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American LeMans
ALMS: 10 Questions With Adrian Fernandez
Reigning LMP2 co-champion discusses move to Aston Martin Racing for 2010.
John Dagys  |  Posted February 03, 2010   Chicago, IL
Adrian Fernandez makes the move to Aston Martin Racing for 2010, with the goal of capturing the 24 Hours of Le Mans. (LAT)
Following the closure of his Fernandez Racing team last October, veteran open-wheel and sportscar racer Adrian Fernandez was left without a ride. But it didn’t take long for the 46-year old Mexican star to land back on his feet and with another championship-winning organization.
AMR's Lola-Aston Martin picked up top honors in the European-based Le Mans Series last year. (John Dagys)

On Monday, Fernandez was confirmed as Aston Martin Racing’s newest recruit, joining the British manufacturer as an official works driver for 2010. He will compete behind the wheel of one of the team’s Lola-Aston Martins in a selection of international races this year, including the first two American Le Mans Series rounds at Sebring and Long Beach, the European-based Le Mans Series season-opener at Paul Ricard in April, and the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Fernandez, who has signed a three-year contract with AMR, will get his first taste of the V12-powered LMP1 machine in just under three weeks’ time at the ALMS official Winter Test in Sebring on Feb. 22-23. Coupled with a recent move to Switzerland with his family, Fernandez has been a busy man preparing for his new chapter in his illustrious career.

We caught up with Adrian to discuss these developments. It’s all a part of the latest installment of “10 Questions.”

DAGYS: Three months ago, you were forced to shut down operations at Fernandez Racing. Now you’re back in the sport and with the 2009 Le Mans Series LMP1 championship-winning squad. How did the relationship with Aston Martin Racing come about?

FERNANDEZ: I didn’t want to retire and couldn’t find a replacement sponsor for Lowe’s at the level we were racing, so I started talking to some of the top teams. After a few months of searching and waiting, this opportunity with Aston Martin Racing came about. I talked to Lowe’s with the possibility of their partnership and helping me. In the end, I managed to put the whole thing together.

I’m very excited. It’s a new challenge and a new chapter in my career. I have had a few different ones through my entire career, and this is definitely one of them. I’ll not only be driving for a top team like Aston Martin Racing, but also being able to move my family to Europe, which has always been a dream to come here, especially while my kids are still young. Everything fits the way I had dreamed it to be. It also extends my career, even though I’m 46, I feel like I can race for another 10 years.

DAGYS: How long has the deal with AMR been in the works?

FERNANDEZ: I’ve been working on this since last July. I knew Lowe’s wasn’t coming back with my team, so I started searching for other opportunities. Obviously the main goal was to keep the team and find a sponsor, but I had plan B’s and C’s in-case that didn’t happen. When sponsorship never came, I started following the other leads. This was the one. The good thing is that I still stay with Lowe’s and the relationship we’ve established in the Latin America market. They’re going to benefit from the name and prestige of name Aston Martin brand in America.

DAGYS: You’re slated to compete in three races prior to Le Mans - the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the Eight Hours of Le Castellet Le Mans Series season-opener and the ALMS round at Long Beach. Was there any specific reason to choose Long Beach over another race such as the six-hour enduro at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca?
Fernandez piloted a Barazi-Epsion Zytek 07S in LMP2 at Le Mans in 2007, scoring the class pole and finishing second in class. (LAT)

FERNANDEZ: Long Beach is an important market for Lowe’s, so we definitely wanted to see a way to make it happen. The impact Aston Martin will have in Long Beach will be quite large compared to other tracks. It was a combination of what was good for the brand and for our sponsors.

DAGYS: While you haven’t yet turned a wheel in the Lola-Aston Martin, you do have a grasp of the competition in the prototype categories in ALMS, having won the P2 championship last year. Where do you think AMR will fit in for its ALMS P1 debut next month?

FERNANDEZ: It’s tough competition. This year still, the diesel cars will have an advantage over the gasoline-powered cars, so it’s definitely still going to be an advantage for them. But I know Prodrive and Aston Martin have done a lot of work on the cars on the aero, mechanical and engine side of things. Hopefully that deficit they had last year will be reduced and we’ll be better. The preparation for Le Mans will put us in a better situation to fight with them.



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