Servia tops Richmond rookie practice

Eight IRL rookies had a 90-minute practice session, with four IndyCar drivers who have not previously raced at Richmond, the shortest oval on the calendar at 0.75 miles, granted half an hour of practice ahead of the full sessions that begin this evening.

Servia's best lap, a 16.139 (167.295mph), was the best of the sessions, ahead of his KV Racing teammate Will Power (165.185mph), EJ Viso and Enrique Bernoldi.

"The car felt comfortable, I liked the balance, although I can see that the race must be really tough in traffic," said Servia. "It's hard on your own because everything is narrow and you have issues getting your marks.

"I can only imagine how it's going to be with 26 cars. I can see this is a place where you can make mistakes easily so we're going to have to keep our brain on top of the game."