Straight From Adrian Fernandez

Adrian Fernandez was a newcomer in the American Le Mans Series. But he, along with other Acura teams, etched strong results. Wanna hear the secret? Well, the secret and not-so-secret truth is great to hear straight from Adrian.

Next year, Fernandez Racing will switch from their Lola B06/43 to a new ARX-01b Acura. The maker of Acura cap and rotor kit could have pretty overwhelmed by the results.

Endurance Info has asked Adrian about his feelings on the season. Here’s an excerpt of the interview:

Adrian, have your ALMS results been beyond your expectations?

"I think our results this year were in line with our expectations. We knew it was going to be a learning year because we were entering a new series. Obviously, our expectations are much higher for next season. We want to consistently be challenging for race wins."

After the second place in the LMP2 category and your first overall podium, did you even hope for better results?

"For sure, you always want to win but at the same time you have to be realistic. Sebring was a great start to the season for us and a great accomplishment by everyone at Acura. But when we left there, we realized the performance of our car was not at the level we wanted and we had some work to do. As the season progressed, it was obvious that the year or more of experience that the Penske Porches had on us was invaluable."

What do you consider as our best race so far in the ALMS?

"I would say the season finale at Laguna Seca where we finished third. For me, the last 30 minutes of the race were great. I had a good battle going with my friend Tony Kanaan and, if it wasn’t for lapped traffic, I thought we had a shot of passing one of the Penske Porsches."

Why do you switch next year to the Acura ARX-01b instead of your Lola? Is it a personal choice or is it an Acura choice?

"It was a joint decision. The Lola chassis has an ideal position or “sweet” spot and it loses that when changes in conditions happen. We just never got a handle on it. The car was great at certain tracks but a real handful at others like Houston. We need to be competitive at every track."

On the tracks, where were the RS Spyders more performing? When braking, on the straights, in the corners?

"It really depended on the circuit but at some tracks, I felt we were pretty closely matched."

Did you notice some differences between your Lola and the AGR and Highcroft Acuras? Handling, braking?

"As I mentioned earlier, the biggest difference was that the Lola was better suited to some tracks as opposed to others. When you go to smooth tracks where you can run the car low, it is good. We struggled on tracks that are bumpy. You had to raise the car and it lost downforce and you basically lose overall grip."

Do you think you will be able to challenge the Porsches next year?

"Absolutely. We have high expectations with the amount of development worked planned in the off-season plus we are now part of a “three-car” effort."