Lowe’s Fernandez Racing claimed their long-awaited first win in American Le Mans Series competition this evening with a flawless performance in the prestigious 57th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz did not put a foot wrong in the grueling endurance classic aboard the #15 Lowe’s Acura ARX-01b LMP2 prototype and were backed up by perfect pit work from the Team Lowe’s crew.

This is the third consecutive year that the team has made it to the 12-hour mark at Sebring. Until today, their best result at Sebring was second in class and third overall in 2007.

The pair led all but two LMP2 laps of the 383-lap race. With the new rules implemented for 2009 which restricted the smaller prototype cars, Fernandez and Diaz were not able to mount a challenge on the LMP1 field, and finished fourth overall.

Lowe’s Fernandez Racing will return to action in two weeks with the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg on April 4.

Race Results Overall:
1.  Capello/Kristensen/McNish – LMP1 Audi R15/TDI
2.  Sarrazin/Montagny/Bourdais – LMP1 Peugeot 908 HDI FAP
3.  Luhr/Rockenfeller/Werner – LMP1 Audi R15/TDI
4.  Fernandez/Diaz – LMP2 Lowe’s Acura ARX

Adrian Fernandez: “Everybody on the team did a tremendous job. It was a perfectly executed race for the Lowe’s Fernandez team and we are very happy with this victory. This is a well-deserved win; we have been so consistent at this track. I think we did 60 laps more than last year and that speaks volumes for the preparation of the car by the whole team. The Acura package performed perfectly. We had absolutely no problems all day. And I am very proud of Luis. We wished we had a little more power like last year to fight a little bit sometimes with the P1s but it was a lot of fun. I have to thank everyone at Lowe’s and every single employee that has been supporting us in these difficult times. I hope this win really brings home some good vibes for everybody. I am hoping this is the start of a fantastic year.”

Luis Diaz:  “It was a great weekend for the Lowe’s team and I am very happy for everyone. It was a good race. I think the team deserved this a long time ago and finally it came to us. It is a great start to the season. Everyone on the team has worked so hard. Lowe’s is a great sponsor and Acura has been behind us all the time. Finally, our first victory. It is truly a team effort.”

Tom Anderson, Team Co-Owner/Managing Director:  “Our win today was the perfect storm. We had the combination of two years of a lot of hard work by a lot of people from Acura, Wirth Research, Andretti Green, Highcroft and de Ferran Motorsports, who combined to make the ARX-01b the fantastic car that it is this year. We are in a position to reap the benefits of all the hard work by everybody in this program. With the support of Lowe’s, I believe we are going to be a force to be reckoned with as we now have the ultimate combination. Adrian and Luis did a fantastic job today. They never put a wheel wrong. It was just a perfect job by everybody today – the pit stop crew and the guys that put the car together.”