RAHAL - Carb Day Notes

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500

Verizon IndyCar Series

CARB DAY NOTES/QUOTES – May 25, 2018

 

CARB DAY PRACTICE CONCLUDES WITH SATO, SERVIA AND RAHAL MAKING PROGRESS ON RACE CAR SET UP; READY FOR SUNDAY’S 102ND INDY 500

 

1)         Tony Kanaan             227.791 mph              38 laps                       

6)         Takuma Sato             224.083 mph              38 laps

11)       Oriol Servia               223.537 mph             41 laps

21)       Graham Rahal           222.526 mph             51 laps

 

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 United Rentals Dallara/Honda/Firestone:  “At the end of the session the United Rentals Honda was pretty good. We definitely, at the very tail end of the session got it into a decent window.  We just ran used tires from the start and I know a lot of guys were running stickers (new tires) but we wanted to save a lot of stickers for the race and I think we just ran them too long initially and probably made our lives a little tough but for sure we got the car much better in the end.  (In traffic) We’ll be okay. We don’t have the quickest outright pace, which has kind of been the case all month, but at the end of the session in heavy traffic I felt pretty good. Obviously tire life and stuff plays a role so we’ll have to see how we are on Sunday.”

  • FAST FACTS: Will be his 11th Indy 500. His best qualifying position in the Indy 500 is fourth in 2009 with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and best finish is third with Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing in 2011 after he led six laps. He ran in the top-five in six of his nine previous races here. Detailed Indy 500 information available upon request. Has SIX IndyCar Series wins (2008 – St. Pete street course; 2015 – Fontana Super Speedway, Mid-Ohio road course; 2016 – Texas Super Speedway; 2017 Detroit Race 1, Detroit Race 2) and THREE poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015... He dropped from being tied for third in the standings to sixth with 142 points, only 10 out of third place.

 

TAKUMA SATO, No. 30 Mi-Jack / Panasonic Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a relatively short session today for Carb Day.  We went through a run plan and checked various things. In traffic I was reasonably happy. We still need to work on it but now race day is approaching and I think we are ready.”

 

  • FAST FACTS: Reigning winner of the 2017 Indy 500.  The 2018 race will be his ninth Indy 500 and second with RLL. In 2012 with RLL, he was alongside eventual winner Franchitti in Turn 1 on the final lap but his race ended due to contact after he was squeezed down on the apron and lost control of his race car. Prior to his 2017 win with Andretti from his best start of fourth place, his highest finish was 13th in 2013 and 2015 – both with A.J. Foyt Racing... Has TWO IndyCar Series wins (2013 – Long Beach street course, 2017 – Indy 500 oval) and SEVEN poles (2011 Iowa oval, Edmonton street; 2013 Houston Race 1 street; 2014 St. Pete street, Detroit Race 2 street; 2017 Detroit Race 2, Pocono oval).  He is 13th in series point standings with 90 points.

 

ORIOL SERVIA, No. 64 Scuderia Corsa / Manitowoc Dallara/Honda/Firestone, entered by Scuderia Corsa with RLL:  “Well the last practice before the race finally happened. It still shows that it’s definitely going to be a challenge to pass people. I don’t think just for us, I think for everyone. But the good news is that I had the best car I had all week, just in time for the race coming up. I couldn’t be happier in a way. The pit stops we did were good, the car felt good and I think we made a definite improvement on how the car behaves. A long race ahead of us and a lot of right choices still to be made, but again, I feel better than any other time at this point so can’t wait!”

 

  • FAST FACTS: The 2018 Indy 500 will be Servia’s 10th in the famed race and fifth with RLL. His best finish overall is fourth in 2012 with Dreyer & Reinbold and best start is third in 2011 with Newman/Haas Racing.  In the 2009 Indianapolis 500 with RLL, Servia was in ninth place halfway through the race when a mechanical failure led to his retirement in 26th place.  In 2014, he competed for the team in Long Beach, at Barber Motorsports Park and two events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he led seven laps in the road course race but finished 12th, qualified 18th for the Indy 500 and finished 11th.  In 2015, Servia retired in 29th place from the Indy 500 with RLL after Ed Carpenter attempted an inside pass while Servia was 15th and took both drivers out of the race after 112 of 200 laps… A native of Pals, Spain, Servia has made 202 starts in CART, Champ Car and the IndyCar Series since his rookie season in 2000.  His Indy car highlights include one win (Montreal 2005) and one pole (Surfers Paradise, Australia 2005) as well as a total of 19 top-three, 51 top-five and 101 top-10 finishes.

 

NEXT UP: The 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 27 and will be aired live on ABC beginning at 11 a.m. ET.

Tom Beeler

Tom has been a contributor to RIS since 1992. He was invited to join the staff as a full-time reporter/editor in 1995, and has covered IndyCar, Formula 1, NASCAR, Grand-Am, ALMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to his RIS work, Tom has been a contributor for General Motors, Nissan, Toyota and the ACO.

Read More on Indy Car press releases
Volume 2018, Issue 5, Posted 2:54 PM, 05.25.2018