Lowe’s Fernandez Racing drivers Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz have qualified sixth in class and eighth overall for one of the premier events in American racing – the Petit Le Mans. This is the first appearance for Fernandez and Diaz in the American Le Mans Series’ endurance classic. Held at Road Atlanta, the 1,000-mile/10-hour race will begin at 11:15 am EST tomorrow.
Following a successful two-day test at the 2.254-mile, 12-turn road course two weeks ago, Fernandez and Diaz have been on pace since the start of official practice on Thursday. The #15 Lowe’s Acura Lola has not been outside the top three in class the last three on-track sessions – held in wet and dry conditions – leading up to qualifying. Diaz handled starting grid duties for the team, posting a best lap of 70.713 seconds (129.311 mph) in qualifying after battling understeer through the slower parts of the circuit in what was the warmest on-track session of the weekend.
Fernandez and Diaz boast confidence heading into race day. The duo netted their best ALMS result to date of second in the season-opening endurance race, the Twelve Hours of Sebring. They are currently fifth in the LMP2 class standings, 17 points out of third place, heading into the final rounds at Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca.
Saturday’s race will feature live coverage on SPEED from 11:00 am to1:00 pm EST, and 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm EST. ALMS Radio and live Timing and Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com. More than 100,000 people are expected for the weekend with the race distributed live to a television audience of more than 600 million.
Petit Le Mans Qualifying (Overall): 1. Werner/Pirro (LMP1) – Audi/RD10 TDI 68.906 = 132.703 mph 2. Dumas/Bernhard/Long (LMP2) – Porsche/RS Spyder 69.039 = 132.447 mph 3. Capello/McNish (LMP1) – Audi/RD10 TDI 69.366 = 131.823 mph 8. Fernandez/Diaz (LMP2) – Acura Lola 70.716 = 129.311 mph
Adrian Fernandez, #15 Lowe’s Acura Lola: “We have been very strong all weekend. We just missed it a little bit in qualifying, but the car is very fast. We have a very good car for rain or any condition. We have been there every practice session and we are pretty happy. Luis and I have been very close in performance and I think we have a good program. If we can stay out of trouble, we will be looking good for the race. The night portion may be a little tricky but we want to try to make sure that the driver that finishes the race goes into the night to get used to the conditions. As far as the track, I love it. It is fantastic. We are really enjoying our time here.”
Luis Diaz, #15 Lowe’s Acura Lola: “I think our starting position is okay for the race. I am just as happy there as I would be if we were a little more in front. I didn’t make a mistake and I took care of the tires and that is important because a lot of other teams did more laps than us. That could help us in the first stint in the race. [Teams are required to start the race on the tires used in qualifying. ] Since we arrived here, our focus has been on the race and we know we have a solid car for tomorrow.”
ABOUT LOWE’S FERNANDEZ RACING: Lowe’s Fernandez Racing enters its first season of ALMS competition in 2007 as one of three Acura-powered LMP2 class teams. Driving talents Adrián Fernández and Luis Diaz, both of Mexico City, Mexico, will campaign the #15 Lowe’s Acura Lola prototype in the series’ 12 rounds of competition. Lowe’s, the second largest home improvement retailer in the world, has enjoyed much success in the motorsports arena including the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship with Jimmie Johnson. Fernández Racing was formed in the fall of 2000 by Fernandez and motorsports veteran Tom Anderson. The team has won in every racing category it has contested including Champ Car, IndyCar Series and Grand Am competition.
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