IndyCar Season Preview: Oriol Servia

Photo credit: Ned Leone

#22 Lotus Cars Dallara-Lotus, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Born: July 13, 1974

Hometown: Pals, Catalonia

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Despite two years out of a full-time ride, Servia was the best driver not to be employed by either Chip Ganassi or Roger Penske in 2011. Driving for Newman/Haas Racing, Servia finished fourth in points after a hot start and strong finish to the season.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: For a team with so-so expectations heading into the year, there weren’t many disappointments, but a win would have been nice. Loudon presented the best chance, when Servia made what would have been the winning pass during the botched restart, but it was called back and the team’s appeal was denied. Any chance to amend that in 2012 was dashed when Newman/Haas folded at the end of the season.

SEASON OUTLOOK: Most drivers don’t get bounced from their teams after a top-five points season, but such has always been Servia’s luck. He was let go when Newman/Haas closed up shop, then passed over for well-funded rides with Andretti Autosport and A.J. Foyt Enterprises before finally working out a deal with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. DRR will be one of the top teams running Lotus engines, partially because many of the brand’s customers will be start-up teams in 2012.

That being said, there’s almost no way that Servia will match his fourth-place mark from 2011. Don’t just blame it on the Lotus power, though – remember how much Justin Wilson, a fellow ex-Champ Car star, struggled with the team last season. DRR, as one of IndyCar’s oldest teams (dating back to the IRL days), has always been more of a threat at the ovals, and with those races minimized on this year’s schedule, may be in for an annus horribilis in 2012.

– Chris Leone

IndyCar Season Preview: Ed Carpenter

Photo credit: Paul Henman (CC-BY-NC-SA)

#20 Fuzzy’s Premium Vodka Dallara-Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing

Born: March 3, 1981

Home: Indianapolis, Indiana

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: After coming desperately close to winning at Kentucky two years in a row, Carpenter finally managed to turn the trick in 2011, edging eventual series champion Dario Franchitti by .0098 of a second to take his maiden IndyCar victory. He finished 26^th in points while running a limited schedule for Sarah Fisher Racing.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: Never particularly well-respected for his skills at turning both left and right, Carpenter competed on three circuits that fit that bill in 2011: Mid-Ohio, Infineon, and the streets of Baltimore. He failed to finish better than 20^th in any of those events.

SEASON OUTLOOK: In an environment where many race teams are scaling back or shutting down entirely, Carpenter and stepfather/IRL founder Tony George have taken the bold step of starting an entirely new team for 2012. No, this isn’t a reformation of the mediocre Vision Racing outfit where Carpenter spent six average years; this new team will operate out of the Walker Racing shops and employ Michael Cannon as its engineer. The talent of the people working for ECR will be on par with some of the top teams in the sport.

That being said, it’s up to Carpenter to make that talent gel, both on the track and off. Kentucky won’t return to the schedule this year, taking away his one guaranteed podium finish, and with a shrinking oval schedule, his strongest traits as a driver will be limited. Carpenter will have to utilize the talent he’s assembled behind the scenes to help him improve on the road and street circuits. On paper, this team has top-15 quality; if Carpenter makes serious strides away from the ovals, and we know he’s working at it, this could be the surprise top-10 team that happens nearly every year.

– Chris Leone

IndyCar Season Preview: James Jakes

Photo credit: Ned Leone

#19 Acorn Stairlifts/Boy Scouts of America Dallara-Honda, Dale Coyne Racing

Born: August 4, 1987

Home: Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Racing in an American series for the first time in 2011, and working alongside longtime force Sebastien Bourdais on road and street courses, Jakes picked up speed as the season progressed. By the end of the season, the Brit had little trouble qualifying in or near the top 10. Despite ranking only 22nd in points, Jakes only suffered four DNFs in 16 races, meaning he had a better finishing rate than such established competitors as Mike Conway, E.J. Viso, and Simona de Silvestro.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: Ovals were Jakes’ Achilles’ heel in 2011, as he failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and frequently finished laps down elsewhere. He suffered crashes during the race at Iowa and during practice at Las Vegas, forcing his Dale Coyne Racing team to borrow a car from KV Racing Technology for the aborted season finale.

SEASON OUTLOOK: In his second year driving for an eternally improving Dale Coyne’s outfit, Jakes will team with another great road course driver in Justin Wilson, who brought Coyne his first IndyCar win in this #18 car at Watkins Glen in 2009. Jakes will also benefit from Coyne’s coveted Honda engine contract, landed when Wilson returned to the team, and the vast engineering skills of John Dick (who will lead Jakes’ team) and Bill Pappas (Wilson’s engineer, and the man who oversaw Coyne’s 2009 victory).

The end goal will be to make sure that Jakes can carry over the speed he found at the end of last season into 2012. A late start in testing and cautious Honda reps have rendered him at a bit of a disadvantage to that end, but the hope is that Dick – a reputable engineer most recently of KV Racing Technology, and a former engineer for such greats as Adrian Fernandez, Arie Luyendyk, and Paul Tracy – will be able to squeeze more out of the car than other smaller outfits. Jakes has also praised the new car’s similarity to some of the European single-seaters that he drove before coming to the United States. If that’s the case, there’s a good chance that Jakes could score some surprisingly decent finishes this year, and maybe even make significant gains in the standings.

– Chris Leone

IndyCar Season Preview: Justin Wilson

Photo credit: Ned Leone

#18 Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q Dallara-Honda, Dale Coyne Racing

Born: July 31, 1978

Hometown: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: In his second season with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Wilson scored four top-10 finishes, with a best finish of fifth at Edmonton. He also made Firestone Fast Six appearances in the first three races of the season.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: Wilson fractured a bone in his back during an accident at Mid-Ohio that cut short his season through only 11 rounds. He also dealt with a frustrating lack of performance, even on the road and street courses that are his hallmark. He finished 24^th in points.

SEASON OUTLOOK: Wilson has more than enough motivation to turn things around in 2012 after a forgettable 2011. Now that he’s reunited with Dale Coyne Racing and engineer Bill Pappas, a combination that took Coyne’s maiden race win at Watkins Glen in 2009, he’s got the support around him to do it. One of Wilson’s chief concerns at Dreyer & Reinbold was Larry Curry’s engineering, and even dumping the longtime IndyCar mechanic wasn’t enough to bring Wilson back.

With road and street course talent at a premium this season, plus the wide-open field that comes with three different engine suppliers, this may be Wilson’s best chance to run for an IndyCar title. While that projection may be too optimistic, a top 10 finish in points certainly isn’t. The amount of talent that Coyne has amassed for his flagship car should be more than enough to challenge some of the sport’s best drivers.

– Chris Leone

IndyCar Season Preview: Takuma Sato

Photo credit: Ned Leone

#15 Mi-Jack Dallara-Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Born: January 28, 1977

Home: Tokyo, Japan

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Sato made flying gains in 2011 after a tough rookie season in IndyCar. He minimized his on-track mistakes and finished consistently within the top 10, improving to 13^th in points from 21^st in 2010. He earned his first two career IndyCar poles at Iowa and Edmonton, and had a best finish of fourth at Mid-Ohio.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: Sato finished last at Indianapolis after making contact with the wall early in the race. His only other DNF of the season came at Iowa, where he had won the pole.

SEASON OUTLOOK: Sato will leave KV Racing Technology in 2012 after his former team decided to shed both Lotus (Sato’s sponsor) and Honda (Sato’s factory backer since his Formula One days) in favor of a Chevrolet engine contract. Instead, Sato and Honda have landed at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, which has only run limited schedules for the past few seasons. Now, Sato will be looked upon to help the re-established Rahal team, which won the Indianapolis 500 as recently as 2004, regain its form.

Sato isn’t the same driver that had nine DNFs in 17 races in 2010. He put together more respectable runs than disappointments in 2011, and with Honda support behind him in a series that no longer relies on engine parity, he could get some extra support in the horsepower department. If they’ve stuck behind him this long, they’re going to do everything they can to make him succeed in this new era of IndyCar competition. Sato should be a decent mid-pack driver in 2012 with an outside shot at podiums and wins.

– Chris Leone

IndyCar Season Preview: Mike Conway

Photo credit: Ned Leone

#14 ABC Supply Co. Dallara-Honda, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

Born: August 19, 1983

Home: Bromley, Kent, England

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: After an injury-shortened 2010 season, Conway managed to secure a full-time drive with Andretti Autosport, and rewarded the team by taking his maiden IndyCar victory at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. He also scored three other top-10 finishes.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: Andretti Autosport was incomprehensibly slow at Indianapolis, and Conway was the first victim of it, not even coming close to qualifying for the race. That helped limit him to 17^th in points at the end of the season.

SEASON OUTLOOK: In the wake of a bullish driver market, and with the desire to improve the team’s road and street course program, Foyt let Vitor Meira go. Despite numerous attractive options on the market, including Oriol Servia and Justin Wilson, the team settled on Conway, believing that he represented the organization’s best chance at improving on the road and street courses. Conway represents the first IndyCar driver with a race victory to run full-time for Foyt since Felipe Giaffone in 2005.

Foyt is one of the lucky teams that picked up a Honda engine contract for the 2012 season, which should allow for some consistency even in the wake of a change to a new car. And where Meira was a decent mid-pack driver whose career may have already plateaued there, Conway is a driver who’s still on the rise after a successful 2011. And given Conway’s disappointment at Indy last year, driving for a four-time 500 winner should provide him all the motivation he needs to climb even further up the standings.

– Chris Leone

IndyCar Season Preview: Will Power

Photo credit: Ned Leone

#12 Verizon Dallara-Chevrolet, Team Penske

Born: March 1, 1981

Home: Toowoomba, Australia

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Power led the series with six wins, finally conquering an oval after winning half of the Texas doubleheader. He led in 13 of 17 races and led the points for about half the season, including after the 16^th round at Motegi. He also took eight poles to post an average start of 3.6.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: Power crashed in consecutive races at Iowa and Toronto to lose the championship lead for much of the second half of the season. After crashing in the aborted rain restart at Loudon, he also flipped off race control for putting the drivers in danger. Power’s car also launched in the air at Las Vegas, injuring his back for the second time in three years and leading him to briefly question his IndyCar career.

SEASON OUTLOOK: Power has been Dario Franchitti’s top championship challenger for the past two seasons, and that won’t change as long as the Champ Car alumnus outclasses everybody on the road and street courses. He’s also got Roger Penske’s team behind him, although their pit crew left a lot to be desired last season.

The new Chevrolet engine shouldn’t be much of a problem, since Ilmor (a company partially owned by Penske) helped produce the Honda engines of the past half-decade or so. With Power, the only concerns are mental. Can he finally get past the roadblock that is Franchitti’s dominance? Can he pick up his performance on the ovals, or will his serious crash at Vegas hinder some of his driving instincts? And, after two straight years of chokes at the very end of the season, can he stop beating himself?

IndyCar Season Preview: Dario Franchitti

Photo credit: Ned Leone

#10 Target Dallara-Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing

Born: May 19, 1973

Home: Edinburgh, Scotland

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Franchitti won his third consecutive championship (his fourth in four tries since 2007, since he didn’t compete in 2008) on the strength of four victories, nine podiums, and a 4.8 average finish. He led laps in 11 of 17 races, including the most laps in six of those events.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: After winning the season opener at St. Petersburg, Franchitti failed to lead laps in the next three races and only finished 12^th at Indianapolis. He also crashed out at Loudon after restarting next to Takuma Sato, and while he claimed Sato was at fault, consensus opinion stated otherwise. This allowed main title rival Will Power back into the championship race.

SEASON OUTLOOK: Franchitti is clearly the gold standard for IndyCar drivers after winning three of the last four titles, and driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, he has many advantages besides his driving talent. Ganassi has the lucrative Target sponsorship (which pits Franchitti in many alternate liveries over the course of the season), all of his key personnel returning, and the flagship Honda contract.

That combination means that Franchitti has both the skills and equipment to win on any course on the IndyCar schedule. Last year, he took two street course victories (St. Petersburg and Toronto), one flat oval win (Milwaukee), and one high-speed oval win (half of the Texas doubleheader). With only three finishes worse than fifth all of last season, there’s not much to question with this team.

– Chris Leone

IndyCar Season Preview: Tony Kanaan

Photo credit: Ned Leone

#11 GEICO/Itaipava/Mouser Dallara-Chevrolet, KV Racing Technology

Born: December 31, 1974

Home: Salvador, Brazil

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Kanaan finished fifth in the championship, remarkable given the fact that he signed with KVRT in March, just before the start of the season. He scored three podiums, with a best finish of second at Iowa, and by finishing fourth at Indianapolis, secured his best finish there since 2006.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: Besides the stress of his tumultuous offseason, Kanaan had four DNFs in 2011, and took his share of hard hits. At Loudon, his car landed upside down after a backstretch crash; during a practice session at Baltimore, he lost his brakes heading into a sharp corner and flew over Helio Castroneves. Kanaan was also leading at Las Vegas when the worst wreck in recent IndyCar memory took the life of his former teammate and close friend Dan Wheldon.

SEASON OUTLOOK: After leaving what had been a sinking ship at Andretti Autosport, the 2004 IndyCar champion latched onto KVRT as a mentor to the wild Takuma Sato and E.J. Viso and helped the entire organization take a step forward in 2011. He’ll return to the team in 2012, once again as its undisputed lead driver, and this time will (hopefully) have the same engineer all season; last year, Michael Cannon left Kanaan’s timing stand mid-season.

Kanaan still has one race to conquer, though: the Indianapolis 500. His misfortunes at the track have been well chronicled, and as the top Andretti driver for years he seemed to have inherited the “Andretti Curse” from owner Michael Andretti. Last year’s fourth place finish may signal the start of a turnaround, though, and while another top five points finish may be out of reach, Kanaan won’t care if he finally gets the Indy monkey off his back.

IndyCar Season Preview: Rubens Barrichello

Photo credit: Alex Comerford (CC BY-NC-ND)

#8 BMC/Embrase Dallara-Chevrolet, KV Racing Technology

Born: May 23, 1972

Home: Sao Paulo, Brazil

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: The all-time starts leader in Formula 1 (322 races run since 1993) raced with the Williams squad for the second year in a row in 2011, alongside new teammate Pastor Maldonado. Barrichello managed a pair of points finishes at Monaco and Canada, both times coming in ninth place. As usual, his only retirements on the year came from parts failures rather than driver error.

2011 LOWLIGHTS: Barrichello could only muster four points, good for 17^th place in the 2011 standings; while that topped teammate Maldonado’s single point and 19^th place finish, it was enough to convince Frank Williams to replace the aging Brazilian with countryman Bruno Senna in 2012.

SEASON OUTLOOK: Landing Barrichello is a huge caveat for IndyCar, as he is the first big name Formula 1 driver to defect to the United States since Nigel Mansell made the move in 1993. Mansell tore up the CART ranks, winning back to back F1 and CART championships. Barrichello tested the new Dallara DW12 multiple times for KV as an advisor in the offseason, having experienced some of the new engineering concepts in Formula 1, and really enjoyed the car. While his wife was initially concerned about the safety of running ovals, which could have resulted in a partial schedule, his kids reportedly convinced her to give the okay to run every race in 2012.

Barrichello’s decision to join KV signifies Jimmy Vasser’s strongest play yet to become the next Chip Ganassi. After adding former IndyCar champion Tony Kanaan last year, Vasser now has another world-class driver in his employ, and he owes it all to Kanaan’s great friendship with his countryman. Barrichello has a reputation as a great teammate (remember all those years that he put up with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari), which should help E.J. Viso wring even more speed out of his KV car, and as a consistent driver who keeps his car together (only six DNFs in his past three F1 seasons). KV’s old reputation for tearing up two cars a weekend should be a thing of the distant past.

– Chris Leone