Fernandez kör CART nästa år

[jajo]

2002-11-01
Fernadez to compete in CART
FONTANA, Calif. (November 1, 02) - Fernández Racing Team Owners Adrián Fernández and Tom Anderson today confirmed that Adrián Fernández will continue in the CART series next year. The 2003 season will mark the 11th year of Champ Car competition for Fernández, who has seven career wins and three pole positions to his credit.

"A lot of people assumed that I would be back in CART next year, and I am pleased to confirm today that I will be in CART through at least 2004," said Fernández. "I am also pleased to be able to confirm that Tecate, Quaker State and Telmex will continue as our primary sponsors."

For Fernández, currently the only owner/driver in the CART series, the decision was based on both business and competition issues. "I see a lot of positives in the future of this series and have the utmost confidence in [CART President and CEO] Chris Pook," said Fernández. "While we will be saying good-bye to some friends at the end of the season, new drivers are going to be coming into the series and I think the level of competition next year is going to be every bit as strong as it is now. "I am not going to sit here and say that everything is perfect at the moment, but the series is on the mend and on the upswing. I think CART has a combination that will be successful for many years, and I am happy to confirm today that I will be a part of it."

Fernández, who is a spectator at California Speedway this weekend due to injuries sustained at the Honda Indy 300 in Australia last week, also emphasized the diversity of the CART series. "As a driver, I enjoy the challenges of running on the street circuits, the road courses and the ovals," he added. "As far as the fans go - and I hope the fans in Australia have dried out by now after the much-needed downpour last weekend - some of our best attendance figures have come on the street and road circuits and I think we will top all our previous records in Mexico City in a few weeks [at the Telmex Gigante Grand Prix on November 17]. We have a great product that people want to come and see."

The 2003 season will mark the third year of CART competition for Fernández Racing, which was formed by Fernández and Anderson in the fall of 2000. "I am happy to reemphasize my comments made earlier in the season, that Fernández Racing will be in CART with Adrián driving next season," said Anderson, who also serves as Managing Director. "On behalf of the entire team, I want to thank Honda and everyone at HPD (Honda Performance Development) for their commitment to Fernández Racing in 2001 and 2002, and wish them well in their new endeavors. "Adrián and I have both worked with Cosworth in the past, and welcome them as we compete for the CART title in 2003. We will continue working with our current partners Lola and Bridgestone, both of whom we greatly respect."

Anderson also noted that although the team is currently working on additional programs for next season, nothing has been finalized: "Our second car plans are incomplete at this time, and therefore we cannot comment."

Since entering the CART FedEx Championship Series in 2001, Fernández Racing, headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., has claimed two pole positions and three podiums. The team has posted seven top-five finishes and 19 top-10 finishes in 36 races contested to date.

http://www.champweb.net/phpstuff/index.php?id=629

[G-town]

Det var väl inte ens pengarna tillbaks på det?
Med två lopp i hemlandet och med Mexicos svar på Telia som huvudsponsor så har väl aldrig IRL varit uppe på tapeten ens...

[JTarnstrom]

Tydligen ville Tom Anderson att de skulle köra IRL men de verkar ha kommit överens internt. Bra det! Hoppas bara att de plockar in nån bra förare vid sidan av Fernandez. Det har ryktats om Luiz Garcia men jag ser nog hellre Papis.

Tärnström

[jajo]

Champweb rapporterar även om att det finns möjlighet till fler positiva nyheter den här veckan.

2002-11-01
Announcements coming this weekend
We are told that there MAY, in fact, be 5 more announcements this weekend. 2 team announcements, and 3 CART announcements, one of which is a sponsor. From what we hear, the teams are both NEW to CART.

http://www.champweb.net/phpstuff/index.php?id=634