'Baltimore Oriol' Servia finishes 12th overall during Friday practice

BALTIMORE, Maryland – National Guard Panther Racing driver “Baltimore Oriol” Servia posted the 12th-quickest overall practice time from the two IndyCar Series sessions held Friday on the Streets of Baltimore.

Oriol Servia, Panther Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Michael C. Johnson

Servia, who was runner-up here in 2011 and captured a Top Ten last season for Panther Dreyer Reinbold Racing, is slated to make his fourth start of the season in Panther’s No. 4 National Guard Chevrolet.

Servia posted a total of 25 laps during the day’s two 45-minute sessions and posted a top average lap speed of 91.341 mph, 1:20.3953 seconds. Rookie Tristian Vautier, who was followed on the final speed chart by Graham Rahal (P2) and Josef Newgarden (P3), led today’s practice.

Tomorrow’s action will consist of another practice session in the morning followed by Firestone Fast Six qualifications at 12:00 pm (EDT).

Oriol Servia, No. 4 National Guard Chevrolet: “It’s been a great start at the Orioles home base, and I feel right at home with all these Orioles signs hanging up around the track for me. It’s definitely an encouraging start to the weekend.

I cannot remember the last time we started this good, so it’s obvious the testing we did recently at Sebring is paying off. It’s hard to tell where everybody else is because we didn’t get a run on new tires in the last session.

We’ll see, but I’m definitely happy with the work everybody on the National Guard Panther team has been doing.”

Panther Racing