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CART: Fernandez Ready for More Wins in 1999

23 February 1999

1998 can only be described as a breakout year for Adrian Fernandez. In his first season with Patrick Racing, he tallied wins in Japan and Mid-Ohio and captured his first career pole at Michigan. Throughout he season, he captured points in 15 of 19 events for a total of 154 PPG Cup points, more than double his previous career best of 71. Fernandez capped off the season by finishing a career-best fourth place in the points.

After capturing his first CART victory at Toronto in 1996, Adrain was saddled with the problems inherent with the Lola chassis in 1997 while driving for Tasman Motorsports. Despite that handicap, Adrian earned a season-best third-place finish at California Speedway to close out the 1997 season.

In 1991 Adrian captured the International Formula 3 Championship in only his second season in the series. He moved to the PPG Firestone Indy Lights series in 1992 and had a record setting season with four victories while earning the "Rookie of the Year" award. In 1993 he joined Galles Racing for five races and then ran the dull CART seasons in '94 and '95 for the team finishing as high as 12th in the points. In 1996 he moved to Tasman and became the first Mexican driver to win a race since 1982. He again finished 12th in the points.

Adrian competed in his first race, the 24 Hours of Mexico, at age 15. He was named "Rookie of the Year" in the Formula Vee class of the Marlboro Cup Series of Mexico. He won the series championship the next two years. In 1987, Adrain left Mexico to race in Europe where he won numerous races and poles in the British RAC Championship, Formula Ford Festival, and the Esso Formula Ford 1600 Championships.

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