RFM Front Page News

OTTAWA, Ontario (September 11, 2004) -- One of the many surprises of the 2004 Champcar World Series has been the improved performance of Oriol Servia and the whole Dale Coyne Racing team. A last minute deal between YokeTV.com and Dale Coyne Racing provided the team with the budget to field a car for the Catalonian, who would begin his 4th season of racing in Champcar racing. Though both team and driver now regularly compete at the front end of the grid, things were not always looking so promising for Servia, Dale Coyne Racing or the Champcar World Series itself.

“I was working very hard during the winter – trying to find some sponsorship, putting some programs together and you’re thinking, ‘yeah, I’m working all of this, maybe getting the sponsorship, but there’s no championship’. There was a lot of uncertainty, there was the bankruptcy – and you only heard promises from the three owners [Gerald Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven and Paul Gentilozzi], but you didn’t know if they were going to make it happen.”

With the future of the series in doubt, rumours began to surface about teams, sponsors and suppliers abandoning Champcar. It also meant that everyone involved in the series – from drivers down to the truck drivers had to consider what they’d be doing if there was no 2004 Champcar World Series.

“Last year, things were not looking good – the championship was looking bad, I didn’t have any sponsorship with me…and I still didn’t get a phone call to go to any other series in the winter, so I don’t know… if things were not looking good I would have to look at other things, I have to make my living. I would look at other championships, where I could find a ride and make some money.”

While rumours ran wild, one team that was guaranteed to be behind Champcar’s revival was Dale Coyne Racing.

“[Dale Coyne] called me mid-February, and was interested in me to be in the team and also the championship – he wanted me to be in the championship itself. I’ve been here since 2000, and at the time the only thing available was a Dale Coyne.”

Though Servia was no doubt happy to receive the offer, he doesn’t hide the fact that he had doubts about heading to a team that consistently filled the last two spots on the grid last season, and could easily be compared to Minardi in Formula One.

“I had many doubts – last year they were hardly ever better than last, and I knew the drivers. The drivers were good. So, I was really worried to come here and have the same results as they had last year – it could have been the end of my career… but Dale told me that this year things are going to be better – and they are. The whole team is working very hard and very well, and we’re making progress all of the time – so it’s good.”

“I was worried, but inside of me I thought we could do a better job – and it paid off. It was a risk, but sometimes you need to take a risk – not only on the track, but off the track too.”

Looking back on his decision, Servia and the rest of Dale Coyne Racing can’t help be pleased with how far both the series and the team have come in the last six months. Champcar has survived, and is now gaining stability as it moves forward, while Dale Coyne Racing has gone from being the perennial backmarkers of Champcar to competing for podiums.

“I think everyone just followed their hearts or their instincts and we all hoped that they were telling the truth – and it proved that it’s good sometimes to follow your instincts because [the three owners] are doing what they promised and putting their money where they said they were going to. I think the Championship itself is growing a lot – in six months it’s amazing, from where the Championship was and what it is now – announcing new sponsors, more people at every race. I think we’re definitely in the right boat.”

With the Champcar series moving forward, the debate now turns from survival to where the series should go next – and a big part of that, is what type of tracks the series should visit. A last minute addition to the 2004 Champcar schedule was a race at Las Vegas Motorspeedway – a 1.5 mile oval.

“I think Las Vegas will be a very nice race. I liked that oval; the only thing is that because it was put on the calendar so late, I don’t think they could make the aero-package they wanted. We’re going there with way too much downforce for these cars – so it’s going to be a little bit like an IRL race I think. It’s a shame, because we don’t really like that kind of racing, we want to be separate from that.”

Like many, Servia would like to see Champcar return to a mix of street courses, road courses, short ovals and superspeedways that was the trademark of the series only a few years ago. That said, he is very clear that he feels the ovals should be challenging, rather than the high-downforce, foot-to-the-floor and go setups to be used in Las Vegas.

“I love ovals, but when it’s a challenge, like Nazareth, or other ovals where you cannot go flat all the way around. – when you have to drive, lift [the throttle], sometimes even downshift. It’s great, I like fast corners, and in ovals, you’re all the time in a fast corner on the edge. I liked the mix we used to have 3-4 years ago here in CART, where we used to have 6-7 ovals and 10 other races – I thought that was a perfect race.”

In a business where most drivers quit school shortly after high school to race full time, Servia stands out as one of the more educated drivers in the series, with a degree in mechanical engineering from the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya. Though Servia admits it made his early years in the sport more of a challenge, it was more than worth it.

“It helped my life, that’s for sure, because I had a really good time when I was in University. At the time I was racing in France, so I was always coming back to school in Barcelona. In the last year [of my degree], I was racing in Indy Lights in 1998 so it was a little tough. It was tough, because in summer, I had to study a lot and that’s when you have more races too. I really enjoyed my time, and I think it maybe gives me a little more understanding of what’s going on in the car, although, I’m sure I’m a better driver than engineer, but I like it too – the mechanical side of a race car.”

While both Servia and Dale Coyne Racing have performed above most people’s expectations this season, like any driver, Servia says that he must always be on the lookout for anything that can bring him closer to the front of the grid.

“I think I need to focus on race to race right now. We’re close to doing a podium and getting better. To do that it will take 110% of us, so we need to keep focusing, but at the same time, yeah, in the back of your mind you’re thinking how can you make it better for next year – a better situation, either in this team or another team, but with more results there’s a bigger budget. So, you’re always trying to get into the best position.”

Where the best position is; however, changes from season to season in this sport. Though the current leaders are easily Newman-Haas, last year it was Forsythe and who it will be next year is anybody’s guess. One thing both Oriol and team owner Dale Coyne are confident about though, is that their little team will continue to improve.

“As a driver, you always want to have your eyes on the best car, so you always need to look for options, but I think we can grow from here. We’ve grown a lot in half a year, and I don’t see a reason why we shouldn’t keep improving.”

Dale Coyne Racing has been a favourite of the crowds since Day One, and we're confident that they, Champ Cars and Oriol Servia are destined for only good things in the future..

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