Panther & DRR Form Strategic Partnership
Two mainstays in the IZOD IndyCar series have joined forces to form a strategic alliance beginning at the 2012 Indianapolis 500 and continuing for the remainder of the 2012 season.
Panther Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (formerly Lotus DRR) will utilize Panther’s second Chevrolet engine lease in running Oriol Servia in the #22 Panther/DRR machine.
“We’ve wanted to operate as a two-car team for some time now, but the right opportunity had never arisen to allow us to accomplish that, but as soon as we had the opportunity to work with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Oriol Servia – a guy I consider one of the best all-around drivers in IndyCar – this was a no-brainer for us. Dennis (Reinbold) and I have been friends for a long time, and they’ve got a great group of guys on their team that we’re very excited to be working with. I know we’re all looking forward to working under the same roof and expanding upon what we’ve both built all these years in the IndyCar Series.” - Panther Managing Partner and CEO John Barnes
Near the end of the 2011 season a technical partnership was shared by the two teams, and now this allows for the expansion to the Panther Racing facilities in Indianapolis. It is unclear what will happen to the newly expanded Dreyer & Reinbold Racing headquarters on Indianapolis’ north side.
“This is an unbelievably exciting prospect for us. The timing of aligning with Panther and putting this deal together is exceptional, especially knowing Panther’s history at the Indianapolis 500. We’re really looking forward to working together and taking advantage of the expertise that both teams share as we bring all our efforts together and move forward as a two-car team. We gave JR (Hildebrand) his start in IndyCar racing, so we’ll always have a soft spot in our hearts for him and to pair JR alongside Oriol will allow them to feed off each other and continue to get better throughout the year. We’ve always enjoyed our associations with Panther in the past and we’re looking forward to a bright future together.” – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing co-owner Dennis Reinbold
“All of us are unbelievably excited about this. We had a technical partnership with Panther last year and this effectively is taking that to the next level. We all feel very confident knowing that all the personalities involved can work so well together and take both our teams to the next level. From Oriol’s standpoint I know he’s excited about working with both Hildebrand and the entire technical team that Panther has in place. The exchange of knowledge between two drivers of their caliber is only going to drive those guys and that’s the fun part in challenging all of us to get better.” – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing co-owner Robbie Buhl
“This is the best of both worlds – I’m already with a great team, a great crew and great owners at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and affiliating with Panther is perfect because I’ve sat down with John Barnes many, many times to try and put a program together and we’ve never been able to do it for one reason or another, I’m also looking forward to joining the Chevy family; they’ve been performing so well and shown an unbelievable commitment to win. Panther has such a great record at Indianapolis and being a two-car team will only make us all stronger. JR did such a great job there last year as a rookie and he’s already doing so much better this year. He’s a great kid. I really like him and I’m sure we’re going to make a great team.” – Oriol Servia, driver of the #22 Panther/DRR entry
