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Introduction: Adrian Fernandez, who in his first season at Fatrick racing, has found success comes quickly.
Fernandez is mired in a tight battle to capture second place in the 1998 driver's championship and, if he does, has promised to foot the bill for his crew to spend some time in his native country of Mexico
Vacationing in Cancun.
Fernandez spent some time talking about the move to Patrick racing, his success with the team out of the box in Japan and what it would mean to him to finish second in the championship.
Question: You have certainly gained some notoriety in the United States this season after scoring wins in Japan and Mid-Ohio, not to mention the fact that you led the points championship for a time during the beginning of the season. But, in Houston you had thousands of fans, many of whom had
Come in from your home country of Mexico, dressed in team uniforms, wearing Adrian Fernandez hats, waving flags and cheering every time your car went by. What does that feel like?
Adrian Fernandez: It's a great feeling. In Mexico, in particular, because of the
success I have had, there has really been an increase in the
following of my career and CART as a series. In Mexico we
don't have many athletes or many sports like there are in the
United States. So, CART has been able to grow there even
though there is not a race in Mexico, and the following has been
tremendous.
Question: Back in 1996 you got your first win with Tasman. This year you added two wins and your first career pole to your resume. What do you think contributed to you success this year?
Adrian Fernandez: Tasman was a good team, it's just that we did not have a good
package when I was there. In my first year with Tasman they
were having too many other problems that distracted us from
racing. In my last year there we struggled with the Lola chassis.
Many times it seemed that Steve (Horne) was more worried
about taking care of his business, which I can't blame him for,
but it was just not a good opportunity for me. We just had
different ideas of where our careers wanted to go. But, it is a
good team. They proved it this year with Tony Kanaan. The
have focused on putting more of their efforts into one team and
it seems to be paying off.
Question: With your switch to Patrick racing for 1998, a team that has had a multitude of success over the years, what have you learned from working with racing legends such as Pat Patrick and Jim McGee?
Adrian Fernandez: They have experience
winning. Pat takes care of the business from the top, making
sure they have the key personnel and the key drivers in place
and manages from there. Jim McGee brings a lot of experience
to the team. He is always bringing a positive attitude to the
team, even on the worst days. When we are not doing well he is
always available and is always working with the team to find a
solution to any problem we may have. I also really enjoy
working with Steve Newey and the entire engineering staff. I
think the team is very good, but I think we can improve it and I
am confident that we will do it next year. All you have to do is
look at a team like Ganassi and the accomplishments they have
had over the years. Being able to keep the team together was a
big part of that success.
Question: What have they learned from you?
Adrian Fernandez: Well, I like
to think I bring an enthusiastic attitude to the team and am a
very hard worker in everything I do, both on the racing side and
on the business side. I think everybody was surprised at how
good I was as a driver right out of the box. I think it's very
difficult to put your finger on one or two things, but everything I
have learned from my past experiences has helped. We have
not had the consistency of the other top teams, but we are
pretty close to being the second best team out there on any
given weekend with Scott (Pruett) and myself.
Question: You and Scott Pruett seem to have a very good relationship both on and off the track, what are you going to miss about not having him as a teammate next year?
Adrian Fernandez: What I admire most about him is that he is a very tough
competitor. He is a very nice person to be around. We have
never had a problem between us and when we do have an issue
with one in other, we talk about it right away. We really work
well together in making the cars better even though we compete
against each other we also know that it is in the best interest of
the team to work together. I think there is a comfort level here
that I feel with him, but I also think I will have that same feeling
next year with P.J. (Jones).
Question: Have you had much time to spend with your teammate next year, PJ Jones, and what did you know about him prior to him coming over to the team?
Adrian Fernandez: I have spent more time with him
than I have with Scott because he is a personal friend. We live
in the same area and we have been friends for years.
Question: You are currently embattled in a very tight race for second place in the
Championship (behind Vasser and Franchitti), what would it mean to you to finish second?
Adrian Fernandez: It would mean a lot. Especially after the
last few seasons where I have been finishing 12th in the points,
which was the highest I have ever finished. So second place
would mean a lot. I am really trying hard to get it. The guys
who I am trying to beat are very good. Franchitti is on the rise
and Vasser is in a very strong position with his team. It's not
going to be easy, but it would be a great thing for the team.
Because success often leads to better things the next year. It
would give us a great boost to make another run for the
championship next year. Plus, I told the crew that if we finish
second I will take them all to Cancun for a vacation. They really
like that idea.
Question: Do you ever look back at previous races and wonder if you would still be giving Zanardi a run for the championship is if you hadn't had a few bouts of bad luck along the way?
Adrian Fernandez: It's difficult to say that because it happens to every driver. I
don't like to go back, I just like to look to into the future and try
to learn from my mistakes. Sometimes this year it's been my
mistake, other times its been the engine, other times its been the
chassis or mechanical problems and we just have to learn for it.
You just have to try to minimize the mistakes and the errors
every year. Every team out there is very good, very competent
and the team that can minimize the mistakes throughout the
year and stays consistent is going to be the guy who wins the
championship and that's what has happened with Zanardi this
year. Jimmy (Vasser) has been consistent as well and Dario
(Franchitti) has been picking it up this year during the second
half of the season that's why now he is third. We are the fourth
most consistent drivers if you look at it that way. You could say
that Greg Moore should be winning the championship this year,
but he hasn't, why, because he has been crashing, or having
mechanical problems along with some other things. But that's
part of racing and you have to live with it. That's the hard part
of racing, the highs are very high and the lows are very low.
Question: When we go to spring training next year there won't be a defending
champion competing in the series. Do you think some of the spotlight that the defending
series champion usually gets will shift to the person who finishes second this year and
do they automatically become the favorite next year?
Adrian Fernandez: I don't think so. Look at the way Dario Franchitti has been
driving lately, he is very dominant. Like Zanardi was at the
beginning of the year. I think if anything it is going to make it
more interesting because everyone is going to want to know
who is going to step into the shoes of Zanardi. It could be
Fernandez, it could be Moore, or Franchitti and who is going to
have the right combination.
Question: If there is one thing that you wanted people to know about Adrian Fernandez
that they may not know now, what would it be?
Adrian Fernandez: I would want them to know that I work really hard and
that I am not just a race driver, but a business man as well and I
that find all of my sponsors on my own. I am very pleased to be
one of the only drivers that has been able to prove that we can
find the support and sponsorship deals, handle our careers and
win races at the same time.
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