Race No. 2
1999 Firestone Firehawk 500
Twin Ring Motegi — Motegi, Japan
April 8-10, 1999
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Fernandez in "Frankenstein Reynard" Wins Motegi
Custom used Reynard dominates Japan race
By Greg Spotts
Photo by Delane Rouse
© 1999 SpeedCenter
Adrian Fernandez's "Old Girlfriend" sure was an odd ride in a field of hightech machines and big money teams, but the old car sure was fast, powering the Mexican driver to his second consecutive Motegi victory on Saturday. "Not bad for a two-year-old sh*tbox" was the checkered flag quote of the day, uttered over the in-car radio by someone in Fernandez's crew and broadcast via the internet to Cart fans around the globe. At the same time, manyteam owners who paid hard currency for '99 cars were trying to digest what had just happened to their high tech cars...
The Ford-powered Tecate car that led 153 laps out of 201 was unusual indeed. It started as a '98 Reynard that was retired at the end of last season, only to be pressed into service at Homestead after a winter of troublesome testing with the '99 Swift. "Being in the '98 Reynard makes me feel like I am back with an old girlfriend," Fernandez noted in Miami. "You know what works and what doesn't."
Indeed, Fernandez and his old flame made a smashing couple at the first race of the season, qualifying second and running strong all race until a blown engine put them hard into the concrete wall.
Fernandez emerged from the Homestead crash unscathed, but his "girlfriend" wasn't so lucky, sustaining major damage. Preparing the car for Motegi required a makeover straight out of Young Frankenstein, meshing a '97 tub with '98 bodywork and a '99 suspension into a unique high-tech jalopy that was fast enough to qualify Fernandez in the fourth slot on Friday.
Qualifying for the Firestone-sponsored race was dominated by Gil de Ferran, who left cynics grumbling about "soft one-lap-wonder tires" as he took the pole position on Goodyears. The paddock expected Gil's trick tires to give out before the first pit stop, and in fact the race began in a haze of Goodyear smoke as Gil did a 360 coming out of the final parade lap turn. The ensuing yellow flag enabled him to restore his pole position for the lap three restart, and he led the first 26 laps.
"The car was good until Lap 25, when we started to go loose," Gil told reporters after the race. " I had a massive moment coming out of Turn 4 and I started to go backwards in a hurry." Mauricio Gugelmin took over the lead as Gil slowed, and Gil finally departed fifth place for the pits on lap 38, emerging with new Goodyears in 23rd . For the second consecutive race Gil charged up through the ranks, finishing second and defying those who speculated that Goodyear had fielded a qualifying-oriented tire that wouldn't last come race day.
Gugelmin led from lap 27 until heading for the pits on lap 47, which passed the lead to Fernandez. Gugelmin's rear brakes locked up before his stop, and heran over an air hose, barely missing crew members. The penalty for the air hose put him lap down. For the restof the race he kept working his way back up in the standings, but he was out of contention for the win.
As the race progressed, fuel strategy became a crucial factor and the Old Girlfriend daintily sipped methanol. Chip Ganassi's new driver Juan Montoya emerged from a lap 91 pit stop in second place, and began threatening Fernandez with a dogfight for the lead around lap 130.
"The strongest challenge I had all day was from Montoya," Fernandez said. "I was extremely lean trying to stretch my pit window again. I could defend Montoya at any time if I could use more fuel. He was full fuel and you could see that."
Montoya attacked on lap 139, making it three wide as Fernandez attempted to pass the slower car of Alex Barron. Barron was left in the dust, Montoya pulled alongside Fernandez, and then, the unthinkable happened: Montoya ran out of gas. You heard that right: in the middle of the race the triple-championship winning Target Ganassi Racing team let their driver run out of gas.
The yellow flag came out immediately thereafter, due to an unrelated debris condition on the track. Team Ganassi's suffering was compounded by the fact that their other driver Jimmy Vasser had pitted under green just one lap earlier, along with Tony Kanaan, Max Papis and Paul Tracy. The other leaders all pitted under yellow on lap 143, and the subsequent scoreboard showed Fernandez still leading, followed by Greg Moore, Michael Andretti, Christian Fittipaldi and Gil de Ferran.
Much of the day's most exciting action occurred in the pits, the scene of countless miscues. The race was plagued by transmission problems, the most spectacular being that of Scott Pruett's Pioneer-sponsored Reynard, which lurched forward on its own accord during a lap 106 pit stop, ripping out the fuel hose and igniting a major methanol fire.
Pruett: "The car took off, and fuel went everywhere. There was something wrong with the clutch, because it didn't respond right. I'm glad everyone in the pit is okay." Pruett was pulled unhurt out of his burning car by one of the neighboring Penske crew members, as multiple crews, officials and safety workers pitched in with fire extinguishers and buckets.
The final phase of the race was a fuel conservation contest, as teams wondered if another yellow would enable them to run the final 58 laps without a splash-and-go. The race ran green through lap 190, at which point teams began worrying about running dry and headed for the pits. One of the first drivers to come in was Michael Andretti, who stunned the crowd by stalling the engine as his car came of the jacks, just like he did at Homestead.
Andretti: "First gear broke on us on that last pit stop and it cost us [finishing] second. As it ended up we could have won if the race would have gone all green at the end. It's not often that you break a gearbox. At least this time it was not my fault."
Meanwhile, Max Papis suffered a rear tire blowout leaving the pits, limped back around the course and spun at the pit entry, blocking pit lane and bringing out the yellow flag on lap 193. Three laps later Moore, de Ferran and Fittipaldi pitted from positions 2-4, leaving Fernandez alone among the leaders yet to pit.
Fernandez: "The most difficult part of the race was at the end trying to decide whether or not we should stay out. It was John Ward and Steve Newey's call and they made the right call. I didn't want to see my (fuel) numbers. It was terrible. It was just bad. I didn't think there was any way we were going to make it. Eventually with three laps to go they told me to back off and I was running at half throttle and just coasting through the corners"
As the entire ESPN broadcasting crew gave up hope on Fernandez making it to the finish on fumes, Greg Moore spun on lap 199, bringing out a final yellow flag that would last until the end of the race, causing a final caution period. Fernandez limped around the track in his old car, completing the fuel economyexhibition. The determined de Ferran finished second, followed by Fittipaldi, Moore, Andretti, Kanaan, Gugelmin, and Robby Gordon.
As the action shifts to Long Beach California next Sunday for the first street circuit of the young season, expect Fernandez to compete in his '99 Swift. But after tasting sweet victory with his Old Girlfriend, how will Fernandez farewith the replacement?