Oriol Servia has secured a drive in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 next month with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, joining full-time racers James Hinchcliffe and Mikhail Aleshin.
The Spanish veteran will compete in the No. 77 Honda-powered machine in what will be his eighth time racing at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Servia made his debut in CART way back in 2000, finishing second in the drivers’ championship in 2005 with Newman/Haas Racing after securing his lone Indy car victory at Montreal that year.
Earlier this year Servia replaced Will Power at Penske for the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, after the 2014 champion was forced to miss the race due to illness despite securing pole.
“I am very pleased to have this opportunity at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports,” enthused Servia, who won the 1999 Indy Lights championship.
“This year’s Indianapolis 500, the 100th running, will be the most special in our era, maybe of all time, and I wanted to make sure I was in a team that can give me a program to contend for the win.
“I have no doubt that together with SPM and Honda, we will at least do that.”
Team co-owner Sam Schmidt is delighted with Servia’s addition to the team for the coveted event, particularly after his front-row start back in 2011.
“We’ve competed against Oriol for several years now and have always looked for an opportunity to get him in one of our SPM entries,” explained Schmidt.
“He is a true professional and is highly respected within the motorsports community.
“Interestingly enough, we shared the front row with him in 2011 and know that he can get the job done for all of our team partners.”
