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American LeMans
ALMS: Laguna Seca Friday Notebook
Fernandez Racing's last ride; Cosmo, Baker living up to the Challenge; News & Notes and More!
John Dagys  |  Posted October 10, 2009   Monterey, CA
Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz aim to end on a high note with a win on Saturday. (John Dagys)
Fernandez Racing’s Final Race (For Now)

Saturday’s Monterey Sports Car Championships will mark an end of an era for Adrian Fernandez and his Fernandez Racing team. After nine successful years in the open-wheel and sportscar ranks, the Tom Anderson-led squad will be closing its doors at the end of the month, barring a miracle.

“Right now it’s tough,” Fernandez said. “As a team, I have to give the guys the best opportunities to find jobs. Right now, I can’t promise them anything. But If a miracle comes before the end of October, we’ll definitely do it. We haven’t stopped trying, that’s for sure. It’s just we haven’t had anything concrete come through.”

As reported by our Robin Miller last month, the team’s primary sponsor, Lowe’s, will not be back next year, putting Fernandez in a financial bind. He’s searched high and low for new sponsors but has come up dry in these challenging economic times.

The budget needed to run its existing Acura ARX-01b with an Acura engine lease pales in comparison to a season in IndyCars, or even a fully factory backed LMP program. Fernandez has tried everything from looking at a GT2 program to possibly even making a move back to Grand-Am. But with no money in sight, there’s no other options at this stage.

It’s a bittersweet end to the team’s three-year stint in the ALMS. After struggling early on in the Acura program, Fernandez and co-driver Luis Diaz finally broke through this season, capturing the LMP2 championship with seven wins to date. While lacking the intense competition it faced in 2007-08, Fernandez Racing as a team still grew in confidence.

“I have some great memories of our runs in the American Le Mans Series,” Fernandez said. “We as a team raised our level this year. We didn’t have any mechanical problems and have been quite solid as a team.

“There were races that the Dyson team should have won, but we had fantastic pit strategies. The Acura engine was very reliable. Even though we didn’t have the speed of the Mazdas on the straight, we were able to overcome some of the handicap we had with speed elsewhere. It’s been an enjoyable year to finally get the championship for all of our guys.”

Fernandez also takes pride in the team’s early years in CART and IndyCar. The Mexican driving legend remembers their first race in Monterrey, Mexico in 2001, where hundreds of thousands of fans flocked to watch their countryman’s new team in action. Their first win at Portland in 2003 and successful run in IndyCar the following year also ranks high on Adrian’s top memories as a team owner.

“At least we’ve had nine good years of racing,” he said. “We’ve won in every series we’ve competed in. We also did it first class and that’s the only way we’d keep doing it.”

The team’s Acura ARX-01a remains up for sale, with a few parties expressing interest in it. One of the prospective buyers could campaign it in the European-based Le Mans Series, but Fernandez said they’ll sell the car to the first person that comes up with the money.

The legacy of Fernandez Racing will live on in the history books, notably with this season's LMP2 title. (John Dagys)
Fernandez is by no means retiring as a driver and still has ambitions to compete in sportscars, notably taking another stab at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He’s also interested in other European events and has not ruled out races in America, either.

“I’ve had a fantastic career racing, but I want to drive as I’m still on top of my game,” he said. “I think we can rebuild a team anytime, but to put together a group like this is the hard part. You can’t do it in one day.”

Winning tomorrow would be a fitting way for Fernandez Racing to go out in style. If they can pull it off, the team would tie Penske for the most P2 wins in an ALMS season. But could Fernandez and Diaz have something more in store? Diaz’s P2 pole run today was just 0.104 seconds slower than Gil de Ferran’s fastest lap in P1. Could the Fernandez crew be looking to breakthrough for overall honors? Now wouldn’t that be something to remember.

“It’s sad in one way because it’s the end of an era for this team,” Diaz said. “I’m happy for all the guys that we won the championship. We need to keep working until the very last lap. That’s the best legacy we can give to the people that have remembered us.”

Laguna Seca Spotter’s Guide

Download Andy's latest Spotter's Guide at: http://www.spotterguides.com
Andy Blackmore’s Spotter’s Guide for this weekend’s Monterey Sports Car Championships is now available. Get a glimpse of the 33 entered cars, including new liveries on the de Ferran Motorsports Acura and No. 20 Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda as well as the new RSR Jaguar XKR. Whether you’re headed to the track or will watch it on SPEED, Andy’s free guide is a must-have.

Download the Laguna Seca Spotter’s Guide by visiting www.SpotterGuides.com



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