Lowe’s Fernandez Racing Taking Measure of Championship

[Editor]

The American Le Mans Series heads across the border to Canada this week for the Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. Located 48 miles northeast of Toronto, the historic Mosport circuit has hosted a wide variety of racing series since opening in 1961 including Formula One, USAC Stock Cars, Indy cars, Can Am, Trans-Am and IMSA. It is a track that demands a driver’s full attention with consistent high speeds in all but two turns on the 2.459-mile, 10-turn permanent road course.

Lowe’s Fernandez Racing drivers Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz enter the race weekend with an opportunity to close the books on the LMP2 championship. Six class wins aboard the #15 Lowe’s Acura on Michelin tires have given the pair a 55-point lead in the standings. If Fernandez and Diaz finish ahead of their closest competitor – the #20 Dyson Mazda – at Mosport, their points lead would clinch the championship as a total of only 55 points would be up for grabs in the final two races.

Fernandez and Diaz have enjoyed past success at Mosport, finishing second in class and fourth overall last year in an exciting race that came down to fuel strategy in the end. This will be the third career start for Fernandez and Diaz at Mosport, they recorded their best result last year finishing second in class and fourth overall

With six class wins to date this season (Sebring, St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Salt Lake City, Mid-Ohio and Road America) and a second-place result at Lime Rock, Fernandez and Diaz currently lead the LMP2 standings by 55 points.

Lowe’s Fernandez Racing has won two Michelin® GREEN X® Challenge awards to date this season at St. Petersburg and Road America; the award acknowledges competitors that demonstrate the best overall performance and fuel efficiency with the least environmental impact.

In 30 ALMS starts to date, Fernandez and Diaz have claimed six class pole positions, six class wins and 12 podium finishes

Fernandez on the championship: “We have had a fantastic season so far but it is not over yet. I guess we are cautiously optimistic heading to Mosport. We know this is a track that will really suit the Mazdas and it is not going to be an easy weekend for us. We just have to keep doing what we have been doing and make sure we keep finishing races. It would be nice to take the win and the championship at Mosport because I know we will all breathe a little easier, but we have to be realistic at the same time because the Mazdas will be very strong here. We have a lot of support from Lowe’s Canada so obviously this would be a nice one to win.”

Diaz on the challenges this weekend: “Mosport is a very challenging circuit. It is very fast and any mistake can cost you big time. You have to respect this track. We have a good baseline for the Acura on this track and, like last year, I think we will have a very good car for the race. The race last year came down to strategy at the end and we played our cards right. Strategy was an important part of our last two wins and this team is just so strong in that area. I have a lot of confidence for a good result this weekend.”

Engineer John Ward on setup at Mosport: “Mosport requires fairly low drag and a stable aerodynamic platform. In reality, many of the turns are flat out with the amount of grip we have, effectively turning them into straights. The track also has some substantial elevation changes and rough or uneven areas which causes the ride height to be higher than we would want. Once again, finding the correct downforce/drag compromise is critical.”


About the Drivers:

Adrian Fernandez… is a veteran of 12 years at the top levels of open-wheel competition, winning in both Champ Car (CART) and IndyCar Series (IRL) competition… debuted in sports car competition in 2006, winning the Mid-Ohio Rolex Sports Car Series race and claiming four additional top-five finishes… began competing in select NASCAR Busch Series events in 2005, driving for Team Lowe’s Racing and Hendrick Motorsports… finished fifth in the IndyCar Series championship in his inaugural season in 2004 with three wins… missed the 2000 Champ Car championship crown by only 10 points, finishing second in the series to Gil de Ferran… has garnered numerous awards over the years including “Athlete of the Year in Mexico”… named one of Mexico’s 300 most influential people by a national magazine in 2006… 45 years old from Mexico City…resides in Miami, Fla., with wife Catalina, daughter Valentina and son Niko.

Luis Diaz... accomplished sports car talent who entered sports car competition in 2004 and netted eight wins in the Grand-Am series over three years as well as Rolex Sports Car Series Team Championship honors in 2006 and a second-place result in the driver championship co-driving with Scott Pruett… was named “Driver of the Year” in Mexico in 2006… won the Mexico Formula 3 championship in 1998… earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Indy Lights Pan-American Championship, Mexico Formula 3 Championship and Formula Reynard Series Mexico… U.S. open-wheel success includes a fourth-place finish in the 2002 Atlantic championship… began racing go-karts at the age of 12, winning several national championships… 31 years old from Mexico City… resides in Toluca, Mexico, with wife Carolina and son Luis Pablo… nickname is “Chapulín” (Cha-poo-leen) which means grasshopper.


Lowe’s Fernandez Racing Key Personnel:

·Tom Anderson, co-owner/managing director (founded Fernandez Racing with Fernandez in 2000)

·Steve Miller, general manager (ninth year with the team; reunited with Diaz who he worked with in 2000 in Indy Lights)

·Mike Sales, team manager (as a chief mechanic, has had a decade long relationship with Adrian Fernandez which includes victories in Champ Car, IndyCar Series and Grand-Am competition)

·John Ward, race engineer (is in his 10th year as a race engineer for Fernandez; designer of many Eagle chassis for Dan Gurney’s All American Racers including the Eagle Mk III IMSA GTP car which won the Twelve Hours of Sebring in 1992 and 1993)

·Tony Leith, chief mechanic (ninth season with the team; was a lead and chief mechanic in ALMS in the late ‘90s with Panoz Motorsports)


About the #15 Lowe’s Acura LMP2 Prototype:

· Powered by the 3.4-liter Acura LM-V8 engine

· Chassis is the Acura ARX-01b developed by HPD [Honda Performance Development] through a technical partnership with Wirth Research in England

· Tires are Michelin


About Lowe’s Fernandez Racing:

Lowe’s Fernandez Racing embarks on its third year of competition in the American Le Mans Series in 2009 as an Acura-factory LMP2 entry. Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz, both of Mexico City, Mexico, return to campaign the #15 Lowe’s Acura ARX-01b prototype in the series’ 10 rounds of competition. Lowe’s, the second largest home improvement retailer in the world, is in its fourth year as a primary sponsor and partner with Fernandez Racing under the Lowe’s Fernandez Racing banner. Fernandez Racing was formed in the fall of 2000 by Fernandez and motorsports veteran Tom Anderson. In its eight years of competition, the team has claimed victories in every series it has contested - Champ Car (CART), IndyCar (IRL), Grand-Am Series and the American Le Mans Series.


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