Some Servia is better than no Servia for 2014

By Mar 5, 2014, 3:00 PM EST
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It’s the line that best sums up Oriol Servia’s IndyCar career – often times interrupted, but never defeated: “Where will the wind blow next?”

The Catalan has had perhaps the most circuitous route to navigate over the last 15 years, dating to his rookie year in the then-CART championship in 2000.

In order, the team breakdown is: PPI Motorsports (2000), Sigma Autosport (2001), PWR Championship Racing (early 2002, the former PacWest, and forerunner to KV), Patrick Racing (2002-03), Dale Coyne Racing (2004-05), Newman/Haas Racing (2005, part 1), PKV Racing (2006, initially PK and before KV), Forsythe Championship Racing (2007), PKV again (2007, part 2), KV (2008), Rahal Letterman Racing (2009), Newman/Haas/Lanigan (2009, part 2), an off year, Newman/Haas/Lanigan (2011, part 3), Lotus DRR (2012), Panther DRR (2012-13), Panther Racing (2013), and now Rahal Letterman Lanigan (2014, part 2).

It says something about the quality of person and driver Servia is that through this maze of different teams, through three different series (CART, Champ Car, now IndyCar), his presence on the IndyCar grid continues to endure in some capacity.

Servia’s stats are not otherworldly. In 191 career starts, his only win came in 2005 in Montreal, then filling in for the injured Bruno Junqueira for Newman/Haas in Champ Car. There have been 18 other podium finishes.

But he’s dependable and always extracts the maximum from his machinery, if not overachieving altogether. In his full seasons dating to 2003, Servia has finished in the top-10 in points on six of a possible eight occasions (11th in 2006 and 13th in 2012 were the only exceptions, and he missed most of 2009 and 2010).

Think of all the various teammates, crews, setups, chassis, engines and seat fittings that Servia has gone through over the course of his career, and that’s in part why he’s as well respected and liked as he is.

In any instance, Servia could be frustrated about the situation presented to him, but he tends to laugh it off, roll his r’s, and move onto the next opportunity.

When you think of any open ride on the grid, the first name that comes to mind is Servia’s. When you think of a fill-in driver needed, Servia’s name emerges. When at the end of a season, a team closes, or a manufacturer pulls out, Servia’s often been the one left on the sidelines… yet he’ll likely re-enter the frame at the next available opportunity.

There’s a likeable underdog story about Servia in that for all of those 14 years, he’s really only had one shot at the best level machinery – when he was plucked from Coyne to replace Junqueira at Newman/Haas in Champ Car. And that year, he finished second in the points only behind teammate Sebastien Bourdais.

In nearly every other instance, he’s been a part-time role, fill-in role, or a last-minute change of team or equipment either at the start of or during a season.

Some of the standout races he’s put together in those roles in recent years include finishing second at Long Beach 2007 subbing for Paul Tracy at Forsythe, finishing on the podium for KV later that year at Mexico City, ending fourth for N/H/L at Motegi in 2009, or achieving any of the “ghost” top-fives he did in 2012 once DRR dumped its Lotus for a Chevrolet. It proves he still has what it takes to get the job done well at this level.

In 2011, his last proper full season, he was fourth in points with an NHL team operating on a comparative fraction of a budget compared to Penske, Ganassi and Andretti.

Just this past year he was ninth in points after the Indianapolis 500 driving for DRR, before that team too shuttered operations. And when he filled in down the line at Panther, he was seventh on two occasions in a car that had little business finishing that high.

He’s worked with big-name teammates such as James Hinchcliffe, the 2011 rookie-of-the-year, Graham Rahal, Will Power (who Servia beat in points over the course of the full 2008 season), Tracy and Bourdais, among others.

It’s rare to find someone like “the people’s champion” with such a high approval and popularity rating in the paddock, and it was interesting to watch the congratulatory messages flow in this morning.

And so, fittingly, Servia’s deal thus far for 2014 is part-time, four races and part two of his journey with RLL, and Graham Rahal as a teammate.

Servia will probably overachieve, score at least one top-five finish, maybe contend for a podium, and still there will be no guarantee of further races after the month of May despite the desire many will want to want to see him continue.

For Servia, it couldn’t happen any other way.

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
IndyCar video game 2024
IndyCar
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”