Cold temperatures couldn’t prevent Oriol Servia and James Hinchcliffe from staring their case for full-time IZOD IndyCar Series ride with Newman/Haas Racing during two days of testing at Sebring International Raceway.
“A contract would keep me warm,” Servia laughed over the phone a few minutes after the issue-free session Dec. 14 on the 1.65-mile circuit.
Servia, returning to the cockpit of an IndyCar for the first time since he finished fourth at Twin Ring Motegi for Newman/Haas Racing in 2009, worked through the team’s extensive list of setup items to prepare for the 2011 season. But he and Hinchcliffe, the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights championship runner-up, have their sights on driving full time in the IZOD IndyCar Series starting in March at St. Petersburg, Fla.—in a car prepared by the historic Indy car team or another.
“Everybody’s desire is to put a deal in place as soon as possible,” said Hinchcliffe, who totaled 147 laps in his first days in an IndyCar, “but there are factors out of our control that have a very large influence on that. For us, it’s about chipping away at it and keeping the companies that we’ve been talking interested and commit as soon as possible.”
Hinchcliffe recorded a best time of 52.8 seconds as the temperature never rose above 50 degrees, but the gusty winds of Dec. 13 subsided.
“We managed to get up to speed pretty quickly and got to the point where I was comfortable enough in the car that we could start doing some setup changes and some development work for the team,” he said. “It was a huge and successful day in that respect. I’m very happy that it didn’t take two days to get up to a reasonable pace and that I was actually able to help the team with their test plans.
“The chemistry was quite good and the atmosphere on the team was phenomenal. I could definitely see myself driving this car again.”
Servia completed 73 laps (best of 53.0 seconds) for a two-day total of 136. He noted there “wasn’t any rust; at least I don’t think so” following the layoff in which he didn’t pursue opportunities in other auto racing disciplines because of potential deals in the IZOD IndyCar Series, which didn’t come to fruition.
“It’s been amazing for me because fortunately or unfortunately it’s reminded me of how much I like this sport,” he said. “I now know why I’ve been grumpy for a year. From a testing point of view, we had a very explicit agenda of things they wanted to accomplish and get good reads from.
“I’m very happy that we made progress and found some direction on things and improved the car. It was a lot of fun. And it was as much fun, or more than I expected to work with James. He was on a little different program but showed how fast he can be. I’m hoping to work with him and the team in the future. The test showed what everybody is pushing for, and that Newman/Haas is the most committed to put something together with me. Also, there are two other teams that have at least three months of work trying to get a deal together, so who knows what’s going to happen.
“I have unfinished business in the IndyCar Series, and especially now that it’s gaining momentum and getting hot again I want to be part of it.”
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