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Oriol Servia Finishes 21st at Indianapolis 500 Late Crash Dashes Hopes of a Top Finish

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (May 28, 2017) – Oriol Servia, representing Palm Beach Driving Club, finished 21st in Sunday’s 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 after a late crash ended his shot at a top finish.

Servia, driver of the No. 16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda, passed eventual race winner Takuma Sato for fourth place with 26 laps to go. Sato regained the position a lap later, but Servia was still in prime position for a top finish on lap 184 when James Davison squeezed him low setting off contact and a multi-car accident.

The veteran driver, who sported a Palm Beach Driving Club logo on the front of his helmet, then retired from his ninth Indy 500 and his 200th IndyCar race overall.
 
 
Servia started the race in 12th place, but dropped back to 20th on the first run. After some adjustments to the car, he steadily climbed through the field, back to 12th by lap 86. He remained in the top half of the field until getting caught up in the accident.
 
“I had a great car,” Servia said. “In the first stint, we went backwards, but we changed the car a bit and I think the Manitowoc car was a rocketship. To end the day this way, it’s a shame. When Davison went outside, he just closed on me and I had nowhere to go. I turned as much as I could. It is what is; you can’t go back in time unfortunately. I’m just so pleased with the effort of everyone on the team. I’ll be back. I’m going to win this race one day, I am!”
 
 
It was Servia’s second time representing PBDC after a 12th place finish in 2016. 
Palm Beach Driving Club Managing Director Paul Jones appreciated Servia’s efforts and positive attitude throughout the month of May. 
 
“We are proud of Oriol Servia and the effort he gave from the first practice to today’s race,” Jones said. “He’s a tremendous representative for PBDC and we’re honored to have teamed with him again at the world’s largest one-day sporting event.”

About Palm Beach Driving Club:

Palm Beach Driving Club (PBDC) offers weekly, year-round track programs to automotive enthusiasts exclusively at Palm Beach International Raceway. The elite club allows drivers to tailor the program to fit their lifestyle. The club’s membership is made up of drivers of all levels of experience with a desire for practice sessions and races under the guidance of professional drivers. 

PBIR is undergoing an expansive multi-year capital improvement project that will see new state-of-the-art client hospitality and higher-level lighting developed for night-time televised racing and new club activities as just a few new additions. This year, the road course has hosted large scale corporate programs with Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Bentley and Cadillac to name only a few impressive automotive brands now using PBDC and PBIR to host their dealership groups and customers.