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Question:
So Oriol, where are you right now?
Oriol Servia:
I'm leaving Indianapolis going towards the airport. I'm stuck in traffic.
Question:
What's it like for a race driver to be stuck in traffic? Is it more
frustrating than for the rest of us?
Oriol Servia:
I guess it's the same feeling a sushi chef has when stuck in traffic.
Question:
Was yesterday the realization of a longtime dream to drive a Champcar?
Oriol Servia:
Six years ago when I started racing in cars, getting a chance to drive a
Champcar was my dream. But now, it's like the first step of the dreams I
have now.
Question:
How did the car feel?
Oriol Servia:
It was really nice to drive. Easier than what I expected. It was the same
kind of driving as an Indy Lights car in fact, but with much more power, much
more grip, and more downforce. Everything happens quicker, faster, and you
have to pay more attention. I was impressed by the power. And with the
setup, you change the same things and the car reacts more or less the same as
the Lights car.
Question:
Had you ever driven at Putnam Park before?
Oriol Servia:
That was my first time. They were testing four of us, Scott Dixon and my
teammates Casey Mears and Philipp Peter. Each person had a separate time on
the track. I had three or four hours driving on Thursday afternoon.
Question:
Apparently you had a problem with the seat being too big?
Oriol Servia:
They put me in Mark Blundell's seat, who is obviously taller than me. So we
did what we could, and the first thirty laps I could hold myself in the car.
But it's a fast track, with lots of g's in the fast corners, so I had to use
a lot of effort to hold myself in the seat. My left arm suddenly got dead, I
think there was something pinching it. Then it was too late and I could not
put a good lap together anymore.
Question:
You were driving a Mercedes Reynard Firestone. How was the drivability of
the Mercedes?
Oriol Servia:
I haven't compared it with other Champcar engines, but it looked to me that
it's quite hard to drive. It has good power, but it derives all the power
suddenly. It was a little bit difficult to get used to it.
Question:
Did you go off course?
Oriol Servia:
I think all of us had a spin or two without consequences. You have to find
the edge, the limit. It was the fun part of this car to try to find the
edge. You could go so fast in the quick corners, it was amazing, amazing. It
takes a while until the car starts moving in the corner, it has so much grip.
But you always arrive at the point where the car says "enough."
Question:
What was the atmosphere like among the drivers, you all know each other
pretty well, right?
Oriol Servia:
It was very nice. Of course we've been racing together all year. PacWest did
it very well, so that when one driver was testing, no other driver could be
at the track. That was good. We could see each other afterwards in the
hotel, but not during the test itself.
Question:
Who was the fastest?
.
Oriol Servia:
They did not tell us the lap times, so I don't know. I know I was not,
because I did my fastest lap the first time I went in the car. I went like
three or four times more, but I could not put together as good a lap. So I'm
sure if I could do more I could go faster.
Question:
Is Mauricio Gugelmin coming back to PacWest, or are they definitely looking
for a new driver?
Oriol Servia:
They say that it's almost certain they will continue with the same drivers,
but they obviously wanted to do the test for some reason. I hope we will
know soon.
Question:
Now that you've finally driven the car, does it make you feel better about
the next step in your career?
Oriol Servia:
Obviously when you drive it you see that it is still four wheels, an engine
and a steering wheel. You are the one to try to manage it, and I feel really
confident with the car my ability to drive it well.
Question:
When you get into the faster Champcar, is there a sense that the potential to
get injured is greater?
Oriol Servia:
Well, you obviously go faster everywhere and the walls come faster to you.
But the car itself is also much safer, and the people around you are better
professionals and everybody knows what they are doing, so the stupid things
happen less often I would say. Always you can have an accident and always
you can have a bad crash. The truth is that even if you go at 240 miles per
hour and you have a car passing you at 241, you want to be at 242. You never
think about the danger while driving. While you're behind the wheel you just
think about winning.
Question:
Are you on your way back to Spain today?
Oriol Servia:
Yes, I'm taking a flight back to Barcelona today. I live in a small village
called Pals about 100 miles north of Barcelona.
Question:
Were you born there?
Oriol Servia:
Yes. There are two thousand people who live in the village, which is very
old and pretty. The oldest part of the town is really beautiful-it has won
some awards.
Question:
Do you live by yourself?
Oriol Servia:
No, I live with my parents. I've been racing two years in the United States,
and five years before that in France, so I really cannot say that I live
anywhere.
Question:
What kind of car are you driving in Pals?
Oriol Servia:
None, I don't have one. Hertz is what I'm always going with.
Question:
Are you very close with your parents?
Oriol Servia:
Yes, I have excellent relations with them. They have always supported me
with my racing career, as long as my studies were continuing. Last June, I
took my last mechanical engineering exam and received a bachelor degree in
engineering.
Question:
There aren't very many drivers that have an engineering degree. Do you think
it give you an edge?
Oriol Servia:
It at least gives me a background. The truth is when you go out of the
university you don't know shit. But all this time I had to study and force my
brain to think a little bit was good for me.
Question:
Are there any drivers in CART that you've watched on the track and have
impressed you?
Oriol Servia:
I think there are lots of drivers that are really really good. Of course
starting from Franchitti and Montoya, to many others. I always liked the way
Michael Andretti drives. Even Scott Pruett, who is not getting many results
this year, I always like him when I see him on the track driving. But also
the rookies, I think they are doing an excellent job. I had the pleasure of
racing against da Matta last year and I know he's really good. There are at
least 12 really good drivers fighting for the pole and the win each race-that
make the series so beautiful.
Question:
What is the likelihood of your racing Champcars next year?
Oriol Servia:
I really don't know. I'm feeling confident. I don't mean that it's going to
be easy, but I have had some conversations with some teams that are looking
pretty good. At Houston I spoke with all of the teams, and they told me I am
at the top of the list. We'll see if all the business things that have to
come with it work out.
Question:
Are you speaking to Spanish companies as possible sponsors for you?
Oriol Servia:
Yes, I'm having good conversations with some Spanish companies. They show
the CART races live on Eurosport, and a lot of Spanish people follow them
because there is a lot more passing than in Formula One.
Question:
Would you be especially proud having success in an American race series as a
Catalonian?
Oriol Servia:
Yeah, obviously. It's far from home. Sometimes you feel homesick, but you
feel proud of being from where you are, and you try to prove that you can
drive as well as anybody no matter what place you go. In Formula One right
now we have Pedro De La Rosa and Marc Gene, they are both Catalonians but
neither driver has the car to prove what they are capable of, so I will have
to prove it myself here.
Question:
Are you going to drive conservatively at Fontana to try to protect the
championship?
Oriol Servia:
Oh at Fontana, there is no really conservative way to drive. You're going to
be hanging around for 55 minutes during the race, and the last two laps is
when everything's going to be decided. My spotter and I will have to keep
and eye on Casey. In Lights it's very easy to run flat all around the track
at Fontana and Michigan, so we're going to end up bunched together in the
final laps. It's going to be an exciting race to finalize the championship.
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