Lowe's Fernandez Racing Takes Class Win at St. Petersburg
Lowe's Fernandez Racing claimed their second class win of the 2009
season and a second-place overall result this afternoon in the Acura
Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg. Slippery track conditions,
especially in Turn One, made for a challenge on the temporary street
course circuit, but Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz turned in another
flawless performance.
Diaz started the race and handed control of the #15 Lowe's Acura
ARX on Michelin tires over to Fernandez on Lap 47, with 58 minutes
remaining. Quick pit work by the team allowed Fernandez to return to the
track ahead of the P1 entry of Patron Highcroft Racing's David
Brabham but Brabham, the eventual overall race winner, was able to
reclaim the lead a short time later.
Lowe's Fernandez Racing also earned their first MICHELIN® GreenX®
Challenge award, given to one prototype and one GT team that demonstrates
the best overall performance and fuel efficiency with the least
environmental impact. Robert Niblock, the CEO of Lowe's, accepted
the award. The team was also presented with the Founder's Cup award
given to the highest-placing independent entrant in each category. The
award was accepted by Paco Fernandez, General Director of Lowe's
Mexico.
Lowe's Fernandez Racing will return to action in two weeks with the
Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach on April 18.
Adrian Fernandez: "It was another perfect weekend for us. We had no
problems whatsoever. It was a perfectly prepared car by Lowe's
Fernandez Racing, and I am very proud of the guys. It was another good
race for Luis and he gave me a good car with no problems. Conditions were
tough on the track, especially Turn One. It was very slippery. You had to
slow down quite a bit on that corner. If you went off line a little bit,
it was quite bad. We had a fantastic pit stop where we went to P1
overall. We stayed there for a few laps and that was really nice. I want
to thank Lowe's for their continued support. We had Robert Niblock,
the CEO of Lowe's here with us, and also Paco Fernandez [General
Director of Lowe's Mexico] and his group and it was great to share
this with them."
Luis Diaz: "I had a good start. John Ward made a very good call
with the tires. We had a good strategy there and it really made my life a
lot easier. After that, I was pushing but I took my time passing people
and was being conservative because my biggest goal was to give the car to
Adrian in front of the Mazdas and without a scratch. I am happy for all
the team. They have done a fantastic job. We haven't had any
problems, even in practice. That's unbelievable; too good to be
true. I am very happy for them and they deserve this more than us."
-credit: fr
