Comments on: Getting To Say "I Told You So" http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/ Speed is Life Fri, 24 May 2013 11:09:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Brian - longtime Oriol fan http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7250 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 05:54:24 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7250 As usual, I’m coming late to the party: 12:50 a.m. Thursday.
I said previously that I was never a Junqueira fan; I had my favorites, and he always looked distressed and sounded whiny while playing second fiddle in TCGR then N-HR. Nonetheless I could never deny his talent and skill.
And in his comeback year, reentering the car that Servia had pedaled to second in the championship, Junquiera had the WORST luck. He didn’t have a Cinderella comeback year but was SO snakebit that I felt sorry for him.
Regarding Servia: I can’t add anything to what y’all have said. I’ve thought that sponsors of KVRT, N-H, or De Ferran/Dragon, ought to want wily veterans such as Wilson, Kanaan, Servia, or Hunter-Reay plus young guns such as Vernay, Hildebrand, or Hinchcliffe.

]]> By: Brian - longtime Oriol fan http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7249 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 05:44:11 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7249 All racers, during green-flag racing, must downshift and brake to negotiate turn 1.
Vitor could see Oriol’s bright blue car passing right to left before him.

]]> By: Rick6343 http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7248 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:18:32 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7248 Thank you, George, for giving a shout out to two of my favorite under-appreciated open-wheel drivers. Ten years ago Servia caught my eye by peforming consistently well in less-than perfect equipment. My partner in race-watching and I also spent the first half of the ’09 500 cheering on his fantastic drive.
Bruno had the misfortune of being one of the Guys Who Replaced Montoya and Vasser, then of being Bourdais’ teammate, and finally getting hurt at Indy. He was pulled out of the car he qualified in ’09 in favor of Tagliani, but was rewarded with a ride as Tags’ teammate last year. As you mentioned, I think he turned the 7th-fastest qualifying lap with 7 laps or fewer on track.
I’m cheering hard for these guys and am glad I’m not alone,

]]> By: The Speedgeek http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7247 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:53:39 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7247 Damn! Here, I was going to be a smart guy and get all “remember the 1999 Lights championship!” only to find Mr. Skink beat me to it by a solid hour and change.

I think that Servia is like the ultimate #2 driver in IndyCar’s history. He isn’t going to win a whole lot of races, but he is going to bring the car home every week at exactly the pace that the car is capable of, while never ever overstepping the car’s boundaries or making stupid mistakes. More often than not, that’s good for a top-10, and a good chunk of the time, that’s good enough for a top-5 or even a podium. If IndyCar had an F1-style teams championship, Oriol’d be the first guy I’d want to lock down, because he’s going to haul home the points every week while the team’s rabbit goes out and tries to knock down all the walls in an attempt to win.

People will complain, I’m sure, that racing is about winning, and winning alone, and that’s why we shouldn’t like guys like Servia. I’d reply that most of the time, racing is about finishing, and then you worry about winning. Servia is a “finisher”. And a damn good one at that.

]]> By: Ron Ford http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7246 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:48:15 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7246 I agree with your opinion of Oriol Servia as a driver George. However, his skilled move at rejoining the field immediately following the Power/HCN dustup at Long Beach came at the expense of Vitor who had to brake hard and downshift to avoid hitting Oriol. It is good to see the resurgence of Newman/Haas.

Bruno Junqueira’s amazing qualification was one of the highlight’s of last year’s Indy500.

]]> By: billytheskink http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7245 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:21:17 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7245 Servia’s career has been one of solid, steady performances. Remember his 1999 Indy Lights championship was won despite no race victories.
He’s never been a spectacular driver, but he’s become one of the best at putting a car in good spot on the grid, keeping it in one piece, and finishing much higher than he started. Quiet, consistent, and very good… he’s like the Wes Unseld of current IndyCar drivers.

No one should be selling Newman/Haas short, either. While they aren’t quite the team they were in CART, they still have one of the best staffs in the series. There’s a reason they were the first former ChampCar team to win after reunification and are, thus far, the only former ChampCar team to have won a pole.
Pairing a team like that with a driver like Wilson, Rahal, or Servia is almost a guaranteed best-of-the-rest trophy, and sometimes a best-of-everybody trophy.

]]> By: Roger T http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7244 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:26:50 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7244 I remember that whenever a Champ Car team needed a driver RIGHT NOW, they’d hire Servia and he’d put in a good performance with less than a week to prepare. Like TK at St. Pete.

]]> By: PC http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7243 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:55:29 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7243 Uh, oh, I’m ranting. Sorry. Foyt, Panther, KV, D&R, you guys should all be this good. Some of you have longer-term, loyal sponsors. They have to be looking at Servia and Hinchtown right now and questioning that investment. Newman/Haas is embarasing you right now, at least on the roads and streets. Maybe Penske/Ganassi dominance has given you an excuse to be mediocre. Maybe you should rethink some or your goals and expectations. You’re all shooting at being the best of the rest, and NH is not. I think some of that comes from standards set during their heyday. Time to look deep inside and step up mid-packers. I don’t think your excuse is as good as it once seemed.

]]> By: PC http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7241 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:43:39 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7241 I was thinking about Servia a while back and realized in a ten year career, I don’t think he has ever had two full consecutive seasons with a single team. That may be part of the problem with his lack of recognition. He is one of those guys that gets results far beyond what is expected of the car. Newman/Haas this year should be an example to every team that is sick of loosing to the big two. You can spend years toiling in the back wasting your ride-buyer’s money, or you bite the bullet and hire the best drivers you can get, put the right team together, and race. If they can afford to keep it together, in a year or two, there will be sponsors all over these two cars, and they will be championship contenders. They were nearly out of business last year. I know it’s easier said than done, but KV are you watching? (I know you made a huge step in the right direction with Kanaan)

]]> By: JohnMc http://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/getting-to-say-i-told-you-so/#comment-7240 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:49:38 +0000 https://oilpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/see-i-told-you-so/#comment-7240 So, if Servia was in the #3 Penske car he would be staring at the Borg-Warner Trophy and combing his hair while getting ready for his bas-relief sculpture. Maybe so. Hinchcliff has definitely caught my eye with his driving and attitude, so he might want to clear a spot on his mantle for the “Rookie of the Year Award.”

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