Fernandez and Diaz and Sebring

Next week’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring may be the most important race in the careers of Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz. The two will lead the charge for Acura and Lowe’s in the LMP2 class of the 2007 American Le Mans Series, along with Sebring third driver David Martinez. Having already claimed a special 12-hour race among the three Acura-powered teams at Sebring, now the focus turns to the real deal in the Series’ opener.

Adrian Fernandez
“We lasted the 12 hours, and Luis and I drove a good pace. The Acura program has been good since Day 1. The engine on its own has been very reliable and very strong."

“(Sebring) is obviously very rough. They haven’t done much to it in a long time, which is good because it keeps the track unique. It’s like the old Milwaukee oval track; when it was bumpy it was great and when they paved it was bad. So it’s a good that we have a track like that. It has a little bit of everything. It’s very easy to make mistakes because you’re going very fast and you have to keep your eyes open at all times."

Luis Diaz
“It’s a legendary track and legendary race. It’s so tough to win there and achieving victory would mean a lot. There is a lot of stress on the cars and the drivers. The main straight is wide but the rest of the track is narrow and tricky. It’s a big, big challenge for the entire team and it would be good for us to start there with a good result."

“You have to be calmer, smarter and obviously you have to set your mind to being there at the end. That’s the key to races like this and Le Mans. You’re the one making the passes all the time. You have to focus more on making it a clean race and making it to the end."

The 2007 American Le Mans Series opens with the 55th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17 at Sebring International Raceway. The green flag will fall shortly after 10 a.m. with SPEED providing live coverage beginning at 9:30 a.m. The race also will be broadcast by American Le Mans Radio with IMSA Live Timing & Scoring available at americanlemans.com.