Fernandez Racing Prepares For The Winter Test

By Anthony Fontanelle

For those looking forward to another season of the American Le Mans Series, the waiting is almost over. This weekend, Lowe’s Fernandez Racing will drive at Sebring International Raceway to go through the second phase of the American Le Mans Series. Armed with a new chassis, the team is entertaining positive aspirations as it prepares for the fourth annual Winter Test at Sebring.

The three LMP2 entries, powered by Acura, are part of a strong protype contingent entered for the Winter Test.

Aside from the shift in chassis of the team sponsored by the maker of Acura catalytic converters, highlights of the Winter Test also include Peugeot's North American launch with its diesel-powered factory prototype as well as first public running of the modified Ferrari F430 GT.

Fifteen teams that represent eight manufacturers will compete for the three-day test. The manufacturers include Acura, Audi, Ferrari, Lola, Mazda, Panoz, Peugeot and Porsche.

Fernandez Racing has shifted to the next generation ARX- 01b chassis with the hope of improving the already striking race performance. The said engine will be showcased as the Acura team prepares for its second appearance in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The efforts will continue Monday through Wednesday at the ALMS' Winter Test.

"We took delivery on December 28th," said Tom Anderson, co-owner with Adrian Fernandez. "We are quite excited about the changes that have been made between last year's 01a-specification ARX versus the 01b which we received. The computer numbers look very impressive and hopefully this will translate to the quicker estimated lap times that the computer shows. We are really looking forward to getting to Sebring and our first on-track adventure with it."

"What Acura accomplished in their first season is remarkable," Fernandez said. "They were strong out of the box with not only a brand-new engine but the chassis as well. Expectations are even higher for next year."

It can be recalled that last year at Sebring, Fernandez and Luis Diaz finished second in LMP2 and third overall in the team's Acura-powered Lola. Lowe's Fernandez served as the engine development team for Acura last year, and the 3.4- liter V8 never suffered from a reliability standpoint, according to Motorsport.com.