Lowe’s Fernandez Racing Ready To Build On Impressive ALMS Debut
Mar 27, 2007
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) will make its first appearance on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., this weekend in a double-header of racing action featuring the ALMS Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg on Saturday and the IndyCar Series’ Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday.
Following an impressive debut in ALMS competition two weeks ago, the Lowe’s Fernandez Racing driving duo of Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz are ready to return to action. Contesting one of North America’s premier endurance races – the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – the pair brought the #15 Lowe’s Acura Lola home to a second-place finish in LMP2 class competition and a third-place result overall.
The first of four temporary street circuit events on the 2007 ALMS calendar, the challenging 1.8-mile, 14-turn waterfront track is not foreign territory to Adrian Fernandez. Fernandez qualified third at St. Petersburg for the inaugural Champ Car race in 2003 but was eliminated by contact on the tight circuit during a late-race restart.
Of Note:
Fernandez has made one career start at St. Petersburg [Champ Car – 2003]
Diaz has never competed at St. Petersburg; his last temporary street circuit race was Long Beach in 2006 where he and co-driver Scott Pruett won from the pole position
Fernandez and Diaz currently sit second in the ALMS LMP2 class point standings
The team’s entry in ALMS competition follows a successful debut in sports car competition for Lowe’s Fernandez Racing, which was established in 2006
Fernandez entered sports car competition last year after a successful 12-year career at the top levels of open-wheel racing; he claimed an overall race win, qualifying race win and five top-five finishes in all in Grand-Am competition
Diaz, voted “Driver of the Year” in Mexico in 2006, brings the most sports car experience to the team with eight wins in three years of competition and the 2006 team championship in Grand-Am competition
Long-time friends who were competitors last season, Fernandez and Diaz are finally paired as teammates – it is a partnership that almost came to fruition in 2002 when Diaz substituted for an injured Fernandez in the Mexico City Champ Car race and was later named as the team’s official test driver
