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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 Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach on April 18.

Race Results (Overall):
1.  Brabham/Sharp – LMP1 Acura ARX 02a
2.  Fernandez/Diaz – LMP2 Lowe’s Acura ARX-01b
3.  Dyson/Smith – LMP2 Lola B09 86 Mazda

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.

 

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