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Fernandez Racing
It was an all too short day for Lowe’s Fernandez Racing and drivers Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz at Lime Rock Park this afternoon. A mechanical problem sidelined the #15 Lowe’s Acura Lola at the 45-minute mark of the Northeast Grand Prix. Diaz started the race in sixth position and was running seventh overall and sixth in the LMP2 class when the team noticed smoke coming from the car. Diaz pitted the following lap [Lap 51] and a left rear suspension failure was discovered – a pushrod mounting stud had pulled out of the bellhousing casing.
Lowe’s Fernandez Racing will be looking for better fortune in two weeks time when the American Le Mans Series heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Acura Sportscar Challenge of Mid-Ohio. The team is a past winner on the Lexington, OH, circuit with a victory in Grand-Am competition last year.
Race Results (Overall):
1. Maassen/Briscoe – LMP2 Porsche/RS Spyder
2. Dumas/Bernhard – LMP2 Porsche/RS Spyder
3. Brabham/Johansson – LMP2 Acura/ARX-01a
25. Fernandez/Diaz – LMP2 Acura Lola
Adrian Fernandez, #15 Lowe’s Acura Lola:
“It was a disappointing end to the day. The car was not as strong as we wanted, but Luis was making some gains. The problem started around 20 laps before, halfway through the time that the car was on track because Luis had a very loose car – different conditions with the rear of the car. We think the problem was already starting to happen then. Even with that, we were catching the Dyson [Racing] car in front of us. Things were encouraging but, unfortunately, mechanical problems happen. This was a terminal problem. We couldn’t fix it properly. We had a lot of fan support for the race and it was unfortunate that we couldn’t put on a show for the fans and Lowe’s and Acura. We will be back strong for Mid-Ohio. ”
Adrián Fernández Fast Facts… is a veteran of a 12-year career at the top levels of open-wheel competition, winning in both Champ Car (CART) and IndyCar Series competition with a career record that includes 194 starts, 11 wins and 25 podiums… 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 and most recently finished ninth in the Busch race at Mexico City on March 4… finished fifth in the IndyCar Series championship in his inaugural season in 2004 with three wins and six top-five finishes… missed the 2000 Champ Car championship crown by only 10 points, finishing second in the series… 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… 43 years old from Mexico City…resides in Scottsdale, Ariz., with wife Catalina and daughter Valentina.
Luis Diaz, #15 Lowe’s Acura Lola:
“The car felt competitive but the traffic was bad in the first 10 to 20 laps. It was hard to pass people. We held on to the lead group for a little bit but then we had bad luck with traffic. We had problems with the radio from the beginning and I wasn’t able to communicate with the team. They did a good job in telling me the information that I needed to know. Unfortunately, the suspension broke. I thought we could finish pretty strong, in the top four or top three. ”
Luis Díaz Fast Facts… debuted in sports car competition in 2004 and has claimed eight wins over the past 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 Mexican 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… 29 years old from Mexico City… resides in Toluca, Mexico, with wife Carolina… nickname is “Chapulín” (Cha-poo-leen) which means grasshopper.
