. Servia is two points out of ninth place and 46 out of fifth. The native of Spain is the highest ranked of the drivers transitioning from Champ Car to the IndyCar Series this year. Servia, who earned his fifth top-10 finish and third top-five showing in 12 races this year, also had his best performance in five races at Mid-Ohio topping a ninth place finish in 2001. Servia, who is in his ninth season, made his 137th career and 102nd road/street course start today. He has earned 58 of his 75 career top-10 finishes, 27 of his 37 top-five showings and 13 of his 16 podiums on road or street circuits. Servia's only career victory came on the road course in Montreal, Canada, 2005, and his only pole on the streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia, 2005.
This was KVRT's second start at Mid-Ohio. In 2003, its inaugural season, Max Papis finished ninth.
The Honda Indy 200 is the first of four out of the final seven points paying races remaining on the 2008 calendar that will be contested on road or street circuits. KVRT is looking at this portion of the season, with its emphasis on road/street races, as their best opportunity to earn a spot in the top-10 in the final standings. The team has shown that they can be competitive on the road/street circuits this year. In addition to yesterday's performance Servia finished seventh and Power eighth at St. Petersburg and while mechanical and electrical problems ended their races in Watkins Glen, both drivers were among the fastest. KVRT has also been extremely consistent on ovals this year. Servia has the best finish of any transition driver on a oval placing fifth at Richmond and the team has had the best finish of the transition teams at five (Servia: Homestead, Indy, Milwaukee, Richmond; Power: Iowa) of the eight oval events contested this year and the best or second best finish in all eight (Servia second best at Kansas; Power second best at Texas and Nashville).Source - KV Racing Technology
KV RACING TECHNOLOGY FINISHES 11th AND 16th IN RAIN SHORTENED FIRESTONE INDY 200Round #11 2008 IndyCar Series season - - KV Racing Technology drivers Will Power and Oriol Servia finished 11th and 16th respectively in last night's rain shortened Firestone Indy 200 at Nashville SuperSpeedway in Nashville, Tennessee.
Power, KV Racing Technology #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone, making his first appearance on the 1.3 mile Nashville oval, started 14th and drove a cautious, patient race accomplishing his goal of finishing the contest with the car intact and scoring valuable championship points. Power made his 41st career start, but just ninth on an oval last night. He earned 19 points for his effort and is now 13th in the championship standings with 213 points. The 27-year-old Australian is nine points out of 10th place, 53 out of fifth and sits second in the 2008 Bombardier Learjet Rookie of the Year race 41 points behind Hideki Mutoh.
'This was a race where my main goal was to finish,' Power said. 'The Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia car felt reasonable. I was being cautious, but it was very tough because we were being lapped and then as a lapped car we were letting people go by. Because it's just one line, and we had to get out of the way, we ended up losing a lot of time and track position.'
Servia, KV Racing Technology #5 Honda/Dallara/Firestone, also making his Nashville debut, started 17th. The native of Spain, who turns 34 today, pitted during the first caution, on lap six, for extra fuel and as a result led the race when he stayed out longer than the rest of the field. Unfortunately, a wheel gun problem on his second pit stop negated the track position he gained by staying out longer. Later in the race the team gambled leaving Servia out during a caution in the hope that the anticipated rain would come sooner rather than later. But, it was not to be and Servia was forced to pit for fuel dropping him from 10th to 18th. Servia, who made his 136th career start and 35th on an oval, earned 14 points and is now 11th in the championship race with 220 points, just two points out of 10th and 46 out of fifth.
'It was not really a great finish for the #5 KV Racing Technology car,' Servia said. 'Placing 16th is not what we were hoping for, but we definitely wanted to bring the car home. We had a little misfortune with our first pit stop, a gun failure and lost any chance we had to do anything. I am looking forward to the next round of road courses where, hopefully, we will be up front again.'
Power, in his fourth U.S. open-wheel and first IndyCar season, started the year with just one oval race on his resume, an 11th place finish at Milwaukee in 2006. He has now finished five of the eight oval events this year earning an oval career high ninth at Iowa in the process. Last night's race was the second time Power has had the best finish of the drivers transitioning from Champ Car to the IndyCar Series on an oval (the ninth in Iowa was the first time, second best at Texas).
Servia, is in his ninth U.S. based open wheel and first IndyCar season, but is not considered a rookie because of his extensive oval experience. He is the highest ranked transition driver and trails only Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay among drivers not a member of one of the 'big three' teams (Ganassi, Penske, Andretti Green). Servia has also earned the highest finish of any transition driver on an oval, fifth at Richmond, and has had the best finish of the transition drivers on four of the eight ovals contested this year (second best at Kansas).
KVRT now has had the best finish of the transition teams transitioning at six of the eight oval events contested this year and the best or second best finish in all eight.Source - KV Racing Technology
Power, KV Racing Technology #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone, making his first appearance on the 1.3 mile Nashville oval, started 14th and drove a cautious, patient race accomplishing his goal of finishing the contest with the car intact and scoring valuable championship points. Power made his 41st career start, but just ninth on an oval last night. He earned 19 points for his effort and is now 13th in the championship standings with 213 points. The 27-year-old Australian is nine points out of 10th place, 53 out of fifth and sits second in the 2008 Bombardier Learjet Rookie of the Year race 41 points behind Hideki Mutoh.
'This was a race where my main goal was to finish,' Power said. 'The Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia car felt reasonable. I was being cautious, but it was very tough because we were being lapped and then as a lapped car we were letting people go by. Because it's just one line, and we had to get out of the way, we ended up losing a lot of time and track position.'
Servia, KV Racing Technology #5 Honda/Dallara/Firestone, also making his Nashville debut, started 17th. The native of Spain, who turns 34 today, pitted during the first caution, on lap six, for extra fuel and as a result led the race when he stayed out longer than the rest of the field. Unfortunately, a wheel gun problem on his second pit stop negated the track position he gained by staying out longer. Later in the race the team gambled leaving Servia out during a caution in the hope that the anticipated rain would come sooner rather than later. But, it was not to be and Servia was forced to pit for fuel dropping him from 10th to 18th. Servia, who made his 136th career start and 35th on an oval, earned 14 points and is now 11th in the championship race with 220 points, just two points out of 10th and 46 out of fifth.
'It was not really a great finish for the #5 KV Racing Technology car,' Servia said. 'Placing 16th is not what we were hoping for, but we definitely wanted to bring the car home. We had a little misfortune with our first pit stop, a gun failure and lost any chance we had to do anything. I am looking forward to the next round of road courses where, hopefully, we will be up front again.'
Power, in his fourth U.S. open-wheel and first IndyCar season, started the year with just one oval race on his resume, an 11th place finish at Milwaukee in 2006. He has now finished five of the eight oval events this year earning an oval career high ninth at Iowa in the process. Last night's race was the second time Power has had the best finish of the drivers transitioning from Champ Car to the IndyCar Series on an oval (the ninth in Iowa was the first time, second best at Texas).
Servia, is in his ninth U.S. based open wheel and first IndyCar season, but is not considered a rookie because of his extensive oval experience. He is the highest ranked transition driver and trails only Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay among drivers not a member of one of the 'big three' teams (Ganassi, Penske, Andretti Green). Servia has also earned the highest finish of any transition driver on an oval, fifth at Richmond, and has had the best finish of the transition drivers on four of the eight ovals contested this year (second best at Kansas).
KVRT now has had the best finish of the transition teams transitioning at six of the eight oval events contested this year and the best or second best finish in all eight.Source - KV Racing Technology
| IRL |
| IndianapolisHistorically known simply as ‘The 500' the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is often shorted to either the Indianapolis 500 or the Indy 500. Originally the race was advertised as the ‘Liberty Sweepstakes' following WWI in 1919 before reverting the name to the ‘International Sweepstakes' name from 1920 through 1980. All references as the ‘International Sweepstakes' name was dropped following the 1981 race when the name ‘65th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race' was officially adopted. Since this time the race is always advertised this way and is complete with a unique annual logo and the ordinal has always been included. ‘The 500' is an American automobile race that is held annually during the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway Indiana. One of the oldest and richest motorsports ever, the Indy 500 has one of the largest attendances, and radio and television audiences, of any single-day sporting event throughout the world. Since 1952 the race has been broadcasted live on radio by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. On May 25, 2008, the 92nd running is scheduled and will mark the 63rd consecutive year of uninterrupted occurrence. Carl Graham Fisher, an ex-bicycle racer and pioneer automobile dealer founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1906. Gleaning information from others in the automobile industry, Fisher deduced that poorly developed public roads were hampering research and development. Fisher proposed a facility of long straight-aways and sweeping turns to be used for both private testing and an occasional race pitting the automobiles of different manufacturers against each other. The original plan was to build the facility at French Lick. On February 9th 1909 the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation was formed when 328 acres of farmland northwest of Downtown Indianapolis was bought by Fisher and his partners Jim Allison, Arthur Newby and Frank Wheeler. A 2.5-mile rectangular track was built. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex was built as a gravel-and-tar track and hosted a variety of small events before promoters chose to focus on just one major event. The track was then paved with 3.2 millions bricks following several deaths related to the unsteady racing surface. The first race, a five mile long event, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was on August 19, 1919. Louis Schwitzer took the checkered flag amidst over 12 thousand spectators. But it was a disaster as the track surface broke up and caused the deaths of two drivers, two mechanics, and two spectators. Following several unsuccessful automobile and motorcycle races, Fisher decided that a single extravaganza was needed. The first 500 Mile Race was held on May 30th 1911. Besting 39 other drivers in the field, Ray Harroun won the race with an average speed of 74.59 mph in six hours and 42 minutes in a Marmon ‘Wasp', outfitted with his invention, the rear-view mirror. Admission was only $1, and 80,200 spectators were in attendance. Harroun was considered to be quite a hazard during the race as he was the only driver without a riding mechanic, who checked the oil pressure and let the driver know when traffic was coming. An American driver at the wheel of an American car won the first race, though European makers began building their own vehicles to attempt a win at this race. European vehicles were raced from 1913 through 1919 before the onset of World War 1 allowed native drivers and manufacturers to regain their dominance of the race. The race was only 300 miles long in 1916 because Speedway management feared a shortage of vehicles due to the war in Europe. A total of only 21 cars competed in that race. In 1917 through 1918 the track shut itself down because of World War I. Engineer Harry Arminius Miller set himself up at the most competitive of the post war builders and his technical advancements allowed him to be indirectly latched to a history of success that lasted well into the mid 1970's. The Indy 500 resumed in 1919 and Howdy Wilcox, the first driver to break 100 mph barrier won the race. Fisher announced that he no longer wished to operate the track prior to the 1923 race and a group led by Eddie Rickenbacker purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for around $750,000. During the early 1920's Miller produced his own 3.0-liter engine that was inspired by the Peugeot Grand Prix engine that had been serviced in his shop by Fred Offenhauser in 1914. Jimmy Murphy won the 1922 race after Miller installed the engine into a Duesenberg. Miller went on to create his own automobiles that shared the ‘Miller' designation, powered by supercharged versions of his 2.0 and 1.5 liter engine single-seaters These vehicles won four more races for the engine up to 1929. Before being adjusted to the international 3.0-liter formulas, these engines won another seven races until 1938. In 1935 Miller's former employees, Offenhauser and Leo Goosen had already achieved their first win with the soon-to-become famous 4-cylinder Offenhauser engine. In both naturally-aspirated and supercharged form, this motor was now forever connected with the Brickyard's history with record of 27 wins, and a record-holding 18 consecutive years of wins. Struggling to survive through the Great Depression, Auto racing went through a particularly tough year in 1933. Five men were killed, one was seriously injured and there was also a short-lived drivers strike. In 1941 World War II shut down the track. By 1945 Eddie Rickenbacker was ready to depart the auto racing business. In 1945 the track was sold to Anton Hulman Jr who spent millions of dollars to improve the facility. This investment resulted in the 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing'. Since 1946 there has been an Indianapolis 500 every year, despite rain delays, deaths and a power struggle in auto racing circles. Just before World War II, European manufacturers that had been gone from the Indianapolis 500 for nearly two decades made a brief comeback with the Maserati 8CM in 1941. Wilbur Shaw became the first driver to win consecutively in Indianapolis. Between 1950 and 1960 the 500 became part of the World Drivers' Championship where Ferrari made an appearance at the '52 event with Alberto Ascari. It wasn't until the Indy 500 was removed from the Formula one calendar that European entries made their return to the race. In the 1961 race, Australian Jack Brabham drove his slightly modified F1 Cooper. Foreign cars eventually became the norm at the Indy 500 and foreign drivers began showing up on a regular basis, choosing the U.S. as their primary base for their motor racing activities. Three-time race winner Wilbur Shaw envisioned a successful future for auto racing in Indianapolis, but needed someone to step in and assure that success. Indianapolis investment broker, Homer Cochran got Rickenbacker and Tony Hulman together and the deal was struck on November 14th, 1945. The Speedway was sold for $750,000. The race began to get the track road worthy by May of 1946. Hulman oversaw the Indianapolis 500 for over 30 years, until his death in 1977. After having won the previous two races, Bill Vukovich was killed on the 57th lap while leading the race in 1955. During the 1958 race during the first lap, fifteen vehicles were involved in an accident that cost the life of driver Pat O'Connor. This accident began the mandate that all cars were required to be equipped with roll bars and all drivers must wear fireproof uniforms. The Speedway began a large improvement project following the 1956 race, the centerpiece of which was an eight-story control tower. Thousands of new infield seats were also added to the Speedway, along with a tunnel built under the backstretch and a safer pit area walled off from the main stretch. In 1957 the 500 Festival began to organize civic events, and the Parade became a showcase event that drew thousands of people to the streets of downtown Indianapolis. In 1960 tragedy struck, not on the track, but in the infield when a multi-floor homemade grandstand collapsed, killing two people and leaving forty people injured. During the 1964 race a fiery crash occurred that involved no less than seven vehicles. Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald, both popular drivers lost their lives. That was the final time that a front-engine car won the race, and the end resulted in a crusade by The Star's George Moore to ban gasoline and require the use of alcohol-based fuel. 10,400 seats were added to the Speedway to replace wooden grandstands, and in 1961, the double-decked Paddock grandstand was constructed on the main straightaway for an exorbitant price-tag of 1.4 million. In 1963 the Speedway motel was opened and the first track suites were built in 1973. A new Speedway Hall of Fame and Museum were opened in 1976. In 1971, local auto dealer Eldon Palmer, driving a pace car, slid out of control, crashed into a photo stand and injured twenty-two people. The 1973 race is known and remembered as perhaps the worst race in 500 history. After being cancelled twice due to rain, it became, at 72-hours, the longest and deadliest race in Speedway history. One of the most well-liked drivers, Art Pollard suffered a fatal crash when his car hit the wall on pole day and flipped. Salt Walther's car tangled with Jerry Grant's on the first day of the race and set off a 12-car chain reaction that critically injured Walther and injured 13 other spectators. Two days later Swede Savage was injured fatally when during the race his car hit the wall, split in two and covered the track with flames. An emergency truck hit a crewman wile racing to Savage's accident. In 1972 Offenhauser joined forces with European maker, McLaren and obtained three wins for the chassis, one with the Penske team and two for the McLaren works team in 1974. The final time the Offy would win a race, and its final appearance was in 1983 while its competitiveness steadily decreased. Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1977 only six years after the Speedway began allowing women in the pits and garage area. In 1978 the Championship Auto Racing Team, CART was founded by six car owners that had an issue with the way the U.S. Auto Club was running Indy-style car racing. Prior to the 1979 race, there was some controversy when the Speedway rejected the entries of the CART teams based on the grounds that they weren't on good grounds with the USAC which sanctioned the Indianapolis 500. Federal court order reinstated the vehicles, though there were subsequent charges of turbocharger tampering by a few drivers. 35 vehicles started the race, the most since 1933, and an additional qualifying day was added to the race. Following the end of the 1995 season, the Indy 500 was transferred to its fourth regulations ruling body since its inception. The race had been organized from 1911 through 1955 under the auspices of the AAA. AAA ended its auto racing divisions after the 1955 Le Mans disaster to concentrate on its membership program aimed at the general motoring public. Tony Hulman, IMS owner founded the United States Automobile Club in 1956, which took over the job of sanctioning of the race. Though most of the racers didn't compete in the other races in the Championship, from 1950 through 1960, the Indy 500 also counted toward the World Driving Championship, which is now synonymous with Formula 1. Following the death of Tony Hulman in 1977, along with the loss of several important USAC officials in a plane crash in 1978, and due to control issues of monetary prizes and regulation amendments in the 1970's, several members joined together and formed CART. The Indy 500 remained with USAC for the next few years and became the only high-level race the body still sanctioned after its own series was discontinued after 1979. Though the same cars and drivers were in attendance, the race was temporarily removed from the CART calendar. Eventually this was resolved and the race again became part of the CART calendar in 1983. Race sanctioning continued to remain in the hands of USAC. European technology began to take over, though American drivers continued filling the majority of entries at the Brickyard for the next few years. Beginning in 1978, the majority of chassiss's and engines were European. The only American-based chassis to win during the CART era was the Wildcat in 1982 and the Galmer in 1992. Ford engines were built in the UK by Cosworth while Chevy engines were constructed in Ilmor, UK. Following the 1985 race, the old Gasoline Alley garages were demolished and replaced by 96 new garages in three concrete bunkers. During the 1990's the Indy 500 lost a bit of its prestige when a fight among racing teams led to a competing race the same day in Michigan. In 1990 the grandson of Tony Hulman, Anton Hulman George was named president of the Speedway in January. He formed the Indy Racing League four years later and the conflict with CART only deepened. A few people saw this as an obvious declaration of war by George against Roger Penske, whose drivers had won a record 10 times at the Indianapolis 500. Supporters of George's decision shared his disapproval of Indy's lack of status within CART when it very obvious that it was the series' flagship, the increasing number of foreign drivers with large bank account that forced professional American racing drivers away. Meanwhile opposors accusing George of playing politics with the race and its heritage merely for a power play that furthered his own interests at the expense of the sport overall. Promising to reward participants in its racing series with a guaranteed number of spots along with the best starting positions in the Indy 500, the IRL had its first race in 1996. Announcing that 25 of the 33 starting position would be reserved for the top 25 cars in the IRL points standings, this effectively left only eight entries for teams who had not competed in the first two IRL races. CART announced a competing schedule, which featured the U.S. 500 at the Michigan International Speedway on the same day as the Indy 500, which prompted the IRL to begin a lawsuit that challenged CART's use of the trademark IndyCar. A driver who had however qualified for three previous 500's, American Buddy Lazier, won a competitive but crash-filled race. The CART race had to be delayed when a massive pile-up occurred due the front-tow drivers colliding at the start. In 1997 the U.S. 500 was moved from being directly opposite from the Indy 500 to July, before being cancelled altogether in 1999. Ten years later the Indianapolis 500 was regaining its luster as the rift within Indy Car circles began to heal. In 1993 Tony George announced that he was bringing NASCAR to the Speedway. In August of 1994 the inaugural Brickyard 400 was held. IRL attracted little known and inexperienced drivers, smaller teams and older cars during its first season in 1996. Due to this and other reasons, NASCAR's Daytona 500 has surpassed IRL's Indianapolis 500 in U.S. TV ratings. Willie T. Ribbs, a black driver didn't qualify to race until 1991. Blacks did however race in Indianapolis from 1924 through 1936 in a 100-mile event called the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes. This race was held almost every summer at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. George's next move in 1997 was to specify new technical rules for less expensive vehicles and ‘production based' engines that outlawed the CART-spec vehicles. These cars had been the mainstay of the race since the late 1970s. Almost all of the CART teams and drivers did not compete in the race for the next few years. Though this situation allowed many American drivers to participate in an even that may not have been able to afford, a shadow was cast over the race. The absence of many of the top IndyCar drivers, and the disappearance of big-name sponsors and faster CART-spec car made many question George's decision. A Formula One race, the U.S. Grand Prix was announced by George in December of 1998 that would be held at the track beginning in 2000. George invested tens of millions of dollars in preparation of that event. A 2.6-mile F-1 course had to be constructed, while 1.1 miles of existing track was used, and an additional 1.5 miles of track was built to snake through the infield. In preparation of the Formula One cars, 36 pitside garages were added with suites that overlooked the straightaway on top of those garages. A new media center and a new Master Race Control Tower were constructed and giant video screens were added for the fans of all three of the Speedway's races. Numerous racing family have participated in the Indianapolis 500, these included the Unsers, Andrettis, Chevroletes, Rathmanns, Russons, DePAlmas, Bettenhausens, Mears, allisons, Carters, Snevas, Whittingtons and Vukovichs. In 2000, Chip Ganassi, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jimmy Vasser, CART drivers returned to Indianapolis for the first time in 4 years when two weeks of the CART schedules were announced and allowed its teams to compete. Montoya put on a dominating performance and led 167 of the 200 laps before winning, somewhat humiliating the IRL teams.The following year Penske announced that he would once again enter vehicles in the Indy 500. Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran walked away with first and second place. CART drivers actually claimed the top five positions in the race, with the 6th place award going to Tony Stewart, a NASCAR driver driving for a CART team. Stewart is the only driver to complete the full race distance in both races on the same day. Penske and Ganassi became permanet entrants in the IRL for 2002, with various other former CART teams joining them in switching sides. Honda and Toyota switched their engine supply from CART to IRL in 2003, and CART went bankrupt shortly afterwards with all rights and infrastructure purchased by remaining car owners. In 2001 the 25th run of the festival's Mini-Marathon featured nearly 24,000 entrants from all over the world were competing. The following year Helio Castroneves won again for Penske, but unfortunately the win was quite controversial as Paul Tracy claimed to have passed Castroneves on lap 199 before a yellow light, and Tracy's owner Barry Green appealed this. The win was upheld originally by the IRL before Tony George served as the official arbitrator. On July 3rd George decided that the placement of vehicles after a caution is a judgment call of the officials and not subject to appeal. A Penske driver claimed victory yet again in 2003 as Gil de Ferran finished first. Consequently teammate Helio Castroneves was denied his third win a row, though he did finish second, just 0.2990 seconds behind de Ferran. The following year the start of the race was delayed by two hours, before beginning, only to be halted again shortly after. At lap 180 the race ended again, this the final time as the race continued. Pole sitter Buddy Rice took the checkered flag. Receiving the best showing of any women in Indy 500 history, 23-year-old rookie Danica Patrick led the 2005 race for several laps before finishing fourth. The 2005 race was won by Dan Wheldon. Wheldon, Patrick and her teammate Vitor Meira swapped the lead six times during the last 50 laps. Sam Hornish Jr. won his first Indy 500 in 2006 as he finished just 0.0635 seconds ahead of Marco Andretti, 19 year-old amateur. Winning the second-closest Indy 500 ever, Homish passed Andretti on the final lap of the race. Danica Patrick finished eighth in her second year at Indianapolis. Following a three-hour delay due to rain, the 07 winner was Dario Franchitti. Continuing to operate as a separate series, the Champ Car World series had eliminated all oval races from its schedule by 2006. A deal was brokered before the 2008 series to reunite Champ Car and the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series. This brought an end to the 11 year long split. The Indy Racing League currently specifies all of the technical regulations for the Indy 500. Except for special low-drag adjustable ‘Speedway' wings that only used for the Indy 5500, the rules are the same as every other IRL IndyCar race. Teams are allowed to enter up to two cars on a given car number, while the second ‘backup' vehicle is given that number followed by a ‘T'. Both vehicles may be practiced during the month, even simultaneously. All vehicles must undergo and pass a rigorous technical inspection before receiving a sticker that signifies its eligibility to practice. Before and after qualification vehicles must past yet another inspection. The first one focuses on safety aspects while the second inspection is to detect any deviations from the performance guidelines from the performance guidelines set forth by the league. The first two to three weeks of practice and qualifying prior to the race is known in racing circles as ‘the month of May'. ‘Bump day' is the final day of qualifying when the drivers are removed from the field of 33 by being out-qualified by faster vehicles, they are said to have been ‘bumped'. ‘On the bubble' are the drivers with the slowest speed in a full field, and the first in line to be bumped. ‘Carburetion Day' or ‘Carb Day' is the Friday before the race day when the final practice session before the race is held. Every year since 1972 on the Friday before the race the ‘Last Row Party' is held to benefit charity. Stating ‘Gentlemen, start your engines!' has been revised to ‘Lady and Gentlemen' or ‘Ladies and Gentleman' when female drivers are competing in the Indy 500 race. A long-standing tradition of the Indianapolis 500 has been for the victor to drink a bottle of milk immediately following the race. This tradition began in 1936 when Victor Louis Meyer asked for a glass of buttermilk, something his *** had influenced him to drink on hot days. This soon became a ritual as milk companies became influential sponsors of the race and wanted to promote their product. Today, a 10,000 sponsorship by the American Dairy Association is awarded to the winner if he drinks the milk in victory lane. The Indianapolis 500 has been the topic of several movies, numerous TV shows, media and more recently, a Wii and DS game based on the race. |
| IndyCarThe IndyCar® Series is America's premier open-wheel auto racing series. Drivers race on oval tracks, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits. Indy cars are open-wheel with an open-cockpit and an engine in the rear behind the driver. 'Open-wheel' refers to the wheels being positioned outside the car's main body, and the 'open-cockpit' encloses the driver's body only, leaving their head exposed to the air. Indy cars were originally known as 'Championship cars' or 'Champ Cars.' However, because of their appearance at the annual Indianapolis 500, many people use the name 'Indy car' synonymously. Fast and furious, these cars are among the fastest in the world and the most challenging to master. Speeds on ovals can range in excess of 210 to 220 mph (335 to 350 km/h), and on larger oval circuits, such as at Indianapolis, in excess of 230 mph (370 km/h). The day before each race, a 'qualification race' determines the eligibility and starting position of each car based on its performance on the racetrack. There are separate qualifying procedures for road courses and for ovals – each with plenty of high-stakes, high-speed action. In the 2008 season, the IndyCar Series schedule includes 16 events, including an international race in Japan. |
2008 Dallara KV Racing Technology Indycar |
|
| Year | 2008 |
| Make | Dallara |
| Model | KV Racing Technology Indycar |
| Engine Location | Rear |
| Drive Type | Rear Wheel |
| Body / Chassis | Carbon Fibre |
| Weight | 1530 lbs | 694 kg |
| Combined MPG | 0.00 |
| Performance | |
| Top Speed | 230 mph | 370.1 km/h Similar top speeds |
| Dimensions | |
| Standard Payload | 0.00 |
| Fuel Capacity | 22.0 Gal |
| Seating Capacity | 1 |
| Exterior | |
| Length | 192.001 in | 4876.8 mm. |
| Width | 78.001 in | 1981.2 mm. |
| Height | 38.001 in | 965.2 mm. |
| Wheelbase | 120.001 in | 3048 mm. |
| Vehicles with similar dimensions | |
| Suspension | |
| Suspension | Front : Push-Rod with double wishbones Rear : Push-Rod with double wishbones |
| Steering | |
| Rack and Pinion | |
| Tires / Wheels | |
| Tires | Firestone Firehawk |
| Wheels | Magnesium alloy one-piece |
| View more photographs |
| View Specifications |
| Similar Automakers |
| Add Review |
| Dallara History |
| Manufacturer Website |
| Other models by Dallara |
 |
| Related Articles and Event Coverage |
| Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio |
| Vehicle Spotlight | ||
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
