Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Verizon IndyCar Series
QUALIFYING NOTES/QUOTES – May 9, 2014
RAHAL EARNED HIS BEST STARTING POSITION TO DATE THIS SEASON OF 12TH FOR THE INAUGURAL GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS; SERVIA TO START 22ND
1) Sebastian Saavedra 1:23.8822 / 104.675 mph (Group 1, Round 3)
12) Graham Rahal 1:25.4748 / 102.725 mph (Group 2, Round 2)
22) Oriol Servia 1:10.5996 / 124.987 mph (Group 2, Round 3)
OVERALL: Qualifying was held in conditions that varied from light sprinkles to intermittent, light rain. Rahal set the seventh fastest time in Group 2 of Round 1 but progressed to Round 2 when Mikhail Aleshin had his two fastest laps taken away when it was ruled that he impeded another drivers qualifying lap. Servia set the 12th fastest time in his group and did not progress.
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 National Guard Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “We were right on the cusp in Round 1. We did the same lap time as the guys ahead of us and were right on the cusp and Aleshin got a penalty and we slid in. I feel like our car was good enough to get there anyway. The tire pressures came up in the rear a little too high and we were sliding a bit too much those last couple of laps. At the end of the day we’re starting twelfth. I’m proud of this National Guard team. These guys keep working very hard and we’re going to get one at some point. I think we’re going to have a good day tomorrow. We’re starting 12th and we can work from there.
(On Push to Pass:) Push to Pass is going to have a huge impact here because the straightaway is so long. Without a doubt, it’s going to play a huge role in this race. Hopefully we will have a good car and be right up there.”
ORIOL SERVIA, No. 16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I’m disappointed. The car was way better than I showed. We had changed the car a lot and I went out there to qualifying and you really have two laps to make it happen. I was judging the car and by the time I figured it out it was too late. I was six-tenths (of a second) from the fastest time, and three-tenths from making the cut. It’s not like you are miles away from making the cut. You have two laps to do it and I just guessed too much and I didn’t guess right on my driving. I think we have a good car for the race if it stays dry. It’s not where I wanted to start but it’s a race that, with how they have designed this track with long straights and a lot of passing zones, it will definitely be a race where you can move forward.
(On Push to Pass:) “With the long straight, if you’re behind somebody that is not pushing Push to Pass and you are, you are definitely going to pass them. You can gain two or three miles just from the Push to Pass. It’s going to make it even more important to make sure you have them when you need them. We will have to be smart about that.”
RLL AT INDY ROAD COURSE…. This will mark the first race for the team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Graham Rahal and RLL were one of two drivers/teams asked to provide input on possible changes to the course during a test here on September 4, 2013. The 2014 Indy 500 will mark the 17th time for the team to compete in the Indy 500, and event the team won from pole in 2004 with Buddy Rice.
NEXT UP: The 82-lap inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis will take the Green Flag at 3:50 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 10. ABC will begin broadcasting the event at 3:30 p.m. Timing and Scoring information is available for all sessions from www.indycar.com and includes live commentary by the IMS Radio Network.
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