News

NHRA Champion: Megan Meyer

May 26, 2025

No stranger to the life in the fast lane, Megan Meyer grew up at the drag strip since day 1 watching and learning as her dad, Randy Meyer, chased the NHRA series. Megan worked as the marketing, photographer, and a top-end and bottom-end mechanic for the family-owned Top Alcohol Dragster, where she learned the techniques of the race car as well as what it takes to acquire sponsorships, leading her down the path of motorsports marketing.

Photo courtesy Megan Meyer – https://randymeyerracing.com/megan-meyer/

After earning a degree in graphic design while racing with her little sister at their local dragstrip on weekends after class, Megan competed in a full-time capacity for the Randy Meyer Racing Team driving one of their NHRA dragsters where she had an incredible season earning rookie and driver of the year before winning the 2019 and 2020 world championship and re-setting the oldest track record in the NHRA.

Watch the livestream

In this episode of ‘Screen to Speed,’ powered by INIT eSports, host Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya talks to Megan Mayer, a two-time NHRA World Champion drag racer. Megan shares her experiences growing up in a racing family, her early memories, and how she became a professional drag racer and setting a track record during the COVID-19 pandemic. Megan also delves into her transition from full-time racing to focusing on marketing and family life. She now runs the Motor Sports Marketing Tips Agency, helping racers with marketing, graphic design, and securing sponsorships. The discussion covers the uniqueness of drag racing, the importance of finding the right sponsors, and her upcoming plans. Megan’s insights highlight the evolving role of women in motorsports and strategies for aspiring racers. So buckle up – Screen to Speed starts now!

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Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

00:00 Meet Megan Meyer: Two-Time NHRA World Champion
01:12 Megan’s Early Racing Memories
02:38 Going Pro and Winning Championships
20:22 Balancing Racing and Personal Life
22:35 Marketing Tips for Racers
26:57 Women in Drag Racing
29:27 Advice for New Drag Racers
30:48 Megan’s Future Plans and Where to Find Her
32:45 Closing Remarks and Sponsor Messages

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Welcome to Screen to Speed, powered by Init eSports. In this podcast, we dive into the journeys of remarkable individuals making waves in sim racing and bridging the virtual with the real. From the thrill of digital circuits to the roar of real life racetracks, we explore the passion, dedication, and innovation that drives the world of motor sports.

We’ll hear from athletes, creators, and pioneers sharing their stories, insights, and the powerful ways sim racing is connecting communities and creating pathways into motor sports. So buckle up Screen to speed starts now.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Hi everyone. Welcome to Init Talks. Uh, happy to see everybody here. We got, uh, wonderful Megan Mayer, uh, tonight with us. Uh, she’s a two time in each [00:01:00] our. A world champion. Uh, welcome, Megan. Thank you so much for taking your time and being with us today.

Megan Meyer: Yeah. Thank you for having me on. I’m excited to be here.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah. So let’s start, you literally just, uh, grow up, uh, as a drag racer, you know, from your childhood. So, uh, tell me about your earliest memories and how you actually get and all this, uh, things started for you.

Megan Meyer: Yeah, so I was born into it, uh, since day one. My dad was racing, um, and he got started when he was a kid with, uh, his oldest brother.

So, um, and I have a little sister, so we’re second generation drag racers. And, um, yeah, like I just instantly loved it, you know, grew up at the racetrack, watching my dad drive. Um, my sister and I would help him work on the cars whenever he needed help. Uh, you know, the race shop was just our garage, so, you know, we’d [00:02:00] spend nights and weekends out there working.

Um, and then when I was 10 years old, we got a junior dragster, which is what the kids can race. And um, my sister got one as well.

Crew Chief Brad: And yeah, we

Megan Meyer: just loved it. It was so much fun. Even now, all the experience that I have, I still think that racing as a kid was the most fun that I’ve ever had with racing. Um, and just, you know, learning as you go, of course, you know, there’s a lot of bad times and you don’t win every single race unfortunately.

Um, but yeah, it’s still so much fun. Um, and then from there, I just worked my way up through the ranks as I got older. And then in 2016. Teen was when I, uh, decided we went pro with it. Um, and just with my dad’s team and my dad’s car, and so he stepped out. He’s no longer driving. I got to. Step in and drive the car.

And I did it, uh, full-time for five years [00:03:00] and that’s when we won the two championships. And, um, we’ve, we had a really successful career with it. Um, and so now I just race part-time. I just go for fun. I don’t do any competition anymore. Mm-hmm. Um, but yeah, just still try to, still try to have that competitive side with it when I can.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Uh, definitely when you’re in childhood, you got really bright, uh, memories. Yeah. And, uh, bright experience, uh, can agree with you in this. Uh, can you tell me more, uh, about the, the first race, which you did, and, uh, what emotions you get and, uh, what actually, uh, the most exciting thing, uh, for you in drag racing?

Yeah,

Megan Meyer: I do remember like my very first race that I did, um. And I, I remember it because I got second place at my first race, and then I won the second race, which they were back to [00:04:00] back. Um, but that’s only because there was like very little cars that actually showed up. So I didn’t have like many cars to beat.

Um, but yeah, so instantly, you know, I’ve just hooked because I, I started off so well with it. Um, and yeah, I feel like we had, you know, did pretty good with it. Um, I also remember, I. With the car that I raced professionally, which is called Top Alcohol Dragster. I do remember the first race that I did with that.

Um, it was actually 2015, so I know I said 2016. Um, but the year before we were, for actually a few years, we were going through the whole licensing process and what it takes, um, ’cause you have to be able to go a certain speed on the track before NHRA will. Let you come race. So we were just taking our time with that because at that time I was in college and um, you know, my dad and I agreed that I wouldn’t race until I was done with school and got that outta the way.

And so we took our time [00:05:00] with it. Um, but actually the summer before I graduated, ’cause I, I graduated in December, um, the summer before, he let me do two races and they’re just the ones that were closest to home. But it was cool because my dad also, those were his like, last two races and I didn’t know that at the time.

Mm-hmm. Um, I thought my dad would keep driving, um, but I didn’t know he was gonna completely step away from it. But it was just cool because I got to race. Um, with my dad, we didn’t actually get to race against each other. Mm-hmm. Um, ’cause we do a ladder system and, um, so we weren’t in the same brackets, but if we both would’ve made it to the final round, we would’ve met.

Um, but I fell out early. He did make it to the finals, but, um mm-hmm. I didn’t make it that far, but yeah. So it’s cool, like to be able to, that’s the only time I’ve ever got to three. With like, alongside my dad. Um, [00:06:00] so yeah, it’s just cool to have that memory even though, you know, we didn’t win the race or anything like that, but, but yeah, it’s just, you know, I love doing it with my family.

I haven’t raced with another team. I’ve been fortunate enough for, um, we have built up a good business with the race team, so we are able to sustain it. Um, and I know that’s not always the case and it, it’s very hard. Um, and that’s where having good sponsors. Come in, really help students. Um, but we also have amazing work on the curve that us good cars to go and compete and race with.

Uh, it’s just, it’s, it’s a lot of fun. Uh, there’s a lot of downtime ’cause of drag racing. It’s super fast for short of time. It’s just everybody’s just tinkering. Trying to find that, you know, one little thing we can do just to make the cars go faster the next time. Because with drag racing, it’s all about speed and you wanna be the first to the finish line, and everybody’s trying to [00:07:00] just find that that perfect tune up and the perfect parts to be able to make it go faster.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s really cool that you had opportunity to race, uh, with your dad together. I think it’s a, you know, really warm, uh, moment for you. I remember that race, uh, with my dad in Kar when I started. I was, uh, like in the, uh, junior class he was in, do. Class and, uh, we’ve been on track together. That was really fun, uh, for us.

I know that you weren’t just a driver, so you, uh, worked as mehan and a photographer also. So can you tell me more about this and, uh, how this actually influenced into your, uh, racing career?

Megan Meyer: Yeah, yeah. So growing up when my dad raced, um, ’cause back then it was just a part-time thing, more of a hobby for him.

Um, it wasn’t. Actually a business, but we did have a couple partners and, um, so I had to learn marketing. I had to learn how to take [00:08:00] his pictures and videos and how to write up press releases and send our results to our partners and friends and family that wanna keep up to date. And this was before we had social media.

Uh, we had a website. But that was it. And so I had to see the website after every race. And then, um, yeah, and then also we have to work on the cars too. And so my sister really, uh, grew to like part of it. So she went on to be, she’s a mechanical engineer. And, uh, anytime she comes to the racetrack, she wants to work on the car.

She doesn’t want to do anything else. Whereas I took the side of the marketing role, the business side of it. Mm-hmm. The admin side. And so, yeah, so like we compliment each other really well, but we definitely don’t cross over and we can’t do the other referrals job. Um, but yeah, so yeah, so that’s just where I, I fell in love with.

The marketing, branding, um, social media. ’cause then that, you know, [00:09:00] came later on. Uh, yeah, I love all that side of it. And, uh, graphic design, doing our shirts and, and videos and all that type of stuff. I find that fun.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s really cool. So you actually help your, your sister. It’s, it’s really nice, uh, the, the whole family in this, uh, racing.

It’s really cool. Um, yeah. Can you tell me more about, uh, how you fell in love with, uh, graphic design and, uh, what are you doing, uh, right now in, uh, in this.

Megan Meyer: Yeah. So, um, I really didn’t know anything about graphic design or really anything about marketing. It was just like kind of what I learned working with my dad and just what I heard from what other people were doing. And, uh, so it really wasn’t till I got to college, I was able to, my first graphic arts class, um, ’cause they didn’t have that in the high school that I went to.

’cause we went to a really small school. And so yeah, I went to college knowing nothing about it, but I knew [00:10:00] that I wanted to learn graphic design ’cause I knew it is something that can help out with the race team. That was my whole purpose. Um, yeah, it actually, it led to, um, uh, this, that I have now. I just did this stuff for our own team.

Um, but then a couple of friends would be like, Hey, can you make us a card or Can you make us a t-shirt design, or, mm-hmm. Can you help me with social media? And so then I just was doing freelance work on the side, and I did that for, I. Oh gosh. Um, I think like five, six years. And then after that, um, you know, after working with a bunch of clients and, and it was just growing year after year and working with a couple other local businesses, um, too.

Um, then 2019, uh, was when I decided to get into more of the educational mm-hmm. Part of it and do more. Coaching and consulting. So that’s my main focus [00:11:00] now. Um, I’ve started up the Motor Sports Marketing Tips Agency and so we do both. Um, we focus on the graphic design, the marketing needs. Anything that I.

A driver or a race team needs, um, to help promote their brand or build their brand. Um, I wanna offer all those services, but then also if they need help with social media management or, um, help with their content, or if they need help and advice with how to get sponsors, um, we also offer that site as well.

So my dream one day is to have, um, a company where it can just be a one stop shop where. Any type of racer can come and we can help ’em with anything that they need.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm. It’s a really nice goal, I think, um, because, uh, definitely the social medias is so, are so important, uh, nowadays and, uh, for drivers to find their sponsors to go in, uh, [00:12:00] racing career.

Uh, let’s jump back a little bit to, how was it for you to be. Uh, the rookie of the year and, uh, win, uh, two championships.

Megan Meyer: Yeah. Oh, that was so much fun. Um, my rookie year, I won one race, um, which is awesome. But, you know, we went to a lot of other races and, and we actually had a really bad year. Um, I, we blew up five motors, which we haven’t done that. And a really long time before that or after that, thankfully. Um, but yeah, we just, we went through a lot of parts that year, had a lot of damage.

Um, but. You know, it’s just so cool because I was nominated to be the rookie driver of the year, and um, so, you know, it’s just really honored to get an award like that. Um, even though we didn’t win that many races, um, but still we had, we had a lot of fun doing it. Um, and then. And then like, fast forward a few [00:13:00] years winning the championship.

Um, it’s just, it’s cool to look back and see how much you’ve grown and changed over the years, even though we’re always just like, go, go, go. And, you know, we’re doing the same thing every single weekend, but you, you know, you learn, you get faster at some things, you get more efficient and, um, and then, yeah, like just as a driver, like just learning, um.

I know, I like, think of it like just, you know, just like putting walls up and not trying to let emotions get to you. Um, not trying to let another competitor try to mess me up, like just get in the zone. Mm-hmm. And do my job. And do the exact same thing every single time because when the driver’s consistent, the tuner and the crew can make changes on the car and the motor mm-hmm.

And the tuneup to work around the driver. Um, and it’s like [00:14:00] one thing now that we really try to focus on, um, ’cause now with my dad’s team, we have a lot of new drivers that come in and we coach ’em. And we train ’em. And, uh, usually they stay with us for a few years and then they move on to other classes. Um, yeah.

So we just try to make, like, teach them, Hey, you just need to be deadly consistent. Mm-hmm. Every single time. So that way it’s everybody else’s job easier.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm. So actually just, uh, like in road racing or in oval, like everywhere. Uh, can you tell me more because I’m curious, uh, about drag racing. Uh. The, the reaction I think is also really important.

Yeah. And you have to do this, uh, consistently. Uh, so how the, the training actually looks for the driver who’s coming to the drag racing.

Megan Meyer: Yeah. So it’s, I. It’s funny because it’s very little training, um, with drag racing, really, it’s just all about seat time. Um, and, and [00:15:00] it’s all about your mental strength mm-hmm.

As well. Um, because like I was saying, like you, like you, you can’t let outside sources affect you once you’re inside the car. And so yeah. With drag racing, the driver’s most important job is to have a really good reaction time and, and cut a light when. It goes from yellow to green and um, you just got to train yourself to stare at the light bulb and see like, when it starts to fade out.

’cause that’s when you wanna step on the gas. Mm-hmm. And, um, yeah, it’s, it’s really hard to train for that though. So I will use, uh, blaze pods, which are these pods that light up. And then there’s an app on your phone that you can set like different sequences so you don’t know, which. Gonna light up. So you gotta tap the one that does.

Um, I like to use those. But, um, and, you know, it helps sharpen your skill, but there’s nothing that compares to actually being in a car while it’s [00:16:00] running. Mm-hmm. Having, you know, the vibrations, your heart is racing, um, you know, you might be stressed out, you got adrenaline pumping. Um. And, you know, you’re worried about beating someone else.

Like, there’s just nothing that compares to when you’re in that zone. Um, so we really, like in drag racing, there’s really not much practicing or training that you can do. Um, you know, you just need to be overall fit and healthy. Um, but other than that, honestly, it’s just about getting as much seat time as you can.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: So just, uh, to get used to the speed and, uh, vibrations and everything and be actually focus on only on the car and only on lights, uh, to, to do everything in time, right? Mm-hmm.

Megan Meyer: Yeah. Yeah. And with drag racing, you only got one shot. Mm-hmm. So if you mess up, then you lose, um, there’s not another lap that you can do, you can’t restart three.

So yeah, you’ve just gotta. [00:17:00] A hundred percent every single time you get into the car. ’cause you only get one shot.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm. Uh, so talking about, uh, this one shot, so you’re breaking in, longstanding and then Shere, uh, track record. So tell me more about this. How’d that feel? And, uh, what did you do in this day?

Yeah.

Megan Meyer: Yeah. So that was, um, during one of the biggest races of the year. It’s like our Super Bowl race that we go to. Uh, but then also it was during COVID and so, mm-hmm. You know, it’s kind of. Like we were in the later half of the season. Um, but still, you know, everybody’s gotta wear masks. We gotta all stand apart.

There’s not very many fans there. Um, and so, you know, it’s just different being at the track when it’s like that. Uh, but yeah, we just, we ended up having like the absolute perfect conditions with. Weather with the track, with how the [00:18:00] car was set up. Um, and thankfully Driver did her job and didn’t mess up.

Um, yeah, it was during eliminations and I had no idea. Um, like I know obviously we try to set the car up to be as fast as possible, but that was, uh, very like. A lot more speed than what we normally do. And so I, you know, I, I just didn’t see it coming. Uh, and honestly, I didn’t know exactly how fast we went until I was able to get off the track.

And then what we do is we have time slips that are printed. And so the guys, whenever the crew guys come from the starting line to where we’re at, at the very end of the track, they pick up that time slip. And bring it to the driver at the end. So I have to just sit there and wait. I don’t know what my time was like.

I know I won because I can see the wind light. Um, but I don’t know how fast I went or anything of the details of the race. [00:19:00] And also it was. Very laid out. So a lot of the track staff had already left and gone home. Um, there wasn’t any like TV crew there like, ’cause there was already, I believe there was like, like a rainstorm that came in so everything got pushed back and so a lot of people left and so, yeah.

So there wasn’t very many people at the track. And then we just like set the world record and then there’s like nobody there to see it. So thankfully, you know, there was like a little bit of, you know, people recording on their phones and stuff like that. Uh, but yeah, it’s just like, I didn’t believe it because the car fell fast, but it, it didn’t feel like it was like a crazy amount faster.

Mm-hmm. Um, I just knew it was longer to run. So once they told me. The record is 5 0 9 and um, and yeah, we’re just like, what? Like no idea. So yeah, we had, we had a good celebration that night, but couldn’t stay up too late because we still had to keep [00:20:00] racing the next day.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm. That’s

Megan Meyer: nice, but which we did end up winning, so, which was awesome.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Oh, it’s, it’s, it’s really cool that, uh, everybody like, okay, we’re going home. And you set the world record at the time and, uh, yeah, that’s, uh, yeah,

all. I think after this. Uh, so you won two, uh, championships and you decided to stay step away from racing and, uh, focus on marriage and motherhood. Um, how was it to make this, uh, decision for you? Was it hard to, to like, uh, stop racing and, uh, do different thing for you? Mm-hmm. Yeah, it honestly was

Megan Meyer: not a hard decision, which I know, kind.

Um, but I was just getting burnt out on all the traveling, um, you know, media sponsor stuff, all this stuff. It just takes a toll on you when you’re doing it just [00:21:00] nonstop. And this was five years in with my. Professional career, but total it was like, um, I think it was like 15, maybe more years that I had been racing nonstop.

And so I was ready for a break. Um, and then, yeah, like trying to have a serious relationship at home when you’re gone all the time is really hard trying to date long distance. And so, um, I, you know. For the sake of our relationship that I needed to be home, I needed to step away from racing. And at the time I was just, you know, I was ready to take a break.

And, um, so yeah, so it wasn’t a hard decision for me and, um, I don’t regret it at all. We’ve got, I. An amazing family and, um, but yeah, so we’re just slowly trying to get back into it. But like I said, I’m not doing anything super competitive. Mm-hmm. Um, just the like really fun races that we go to. Um, the guys let me hop back in the car when I can.[00:22:00]

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah. You know, it’s really nice that you, uh, decided to change your focus and you actually take it easy, uh, because for some people, you know, to stop racing and do something different, like jump into motherhood or like. Some other stuff as well. Uh, it can be really hard decision, uh, because, uh, this is what you’re doing the whole life Yes.

From childhoods and, uh, it’s really nice that you decided that, okay, like I, I can do this. And, uh, then you just jump into marketing and, uh, and doing it right now. Um, so can you tell me, uh, yeah, as we’re talking about the marketing, uh, what the biggest mistakes which you see, uh, drivers doing to not reach their sponsors and teams as well.

So what they actually can make, uh, better, uh, to bring, uh, those important sponsors into their, uh, careers.

Megan Meyer: Mm-hmm. [00:23:00] Yeah. Well, there’s, there’s a lot. Um, but really it’s all about your strategy. And so, um, most racers think that they can offer, you know, hey, most companies just want the exposure and the advertisement, and that’s really not the case anymore.

Um. Advertising is really cheap right now, and so if a company wants an advertisement, well they could go and get it themselves somewhere. Mm-hmm. Whether that’s on, you know, social media or. Traditional or TV or streaming or anything like that, there’s a lot of different avenues and it’s pretty cheap. So, um, you know, back in the day that was the case, but that’s really not the case right now.

And so adver, the advertising part of it, um, has really decreased in value. But what’s more important is the relationships that you build. Mm-hmm. Um, networking, being able to actually be an extension of a company’s marketing departments and not just [00:24:00] advertise for them. So trying to sell their products, going to events that they don’t normally go to, try to sample.

Products, um, anything like that. And, um, the biggest challenge that I see with racers is that they’re, you know, they’re struggling with that, but then also they’re not reaching out to the right companies either. Mm-hmm. Um, sometimes it’s, Hey, you see this company sponsor another racer, and you think, oh, well.

They’ve got money to sponsor them. They should have money to sponsor me. Um, but you don’t know exactly why they sponsored that racer, you might think. Mm-hmm. Oh, you know, they just wanted the advertising. Or maybe it’s just a friend or something like that, but some, something deeper and there might actually be a business deal going on there as well.

So. There’s not a, a company’s got gonna be the perfect fit for every racer that’s out there. So you need to find the ones that are the perfect fit for [00:25:00] you. And, um, actually I’m gonna be hosting a free event where I’m gonna teach racers about this, and so I haven’t, I. Told anyone about this yet, so you’re one of the first ones to know.

Um, but yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s a prospecting challenge that I’m gonna host and I’ll work with you. It’s five long event, um, just virtually. And so we’ll meet every day just for a couple minutes and I’ll help. Work with the racers and, um, show them exactly, hey, these, these are the steps that you should follow to find those right companies first, because it’s a lot easier when you find maybe 10, 20, 30 companies that would, would be a really good fit.

Mm-hmm. Versus trying to reach out to a hundred different companies that they’re never gonna get back to you. Right. Mm-hmm.

Challenge, it’s totally free to do. It’s just gonna be on Zoom and then we have a Facebook group [00:26:00] with it as well. But if anyone wants more information, um, they can just go to motorsports marketing tips.com/challenge and all the information is there and they can register for free there if they want to.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: It’s nice. Uh, so guys, don’t forget to join this and, uh. Gain some new experience, uh, new skills, uh, for your, uh, career. Um, yeah, I think that, uh, you know, reaching big companies with big names, it can be really hard sometimes. And, uh, as you said, yeah, you, you can reach like 20, 30, uh, companies and it will be like.

Better and, uh, more effective, uh, by the end of the day. And, um, I think I agree with you. And also we can see in nascar, for example, we can see that on cars, uh, a lot of, uh, little sponsors. Yeah. And, uh, I think it’s, uh, really working well. Um. Speaking about, uh, being the [00:27:00] female, uh, drag racer, uh, in this industry.

So how do you feel? Do you feel any pressure, anything like this on you to being the women, uh, in this one?

Megan Meyer: So there’s really not that much in drag racing. And I think that’s because it’s just become more normal mm-hmm. To have female drivers against the males. And it’s just been happening for a lot longer than it has in other motor sports. So, um, I feel like drag racing does have kind of that advantage over other sports, but you know, we lack in some other areas.

Um, but yeah, it’s just, I’ve. I’ve been able to watch so many amazing women race mm-hmm. Before me and stuff. And um, yeah. I just see it growing more and more each day and it’s really cool to especially see little girls that are getting into it and it’s like, oh yeah. Like I was, I was a little girl, you know, just getting into racing one day and so, [00:28:00] yeah.

So we always try to encourage ’em. Um. But what’s awesome is the males that we race against, there’s not too much, um, you know, prejudice against us. Like they do kind of treat us like they’re allies or like we’re equal competitors because we know it’s more about the car that you’re driving versus the driver that’s in the car.

Mm-hmm. Um, and so, yeah, so like. Performance is all about the car. Um, you know, the driver of course has to do their job and get a good reaction time, but other than that, like the car’s doing all the work. So, um, so yeah, so I feel like there’s not too much, um, you know, we’re not treated very differently. Um, whereas like I, I know in other motorsports that’s not the case.

Mm-hmm. And so, yeah, I feel like. With drag racing, uh, we’re just kind of have had that, um, for a longer time to be able to get to where we are now.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: I think there’s a goal for like road [00:29:00] racing and for ovals and, uh, the rest, uh, racing categories to reach this level to, um, have girls like on the same level as, uh, as boys.

And, uh, here’s no difference, like, uh. That we can be equal in this. And that’s really cool that it’s happening already in drag racing. Um, so probably we gotta hope for other racing categories as well. Um, yeah. So what advice, uh, would you give to, uh, anyone who’s entering the drag racing from your side to Yeah.

Um, good

Megan Meyer: question. Um. I would say for someone that’s new, um, you know, don’t, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Um, really everyone at the track is usually really friendly and can help you out. Um, whether you need parts or equipment, you know, anything like that. I feel like, [00:30:00] um, you know, we’re all pretty open and, and willing to help new people.

Um. But also I would say like. Yeah, I mean, just like, you know, you find your group and um, you stick together and help each other out. And, uh, it’s, you know, it’s funner when you’re racing with friends and you’ve got your group, your community there at the racetrack versus when you’re alone. ’cause um, I have tried to step out into other motor sports and I have felt alone and.

Lost and didn’t know what I was doing and it didn’t stick with it. So, um, so yeah, so just being able to like find that group that you, um, really connect with can be super helpful, um, for when you’re starting out and for longevity.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s really nice. Um, and, uh, can you tell me about your plans for this year and upcoming years and also where our viewers can find you online and, uh, also jump [00:31:00] into your courses and, uh, like communicate with you in social medias?

Megan Meyer: Yeah. Yeah. Well I have done one race this year, which was, um, two weeks ago. And then I will be doing, um, two more races later on this summer. Um, so I’m very excited for that. And then, um, my little sister is going to come and compete with me, which she has had a few years off ’cause she’s also. Pursued marriage and motherhood uhhuh.

And so this will be her first time coming back in a few years. So excited to have her back. But also, um, she, it’s funny, like she’s my favorite person to race against because we do a lot of mind games and like, you know, we’re always trying to mess each other up as much as we can. And so it makes it like fun and competitive.

Mm-hmm. Even though. And then it’s like, you know, someone loses at the end of the day and then it’s like they’re all pissy and you know, then you gotta [00:32:00] deal with. That. But um, but yeah, so it’s, it’s fun. Um, yeah, so we’ll be doing that this summer and then, uh, yeah, anyone can find me on Instagram and Facebook at Megan Meyer Racing, and then you can go to, um, Motorsports Marketing Tips is also on Instagram and Facebook, and I like to, I try to do as much as I can there, just giving out free advice.

Whether it’s about social media or marketing or sponsorships. So you can check out the videos and posts that I have there. And then on my website I have a blog. Um, we also have templates and courses there. Um, so yeah, so just depending on where you need help with, um, you know, hopefully we have something that could help out the racers.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Hmm. Awesome. Amazing. Uh, thank you so much Megan, for being with us. Uh, you’re absolutely amazing. I wish you good luck in your, uh, marketing way and, uh, to help other drivers to grow in the drag racing. Uh, thank you so much. [00:33:00] Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It’s been great. Really appreciate it. Yeah, guys, thank you so much watching.

Uh, we’ll see you next time. Thank you. Bye-bye.

Crew Chief Brad: Innate eSports focuses on SIM racing events in digital tournaments. They bring eSports content to fans and sponsorship opportunities to brands while maximizing audience reach across multiple sports industries and platforms. eSports is a woman-led company where diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility is in their DNA and their platform aims to combat bullying and cheating to help make the eSports world as safe and fair as possible.

To learn more, be sure to log onto www.initesports.gg or follow them on social media at init eSports. Join their discord, check out their YouTube channel, or follow their live content via switch.

Crew Chief Eric: This episode has been brought [00:34:00] to you by Grand Touring Motorsports as part of our Motoring Podcast network.

For more episodes like this, tune in each week for more exciting and educational content from organizations like The Exotic Car Marketplace, the Motoring Historian, break Fixx, and many others. If you’d like to support Grand Touring Motor Sports and the Motoring Podcast Network, sign up for one of our many sponsorship tiers at www.patreon.com/gt Motorsports.

Please note that the content, opinions and materials presented and expressed in this episode are those of its creator, and this episode has been published with their consent. If you have any inquiries about this program, please contact the creators of this episode via email or social media as mentioned in the episode.

Megan stepped away from the driving duties to pursue marriage and a pregnancy and has since returned to the cockpit as a part-time driver. She instills her passion for motorsports marketing by creating courses and trainings for race teams and drivers all over the world. She has helped hundreds improve their social media, branding, and acquire sponsorships.

Copyright INIT eSports. This podcast is now produced as part of the Motoring Podcast Network and can be found everywhere you stream, download or listen!

More Screen to Speed…

Dive into the journeys of remarkable individuals making waves in sim racing and bridging the virtual with the real. From the thrill of digital circuits to the roar of real-life racetracks, they explore the passion, dedication, and innovation that drives the world of motorsports. They hear from athletes, creators, and pioneers sharing their stories, insights, and the powerful ways sim racing is connecting communities and creating pathways into motorsports.

INIT eSports focuses on sim racing events and digital tournaments. They bring eSports content to fans and sponsorship opportunities to brands, while maximizing audience reach across multiple sports, industries, and platforms. INIT eSports is a woman-led company where Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility is in their DNA, and their platform aims to combat bullying and cheating to help make the eSports world as safe and fair as possible. To learn more, be sure to logon to www.initesports.gg today or follow them on social media @initesports, join their discord, check out their YouTube Channel, or follow their live content via Twitch.

At INIT eSports, founder and CEO Stefy Bau doesn’t just settle for the ordinary. She creates extraordinary experiences by producing thrilling online competitions and real-life events that transcend the boundaries of the eSports universe. And she’s here with us on Break/Fix to share her story, and help you understand why you need to get more involved in the world of eSports.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

When Fred Met Osca: A tale of two Maseratis

History of Motorsports

IMRRC

May 20, 2025

When Fred Met Osca: A tale of two Maseratis

In the annals of motorsports history, some stories lie tucked away, waiting for the right voice to revive them. Trevor Lister’s When Fred Met Osca is one such tale – an intricate study of two ambitious Indianapolis-bound Maserati’s that never quite made it to the Brickyard, but instead found purpose half a world away on the race circuits of New Zealand.

Photo courtesy of the Society of Automotive Historians

Fred Zambuca wasn’t just any racer – he was a post-war tinkerer, driven by the spirit of Kiwi ingenuity. Starting with surplus vehicles salvaged from his father’s yard, Fred built a racing legacy with unconventional tools: a DeSoto-based special gave way to a 1930s Maserati 6CM, and eventually two Maserati 8CLT machines originally constructed for Indianapolis 1950 but never raced.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

Fred’s journey culminated in a daring 1956 trip to Italy, returning with three exotic cars – including the elusive Indy-destined 8CLTs. Though plagued by chronic overheating issues and destined for obscurity, Fred gave them new life, launching his own Scuderia Zambuca on Kiwi soil.

One of the presentation’s most compelling revelations is Maserati’s approach to car identification. Instead of serializing chassis, the factory assigned identities based on engines—creating a unique naming tradition where the engine’s configuration defined the car. Take the 8CTF, for example:

8C: Eight cylinders
TF: Testa Fissa, or fixed cylinder heads

This approach muddled historical records but gave fascinating insight into Maserati’s manufacturing logic. Lister, alongside fellow historian Donald Capps, explores how these conventions complicate our understanding of surviving cars, especially when engines were swapped and re-serialized.

This presentation considers the short competition life of two cars intended to run at Indianapolis in 1950 that ended up in New Zealand six years later.

Spotlight

On leaving high school at the end of 1966, Trevor Lister was apprenticed to an engineering company that designed and built all types of materials handling equipment, along with road and farm vehicles. He was employed primarily in the drawing office, along with stints on fabrication and assembly in the workshop.

Lister entered the University of Canterbury on a Public Service Scholarship, graduating with a double degree in Physics and Mechanical Engineering. On graduation he worked in the Ministry of Transport in the setting and administration of Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This led to a secondment to a national research and development organization where he was responsible for research on a wider range of alternative motor vehicle fuels, and also to an International Consultancy in that area. On completion he returned to his foundational automotive design skills and motorsports hobby. In semi-retirement Lister took up teaching and tutoring pre-apprenticeship students in mathematics, and the science behind automotive engineering. In full retirement he took on the role of Classic Motor Racing Club of New Zealand newsletter editor.

Synopsis

This episode of The Logbook, our History of Motorsports series, delves into the brief racing history of two Maserati IndyCars brought to New Zealand and their identity issues. The presentation by Trevor Lister, narrated by Revel Arroway, follows Fred Zambuca and his family’s racing endeavors post-World War II. Initially racing with a DeSoto Special, Fred eventually acquired and raced two HCLT IndyCars. The episode discusses Fred’s modest racing success, the technical and historical conundrums related to the car engines, and the significant roles these cars played in both New Zealand and international motorsports. Finally, the episode touches on Trevor Lister’s extensive background in automotive design and his contributions to documenting motor racing history.

Follow along using the video version of the Slide Deck from this Presentation

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Breakfix’s History of Motorsports series is brought to you in part by the International Motor Racing Research Center, as well as the Society of Automotive Historians, the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argettsinger family.

Crew Chief Eric: When Fred Met Asuka by Trevor Lister This presentation considers the short competition life of two cars intended to run at Indianapolis in 1950 that ended up in New Zealand six years later.

In 1956, two brothers traveled to Italy intending to purchase a car to race back home. They returned with three, two IndyCars and a 1930s 6CM. The first part of this paper covers the modest racing history of these cars in New Zealand. The second explores an identity policy that popped up while exploring the role of the engines in setting the tipos and individual identities of these cars.

The policy did not set chassis numbers nor even give engine numbers. Rather, it set out to describe the features of the engine as used on a particular car, for instance, as it applied to the [00:01:00] 1938 8CTFs. The eight C part of the description tells us that there are eight cylinder engines and the TF bit that these particular engines had fixed cylinder heads taken together, we get an eight CTF car, but eight CTF is an engine description, not a car one, the conundrum to be explored in this presentation.

On leaving high school at the end of 1966, Trevor Lister was apprenticed to an engineering company that designed and built all types of materials handling equipment, along with road and farm vehicles. He was employed primarily in the drawing office, along with stints on fabrication and assembly in the workshop.

Trevor entered the University of Canterbury on a public service scholarship, graduating with a double degree in physics and mechanical engineering. On graduation, he worked in the Ministry of Transport in setting administration of motor vehicle safety standards. This led to a secondment to a national research and development organization where he was responsible for research on a wider range of alternative motor vehicle fuels and also an international consultancy in that area.

On completion, he returned to his [00:02:00] foundational automotive design skills and motor sports hobby. In semi retirement, Trevor took up teaching and tutoring pre apprenticeship students in mathematics and the science behind automotive engineering. In full retirement, he took on the role of classic motor racing club of New Zealand newsletter editor.

This presentation has been narrated on behalf of Trevor Lister by Revel Arroway from Your Listening to Radio Revel podcast. When

Revel Arroway: Fred Met Aska, Part 1. The Zambuca Family. Fred was the eldest of five brothers. Post World War II, he joined his father’s business trading from a yard beside their family home.

The yard included a large shed that contained war surplus army equipment, including trucks, cars, and motorcycles. When an itch to race came along, the shed contained the wherewithal to do so, in the form of a stripped out DeSoto that gave up its chassis and running gear to become a typical Kiwi special.

In time, it was replaced by [00:03:00] a string of obsolescent Maseratis, an HCM in 1953, and the two HCLT Indianapolis cars mentioned above. These two HCLT cars are the focus of this presentation.

Fred raced from 1950 to 1956 with modest success. The photos show the HCM and the DeSoto Special, caught mid spin with its prominent waterfall grille. Between Fred and its next owner, the DeSoto had a working career from 1951 to 1957. Not bad for a Kiwi Special. But by 1953, Fred was looking for something a little faster.

He had hoped to buy a New Zealand domiciled Alfa Romero Tipo B, but the car went elsewhere. So it wasn’t until the following year that he parted [00:04:00] company with the DeSoto, upgrading to a Maserati HCM, imported from England. Towards the end of 1954, Fred ran the HCM in the Australian Grand Prix, this on a road not previously used for racing.

A period race report described the HCM as being, quote, almost uncontrollable on the bumpy Queensland country back roads. Staying a little longer in Australia, Fred fared better on a smoother surface, setting a new Australian speed record of 158 miles per hour, 254 kilometers per hour, in the 8CM. Back in New Zealand, and now much better acquainted with the car, Fred qualified on the second row of the grid for the 1955 New Zealand Grand Prix.

A spin into the hay bales early on compromised his race, but he came home a creditable second. 7th, and the second New Zealander home, [00:05:00] when Fred met Oscar Part Two, Change in the Wind. Change was already at hand, with the local rear engine Coopers now showing an ability to compete with the older, but more powerful pre war machines.

More Coopers were on the way, but Fred chose a different path for his 1956 season. Where others went small, he went big, going for a more powerful version of the older breed. The HCM went to a new owner, and Fred went to Italy. He returned with three cars, and a plan to both race the cars himself, and to hire them out to others.

A Scuderia Zambuca, if you will. What was on offer in Italy was a pre war 6CM. and the two eight CLTs that had been built for use at Indianapolis in 1950, but couldn’t be [00:06:00] completed in time for that race. Fred and one of his brothers found them in a dark corner of the OSCA works while looking for suitable cars for their Scuderia.

Other accounts say the cars were at the Maserati factory in Modena. Maybe, maybe not. The Asuka brand was a path of retreat for the Maserati brothers following the expiration of their 10 year service agreement with the Orsi family. There are instances where the Maserati brothers took on upgrades and repairs to orphaned Maseratis, Bira’s 4.

5 liter Asuka being an example, but whichever workshop they were in Fred purchased both cars. These two orphaned cars have been dubbed as 8 C L T. They were commissioned by Francesco Roll for an attempt at the Indy 500 in 1950. However, the nominated driver, Farina, decided to focus [00:07:00] on the upcoming Formula One season instead.

It didn’t help that the cars were serial overheaters that couldn’t be modified and repaired in time for shipment to Indy. Accordingly, the cars never went beyond their 1950 test sessions, and still hadn’t turned a wheel in anger the five years since. So, when Fred took the cars on, he was taking a big gamble.

Their first race outing ever was at the January 1956 New Zealand Grand Prix, one for Fred, and the second for the Scuderia. The second car failed to qualify, with Fred on the third row of the grid. He lay 8th halfway through, at which point his car demonstrated that the problems that had prevented it running at Indianapolis were still in play.

Fred trailed home 12th, with the new owner of his older HCM claiming 8th place position. The overheating problem was handled by an [00:08:00] instruction to the Scuderia drivers to not exceed 4, 000 rpm. How very apt. The cars could easily run to 6500 RPM, at which point valve bounce would set in. Both cars still exist, one in the United States and the other in New Zealand.

Sadly, Fred Zambuca raced the cars only once, and then only one of them. In May 1956, he suffered a brain hemorrhage and died. Both cars were sold to Frank Schuter via Fred’s estate. One of them, car 3036, raced on, courtesy of Frank who acted as custodian for the cars, overhauling them both while squeezing in a half dozen or so of race entries with car 3036.

The last recorded race entry for car 3036 was in the 1961 New Zealand Grand Prix, after which it found a new owner in England, and is now in the United States. In due time, the second car, [00:09:00] 3037, found its way into Southwards Motor Museum, where it has rested since 1963, when Fred met Oskar, Part III, the 8 CTF family.

The Orsi family enabled the Maserati family Grand Prix race car development work to continue, resulting in the 1938 1939 HCTF, the eight cylinder, fixed head engine known as the HCTF, Was first named by the Orsi family who kept this arrangement throughout their manufacturer with engines identified as eight CTFs in 1938.

The HC bit tells us that these were eight cylinder cars and the TF bit tells us that their engines had cylinder heads fixed Test. The visa taken together, we get an eight [00:10:00] CTF car. Remember though, eight CTF is an engine description. Not a car description. First emerging in 1938, the HCTFs were well capable of taking on the German teams in terms of speed, but were unreliable when raced.

The first of them made its race debut in Tripoli in May 1938, and from that point on, this engine family, and its later progeny, can be split into three subgroups. Uh, keep in mind that the existing Formula One teams had been put on notice that from 1947 onwards, supercharged cars would be restricted to no more than 1, 500 cc, a stricture that essentially finished the eight CTF racing careers in Europe.

Little wonder, then, that a number of them ended up in the Americas, or elsewhere. The early eight CTFs, subgroup [00:11:00] one, three off. Two cars ran in Europe in 38, commonly identified as 30 30 and 30 31. Note that it was standard Maserati practice that engines set the identity of the cars into which they were fitted.

As noted earlier, the numbers in the letters of the eight CTFs tell us that we have cars carrying 30 31. Eight cylinder engines with integral cylinder heads, testa fissa, or fixed heads. So, 3030 and 3031 are, strictly speaking, engine numbers, not chassis numbers. Also note that the C, the F, and the T all relate to specific engine features, not chassis or running gear features.

The first two HCTFs found their way to Indianapolis in 1940 and stayed there for many a year. [00:12:00] Car 3032 had managed this trick a little earlier, but had been found on delivery to have cracked cylinder blocks. A replacement engine was provided, held to be engine 3033. If that be true, then we may have an identity point to explore.

The HCLs, subgroup 2, two off. The cars that went from Italy to Indianapolis in 1940 included an HCL driven by Raul Rigante, on his way home to Argentina. This car was identified as the Transcripts provided by Transcription Outsourcing, LLC. just in time to go into wartime storage. It later emerged in the hands of [00:13:00] Pascual Puopolo in the post war Temporada races from 1946 to 1952.

As an aside, Pascual was one of Fangio’s companions on the Auto Club of Argentina mission to the USA and Europe in 1949. A similar car, identified as the 3035 was entered by Scuderia Milano for Biloresi to run at Indianapolis, with some success in 1946. Returning to Italy, it later turned up driven by either Farina or Villoresi, or both, accounts vary, in the 1948 Temporada races.

In his 1961 autobiography, Fangio’s account of who drove what and where in 1948 places Villoresi in a Quote, 1500 cc, four cylinder Maserati and Farina in a quote, three liter four CLT. This firsthand [00:14:00] account places farina in the HCL and REI in a four CL. It also puts a fly in the ointment by quoting the T bit as part of the description for this car.

T for tubular. But again, Maserati practice was that engine numbers determined the identity of the car they were placed in, and the chassis number was the same as that of the engine. All in all, there is no ground for calling either of these cars anything other than HCTFs, as they have all the distinguishing engine features of the earlier cars.

The 1950 HCLTs, subgroup 3, Our two target cars make up the last group. They were built to run at Indianapolis in 1950, and intended to be driven by Farina and Roll, these two looking to take advantage of a new arrangement in Formula One by [00:15:00] which drivers placing at Indy also qualified for World Championship points.

But, these cars became no shows when overheating problems were encountered while testing the cars in Italy. Troubles that couldn’t be rectified in time for the cars to make the trip to the USA, after which they were tucked away either in the Maserati or Oscar workshops, accounts vary. There they stayed until Fred Zambuca and his brother took them back to New Zealand in early 1956.

They made their first ever race appearance in the 1956 New Zealand Grand Prix, identified as 3036 and 3037. These two cars were the final iteration of the underlying 8CTF design. Their engines were built from two 4CLT units end on end, with fixed cylinder heads and four valves per cylinder, this time in a scaled up 4CL chassis with a dose of extra wheelbase to hold it all in.

[00:16:00] Hence, 8CLT describes the New Zealand cars. Here again, as they have all of the distinguishing engine features of the earlier cars, There is no ground for calling these cars anything other than HCTFs.

Postscripts. Fun times following engines. A few years ago, Trevor Lister and Donald Capps took a good hard look at the processes used at Maserati when identifying their race cars. This work was directed specifically at the 1950s Maserati 250F Grand Prix cars, but their findings also held good when applied to other Tipos, including Maserati, that is, 1928.

Put simply, the cars were identified according to the engines that went into them, not their chassis identification. Further, when a car received a new or replacement engine, the car was re identified according to the number of the [00:17:00] replacement engine, not the original engine. engine. Trevor and Don’s work on the 250Fs is available on request.

It then occurred to them that the car identifications quoted in the available histories were as much the gift of the commentators as of the factory that made them. Below is a straightforward example of this, illustrating what happened at Maserati when the identification tags were handed out.

Postscript 1, a bit of calibration. In 1934, Maserati began manufacture of a new design of six cylinder race cars. These were assembled on the existing chassis of the 8CM. If the chassis number was set in the car ID, then these new hybrid cars would carry identities in the 8CM sequence, but not so. The six cylinder engines in these cars set the identity of these cars, not their [00:18:00] brand new 8CM chassis.

These days, we call these cars 6CMs, that is, six cylinder engines. Monopostos. A caution. The 6CMs referenced above had engines quite different in character from those of the 8CMs from whence they got their chassis. That is, they had six cylinders rather than eight and a displacement beginning at 3. 3 liters that eventually reached 3.

7 liters. Despite this, they still share the engine numbering sequence of the earlier 8CM 3. 3s. Stretch the approximation a little and consider that 3. 3 and 3. 7 liters are still less than 4 liters. So, the 3. 0 bit, as the first two digits of the engine number, is not compromised. Postscript 2. This table follows the 3.

0 liter 30xx sequence of engines from 1930s [00:19:00] onwards, beginning with the HCMs of 1933. These engine numbers start at 30 05. The 30 bit tells us that we are looking at a 3 liter engine, and the 05 bit denotes that this is indeed the 5th engine of that size ever made by Maserati. The table below starts in 1933, and ends with the introduction of the 300S sports cars in 1955.

This is not the end of the 30XX series of engines. In 1955, the 300S sports cars appeared in the lists, bringing their engine stream with them, which is not surprising, given the five year gap between the end of the 8CLs and the rise of the 300S. What is surprising is that there is a 14 engine gap in the engine numbering sequence between these two streams of three liter engines.

That is a lot of standalone or replacement engines. Any help solving this [00:20:00] mystery would be appreciated. Postscript three. These photos show José Freulein González racing an Argentine Mecánica Nacionale car at about the same time that Fred was finding his feet with the DeSoto Special in New Zealand.

Half a world apart, yet the resemblance between the two cars is remarkable. A situation that often occurs when digging into Argentine and Kiwi race history, a topic perhaps for next year’s symposium.

Crew Chief Eric: This episode is brought to you in part by the International Motor Racing Research Center. Its charter is to collect, share, and preserve the history of motorsports, spanning continents, eras, and race series.

The center’s collection embodies the speed, drama, and camaraderie of amateur and professional motor racing throughout the world. The Center welcomes serious researchers and casual fans alike to share stories of race drivers, race series, and race cars captured on their shelves and [00:21:00] walls and brought to life through a regular calendar of public lectures and special events.

To learn more about the Center, visit www. racingarchives. org. This episode is also brought to you by the Society of Automotive Historians. They encourage research into any aspect of automotive history. The SAH actively supports the compilation and preservation of papers. Organizational records, print ephemera and images to safeguard, as well as to broaden and deepen the understanding of motorized wheeled land transportation through the modern age and into the future.

For more information about the SAH, visit www. autohistory. org.

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Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

00:00 When Fred Met Asuka: The Journey Begins
01:18 Trevor Lister’s Background
02:23 Fred Zambuca’s Racing Career
05:31 The 1956 New Zealand Grand Prix
09:16 The 8CTF Family and Engine Identity
16:17 Postscripts and Reflections
20:34 Closing Remarks and Credits

Livestream

Bonus Content

Special Thanks to Revel Arroway

This episode was narrated on behalf of Trevor Lister by Revel Arroway from You’re Listening to Radio Revel podcast. In Season 5 of Revel’s show, he has created a new series called Keyhole Witness. He looks for inspiration in mysterious, unsolved, sometimes conspiracy-ridden urban-myth-type events and made up stories about them. Sometimes creating a world that explains the unexplained, sometimes revealing, thanks to his research, other slants or aspects of the story than that which is repeated again and again across the Internet. Revel is a podcaster, writer, artist and is open for additional voice acting engagements upon request.

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Learn More

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Fred’s bold venture with the 8CLTs came to an abrupt end—he raced only once before suffering a fatal brain hemorrhage in May 1956. The cars, numbered 3036 and 3037, passed into new hands, eventually split between a private owner in the U.S. and a museum collection in New Zealand.

But Trevor Lister’s presentation isn’t just about the cars—it’s about the characters who moved them across continents, and the bureaucratic quirks that shaped their identities. The 8CLTs were more than machines; they were puzzles, historical artifacts wrapped in engine codes and racer dreams.

This episode is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family – and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

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Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History

The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), partnering with the Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), presents the annual Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History. The Symposium established itself as a unique and respected scholarly forum and has gained a growing audience of students and enthusiasts. It provides an opportunity for scholars, researchers and writers to present their work related to the history of automotive competition and the cultural impact of motor racing. Papers are presented by faculty members, graduate students and independent researchers.The history of international automotive competition falls within several realms, all of which are welcomed as topics for presentations, including, but not limited to: sports history, cultural studies, public history, political history, the history of technology, sports geography and gender studies, as well as archival studies.

The symposium is named in honor of Michael R. Argetsinger (1944-2015), an award-winning motorsports author and longtime member of the Center's Governing Council. Michael's work on motorsports includes:

Walt Hansgen: His Life and the History of Post-war American Road Racing (2006)
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Your Gateway to the eSports Olympics

INIT eSports

May 19, 2025

The MOZA RACING Team USA Talent Scout Events are kicking off in 2025 to uncover the next generation of American sim racing champions. Through a series of high-stakes competitions across NASCAR, IndyCar, and GT3 formats, top racers will compete for a chance to represent Team USA on the global stage. Init Esports is the official sim racing organizer for Team USA and affiliated Olympic nations. In partnership with MOZA RACING, we’re bringing together racers from across the country—building an inclusive, competitive scene where skill, speed, and determination are everything. Designed with Olympic-grade integrity, the Talent Scout Events emphasize diversity, elite performance, and equal opportunity.

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Race Formats: GT3, IndyCar, F4, NASCAR, Toyota GR86
Platform: iRacing (Official platform)
Giveways: There will be a giveaway at each round for the winner, random participant, and also someone in the audience!
Broadcast Information: Live on Twitch.tv/InitEsports and TV via eClutch; Replays available on YouTube; Powered by: MOZA RACING — Exclusive hardware partner Prizes, giveaways & elite sim gear await top performers!

If you have what it takes to represent Team USA, you can still sign up here. The 2025 program samples many different disciplines allowing an opportunity for everyone to take part!

MOZA Becomes Official Hardware Partner of Team USA Talent Scout Events

MOZA Racing is a global leader in sim racing hardware, known for delivering high-performance, precision-engineered equipment designed for competitive racers and enthusiasts alike. With a commitment to innovation and community engagement, MOZA continues to set the standard for the future of sim racing.

This landmark partnership unites MOZA’s cutting-edge technology with Init Esports’ mission to identify and train the next generation of Team USA esports athletes. The Team USA Talent Scout Events, created and operated by Init Esports, and run on iRacing are the ultimate proving ground for sim racing talent—providing equal and inclusive opportunities for both men and women to shine on the global stage. Built with Olympic-level integrity, these events ensure that diversity and representation are not just ideals, but foundational pillars of the program.

“MOZA Racing is a brand that embodies precision, innovation, and community—everything we strive for in this journey to build a competitive and inclusive Team USA roster,” said Stefy Bau, CEO of Init Esports. “Together, we will elevate the sim racing experience across the board and showcase the future of American sim racing.”

MOZA Racing shares Init Esports’ vision for growth and excellence—especially as sim racing rises to prominence on the Olympic stage. “MOZA is thrilled to empower Team USA’s future stars,” said Mandi Liu, MOZA Racing Business Developer. “This isn’t just about equipment—it’s about fueling a movement. From grassroots to the Olympics, we’re proud to support a program that champions inclusivity and peak performance.”

Please support Init Esports sponsor MOZA, if you need new products https://mozaracing.com/?ref=akrtnoee

About Init Esports

Init Esports focuses on sim racing events and digital tournaments. They bring eSports content to fans and sponsorship opportunities to brands, while maximizing audience reach across multiple sports, industries, and platforms. Init Esports is a woman-led company where Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility is in their DNA, and their platform aims to combat bullying and cheating to help make the eSports world as safe and fair as possible. To learn more, be sure to logon to www.initesports.gg today or follow them on social media @initesports, join their discord, check out their YouTube Channel, or follow their live content via Twitch.

At Init Esports, founder and CEO Stefy Bau doesn’t just settle for the ordinary. She creates extraordinary experiences by producing thrilling online competitions and real-life events that transcend the boundaries of the eSports universe. And she’s here with us on Break/Fix to share her story, and help you understand why you need to get more involved in the world of eSports.

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Cobra’s Celebrate 60 Years of Performance at Pebble Beach

Don W

May 15, 2025

Cobra’s Celebrate 60 Years of Performance at Pebble Beach

One of the most intimidating cars of its era, the Shelby Cobra 427, marks its 60th Anniversary this year. Named for the 427-cubic-inch Ford engine that powered it to dominate SCCA racing and set a performance benchmark that stood for years, the “big block Cobra” earned iconic status from the day it was introduced.

To celebrate this anniversary, a Shelby Cobra class will take to the show field at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, honoring the model’s legacy of speed, design and evolutionary performance.

“Carroll had a strong personal connection to Pebble Beach, racing and winning here in the 1950s and later sharing his cars at the Concours, so we are honored to feature his Cobras this year,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “The design, performance, and historic wins of these iconic race cars highlight the legendary pairing of Carroll and Shelby American with AC Cars and Ford Motor Company.”

Carroll Shelby, an automotive legend, is popularly known for his groundbreaking work with high-performance sports cars, such as the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40, but he first made his mark as a race driver, winning numerous races, including the last Pebble Beach Road Race, triumphing at Le Mans and competing in Formula 1.

The Shelby Cobra came into being in 1962, pairing an AC Ace chassis with a Ford 260-cubic-inch V8 that was replaced by the larger 289 engine. The ultimate iteration, the Shelby Cobra 427 — with a new chassis, coil suspension, and powerful 427-cubic-inch engine — was introduced in 1965.

“Ford’s ‘Total Performance’ era of the 1960s was epic, equaled only today with the company’s global motorsport program,” stated Edsel B. Ford II. “Carroll Shelby was vital to our dominance in the sixties and his 427 Cobra put an exclamation point on that success! I am delighted that these iconic cars will be celebrated on this anniversary year.”

Four versions of the 427 Cobra were produced and will be showcased — “Comp” (competition), S/C (semi-competition), Street and Narrow Hip — in addition to the first production and last production Cobras.

“The Shelby Cobra remains an automotive icon even 60 years after its introduction,” said Aaron Shelby, grandson of Carroll Shelby and board member of Carroll Shelby International. “Few cars have achieved the fame and staying power of the Shelby Cobra. Not only does it represent performance, this sportscar represents American ingenuity! Simple but effective, it was created with grit and determination.”

The Cobras are coming… The Cobras are coming… to Pebble!

1962 Shelby Cobra 289 First Production Roadster

This is the first Shelby Cobra Production Roadster to be sold to a customer. It stands as the only Cobra to compete in the Tour de France Automobile. It was initially powered by the 260-cubic-inch engine and later fitted with the more powerful 289 engine.
1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Narrow Hip Roadster

Known for its rare design and powerful engine, the 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Narrow Hip Roadster features a narrower track version of the Shelby Cobra. This Cobra is one of just 32 “Narrow Hip” 427 Cobras produced by Shelby American and is one of only ten that remain in original unmodified configuration.
1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Competition Roadster

This 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Competition Roadster raced in Sports Car Club of America events at famous tracks including Meadowdale, Wilmont Hills, and Road America. It retains all of its original components including drivetrain, body, and chassis.
1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster

This road-going 1966 Shelby Cobra is recognized as one of the most authentic 427 street Cobras, complete with original components throughout.
1967 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Roadster

This 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Roadster is one of just 29 original S/C versions–one of the most revered Cobra models of all time.
1967 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster

This 1967 Roadster was the last Shelby Cobra 427 built. It has been restored using all its original components including hardware, wiring, vinyl, leather and more.

This small yet significant display of Shelby Cobras will celebrate the automotive vision of Carroll Shelby highlighting the key elements behind the legacy of the Shelby Cobra 427 and its transformative impact on the world of motorsports, a legacy that continues to be celebrated.

About Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

First conducted in 1950, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® has grown to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and historic cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links®, and connoisseurs of art and style gather to admire these masterpieces. Charitable donations raised by Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® now total over $41 million.

Related events include Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance® presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™ presented by Alliant Private Client, and Pebble Beach® Auctions presented by Gooding Christie’s. Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™, and Pebble Beach® Automotive Week are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. All rights reserved. For more information, please call 831-622-1700 or visit pebblebeachconcours.net.

Thanks for stopping by!

Don Weberg - Editor-Publisher-Founder, Garage Style Magazine

Adrian Fernandez: From Mexico to Le Mans – A Legend’s Journey

Gran T

May 13, 2025

Adrian Fernandez: From Mexico to Le Mans – A Legend’s Journey

Evening with a Legend is a series dedicated to the icons of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, bringing their stories to life for fans around the world. In this episode, we sit down with Adrian Fernandez, a trailblazer whose path from Mexico to the podiums of Le Mans is as inspiring as it is improbable.

Adrian’s racing journey began in 1981 at age 15, sharing a Volkswagen Beetle with his uncles in the 24 Hours of Mexico. That grassroots start ignited a fire that would carry him through karting, Indy Lights, and eventually a decade in IndyCar. But the dream was always bigger. “Every time time I reached a goal, a new dream appeared,” Adrian recalls.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

Determined to break into Formula One, Adrian moved to Europe in the late ’80s. With no sponsorship and limited resources, he worked as a mechanic and instructor at Brands Hatch, even sleeping in train stations and smuggling himself across borders to stay in the racing game. “I gave everything I had. I lived in a mechanic’s house, worked jobs, and hid in trailers to cross borders. That’s the kind of life I had – and I still made it.”

Photo courtesy Wikipedia; by Nate Grigg – Racing 194

His time in England, racing at Silverstone, Donington, and other legendary circuits, laid the foundation for his technical mastery and eventual team ownership.

Synopsis

This episode of Evening with a Legend features racing driver Adrian Fernandez. The focus is on Adrian’s experiences at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he made notable appearances from 2007 to 2012. The discussion begins with Adrian’s early career in Mexico, his progression through IndyCar in the United States, and his eventual transition to endurance racing. Insights include Adrian’s meticulous preparation for Le Mans, his adaptation to different racing categories, and the challenges of night driving in GT cars. The conversation also covers the broader impact of Le Mans on Adrian’s career, his post-racing involvement in motorsports, and advice for aspiring drivers. The script concludes with reflections on the evolution of motorsport safety and Adrian’s current life focused on family and personal enjoyment.

You started racing in Mexico in 1981 at the age of 15, then quickly moved up and spent 10 years stateside racing in CART/INDY CAR, building up your skills and reputation. Talk to us about how you got to LeMans in 2007. How was the deal put together?
Let’s talk in more detail about 2007; You’re the first LMP2 driver who’s joined us for EWAL, can you talk to us about those cars? How do they compare to others you’ve driven at Le Mans. Some people view LMP2 as “the Spec Class” – do you feel that way as well? Does that make the racing more fun?
2010 – Back again at Lemans, this time in the LMP1 Aston Martin; how did this attempt compare to 2007?
2011 – Luck did not favor Adrián in 2011, when his LMP1 Aston Martin AMR-One could barely complete two laps during testing. What happened?
And your final attempt in 2012, a bit of vindication for the 2011 false start? But this time you were in a GT (production) class car. What was it like running among the LMP1/2 cars?
Any advice for aspiring Latino drivers that want to make a career in professional racing?

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Evening with a Legend is a series of presentations exclusive to Legends of the Famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, giving us an opportunity to bring a piece of Le Mans to you. By sharing stories and highlights of the big event, you get a chance to become part of the legend of Le Mans, with guests from different eras of over 100 years of racing.

Crew Chief Eric: Tonight, we have the opportunity to bring a piece of Lamar to you, sharing in the legend of Lamar with guests from different eras of over 100 years of racing. And as your host, I’m delighted to introduce Adrian Fernandez. In 2007, Adrian made his debut at Le Mans, taking home a second place in a V8 powered LMP2 prototype.

This was the first podium for a Mexican driver at the Circuit de la Sarthe since the 1960s. [00:01:00] Three years later, in 2010, Adrian found himself back at Le Mans, this time behind the wheel of Aston Martin’s LMP1, finishing fifth in class, sixth overall. Returning for the 80th running of Le Mans 2012, Adrian and Aston Martin took home a third place finish in the GTE Pro class, covering 322 laps without failures or problems.

And with Adrian’s help, the team achieved the fastest lap in their class of 3 minutes 54. 928. At that point, Adrian had the distinct honor of driving the Aston Martin to the checkered flag, and on September 12th of 2012, he announced his retirement from racing, thus concluding his relationship with Aston Martin.

But that wasn’t the end of his involvement in the world of motorsports. And with that, I’m your host, Crew Chief Eric from the Motoring Podcast Network, welcoming everyone to this evening with a legend. Adrian, welcome to the show.

Adrian Fernandez: Thank you. How are you, Eric?

Crew Chief Eric: Great. I’m glad you’re here. Let’s go back in time a little bit and talk about your road to Le Mans.

You started racing in Mexico in 1981 around the age of [00:02:00] 15, and you quickly moved up and spent 10 years or so racing stateside in kart and IndyCar, building up your skills and your reputation. So talk us through how that all led you to Le Mans. Was that a goal of yours to race at Le Mans? How was the deal put together?

Adrian Fernandez: I started in the 24 hours of Mexico. You know, that was my first race, 24 hours of Mexico in a Volkswagen Beetle with my uncles sharing the car. So my whole career went through basically every time I managed to get where I wanted to be like certain steps, then, you know, new dreams, new goals. Came to be able to make it.

So first for me was to raise formula one and, uh, at some stage, because I didn’t have the age, I started racing at 19 years old. So it was not the right age when I was there in Europe. So then IndyCar was more like the right fit for that. And so I moved to IndyCars in 93, 92, I did Indy lights. And in IndyCar, I stayed there all the way through until the [00:03:00] separation of Kart and Tony George.

And then I went to IRL, did the 2004 full season. Some of my sponsors, they didn’t really want to continue there. So at that point, really was. I was just searching to see what else I would do. I still had my own team with my partner, Tom Anderson. So we continued to do the IRL. And at a certain point, we decided to go with Honda to do the, uh, Ford Karts.

First with the Grand Am in 2006. And then in 2007, basically we started this program with the, uh, the American Amount Series with the LMP2, we work on the development of the engine and all that stuff. And basically that was my introduction to sport cars, to endurance series and, uh, 12 hours of searing and six hours of the glen, et cetera, et cetera.

So that’s really how I got to sport cars in that respect.

Crew Chief Eric: So you mentioned that you had raced in Europe earlier in your career, especially when you were doing open wheel and looking to get into formula one, where had you turned [00:04:00] laps in Europe?

Adrian Fernandez: As soon as I realized that I did everything I could in Mexico, I realized that I was not going to go anywhere.

If I stay in Mexico, you know, I have achieved everything I wanted to do, and I felt that I was stuck. So really I wanted to go the road to formula one and we had the Grand Prix at the time, but we didn’t have Mexican drivers. So I say, you know, this is the perfect opportunity. But there was no help, no sponsorship.

I mean, as big as it is now in Mexico, in that time, there was nothing. I was actually the first guy after the Rodríguez and a few guys that tried, but didn’t make it to the top and consistently stay there. I was the first guy to actually just dig my way through it, try to make it in racing in Europe. But I couldn’t get the sponsorship where I didn’t, I couldn’t even find 5, 000, 10, 000 in Europe.

I mean, I couldn’t, I was working as a mechanic. I was an instructor in Brown’s Hatch with Jeff Brabham and other good friends from England, when I didn’t find the money to race in formula four, I was already committed with a mechanic to do everything. I gave him all my savings. And [00:05:00] when the sponsorship was going to give me the other part of it, he’d say, well, sorry, I cannot help you.

I said, now I’m stuck. I’m living in the house of the mechanic that is going to work with me. He’s going to do the team for me and everything. And now I have no money. So I asked my dad, what do I do? And also come back home. You know, what are you doing? You’re crazy, you know, blah, blah, blah. So I thought about it and I said, no, I’m not coming home.

So I found a job. I found my job in Poland, but I have no money. I went through France and I didn’t have the visa. So I have to return. I have no money. I had to sleep three nights in the train station. before we crossed this time over through Belgium. And at that time I convinced the driver to keep me in the box, you know, in the trailer.

I hid for four hours and two boxes so I can go through it with no checkups. So I smuggled in two there because I didn’t want That’s the type of life that I had. And I still make it, made it. So that’s what I’m saying. You know, it was just very tough. So at that time in 87, 88 and 89, I really did all the circuits in Europe, especially in [00:06:00] England, you know, Silverstone, Trotstone, Donington.

I mean, you name it, all of them. It was a very good for my career because the experience that I got there, it was just incredible. I mean, it was the best racing. And even though it took me a while to, because I was, I stay in the same series for three years because I have no money and I was working at the beginning as a mechanic and things like that, but it gave me a lot of experience.

experience, which it made the base for me eventually to have the knowledge and things like that to own my own team and do the different things that I did in my racing career. So it was a very, very good decision to go to Europe at the time.

Crew Chief Eric: So a lot of drivers that go overseas and go to Europe, they end up cutting their teeth at some of the most famous tracks in the world.

You talk about spa, you talk about Silverstone, Monza, the list goes on and on, but then there’s always in the back of their minds. Le Mans or Nurburgring, but usually Le Mans because Le Mans is the biggest race in the world. And so for you, when you were there, was that ever a thought that was crossing your mind?

Like one day I want to [00:07:00] drive at Le Mans.

Adrian Fernandez: Yeah, it was. I mean, it was like, I wanted to drive Monaco. I wanted to drive the Indy 500. I wanted to drive the Daytona, you know, the big races and like Le Mans was one of the big ones. And Pedro Rodriguez won there and it was a very special race for us in Mexico.

We have knowledge about the race. And obviously Le Mans was like the jewel of the endurance racing. So yes, through my career, I always thought about it, but I never had the chance or the opportunity until I finished my career in IndyCars and just had this great relation with Honda to really start racing prototypes in America with an American Le Mans Zero, which was very competitive.

I don’t know if you remember, you know, we had the Penske’s, Porsche Penske’s and, you know, Andretti was there and eventually Gilles Deferran was there. And I mean, it was just a very strong and competitive series at the time. So, yeah, I mean, I got in love with it and it’s just so special to race those cars at that level because those cars are super fast.

Crew Chief Eric: So you put together the deal for your first run at Le Mans. In 2007, that was with [00:08:00] teams. I tech in the LMP two car. Yeah. What was it like going to Lamar the first time? What kind of impression did it make on you and coming from open wheel to endurance more so than let’s say ALMS in a much longer format and a track you’ve never seen before.

How different was it to drive that LMP two car at Lamar?

Adrian Fernandez: Lamar is my favorite racetrack and I will say the most challenging because of the high speeds. So I really. took my time to prepare myself very well. Firstly, that race that we did in 2007 was all orchestrated by Honda because Honda was looking into doing their own programming in the future in Le Mans.

So basically they took me as a driver and they made a deal with SciTech at the time for me to race there and for them to get an experience. about what was Le Mans all about it. So at the time we have small simulators, just very basic. We didn’t have, you know, the high tech simulators that you have now, but at least it gave me an idea of where the track was going and then just as I got there, you know, it’s a track that you [00:09:00] cannot just drive around 80 percent of the track is roads that people just go from town to town.

What I did is I took a scooter and I went corner to corner taking pictures because as a race car driver, especially in Le Mans, everything is about references. You know, you have to have a good reference to every turning point and breaking point, especially you’re going so fast, like in the Mulsanne straight, you know, it’s, uh, at night you go so fast.

that stopping into the first chicane, if you miss a little bit, your breaking point, you blow the chicane. So basically I went through with a scooter and I started looking at buildings, you know, there is a bar, there is this and that. And, you know, I took photographs of all of this while the test was happening and all that, with all this information that I got, I really, really got very well prepared.

And I remember that the Japanese driver. Karuaki Kurosawa, he had more experience. He’s already raced in Le Mans. So he did a few laps. And then that’s the other thing. You don’t do many laps before the race because the laps are so long. It’s not like you do 20, 40, 30 laps. No, [00:10:00] no, no. You do maybe seven laps.

And the other guys, 10 laps, you know, just not many laps. So that’s why I did my homework in terms of knowing where every breaking point may be, references and all that. So I didn’t feel like lost because otherwise it takes you forever to learn the track. And I did my labs and I told the guys, I said, don’t put any lab times.

Don’t show me any lab times. The first time that I went there, I said, don’t show me anything. Just let me be. Just going to go out and I know I’ll be fine. I just want to learn it. And I took my time and eventually I was starting better, better, better, better. And, uh, I mean, and then I was. Quite fast to the point that I qualify the car because I was the fastest of the drivers.

And, uh, we put the car on the pole, so that was very satisfying for me. But like I said, I did the homework and I walked the track. I check everything. So I didn’t feel like I was in a man’s land. So that was key.

Crew Chief Eric: So how different was the setup of the Le Mans prepared LMP two car versus the one you were running here in the States?

Adrian Fernandez: I mean, the cars are very. I mean, this [00:11:00] was an open cockpit, the same as I was driving in with a Lola chassis and then eventually the Acura chassis in the American Le Mans series. But the difference between the racetracks in America to Le Mans is that it’s so long. So you’re going super fast. You know, there, there is quarters of eight years, six years.

I mean, the entry of the Porsche corners and all that section is extremely fast to the point that if you make a little mistake, I mean, it’s over. It’s not like there’s nothing like a little mistake. It’s almost like the Indy 500. You’re not a little mistake. You’re on the wall. It’s the same there. So you have to have a lot of respect for the track.

It’s all about the speed. So it feels different in that respect because you’re going so fast. Nothing compares all the race tracks that we race in here. Sebring. Searing is super slow compared to them on wood tracks, but it’s just different setups, techniques, everything. For example, Sebring is super bumpy.

One year we wanted Luis Diaz and myself, just two drivers. I drove six hours and a half of total for the 12 hours. And I was absolutely done. I mean, [00:12:00] just because of the vibration and the bumps and everything in Lamonts is the other way around. It’s extremely super smooth. The track. And the nice thing about Lamonts is that the tire Keeps the grip lap after lap after lap.

So it’s really a pleasure and it’s very enjoyable to drive Le Mans because the tires then they don’t really dip. They stay very consistent and it was just fantastic to drive. So it’s just another technique, but it’s beautiful.

Crew Chief Eric: And I know I keep bringing up LMP2 cars and LMP2 cars because actually you’re the first.

Legend to be on evening with a legend that’s campaigned an LMP2 car. And oftentimes it’s one of those classes that we overlook. It is extremely competitive even to this day, but people view it like a spec class. And it’s like, ah, it’s LMP2. You know, I’m more interested in the LMP1 prototypes or what’s going on in production car.

And even TV coverage doesn’t often give enough light on the LMP2 class. So it’s fun to sort of pull these threads and learn from a driver. What LMP2 is really like I’ve heard from some other drivers. Coming from open wheel to prototypes, not [00:13:00] necessarily LMP2, they’re like apples and oranges, there’s no translation between the two.

And I often wondered, is that really true? How close is the downforce? Are they very similar handling wise, or did you have to relearn as you transition from one to the other?

Adrian Fernandez: First thing you have to relearn because you’re not the only driver in the car. You know, you’re sharing the car with somebody else.

So basically everything is a compromise from the seating position to the setup. So basically you have to really work with your teammates to be able to get the best setup and the best feeling for everybody because it doesn’t matter if I’m very quick and my teammate is not that quick because he doesn’t fit well or he doesn’t like what we make to the car.

It just doesn’t matter. So it’s a compromise. The LMP2 that we drove in those years that I competed in the American Le Mans series with Acura, those cars were extremely fast. I mean, super fast because after that they tuned down the engines, but 2007, eight and nine, the cars were extremely fast. In that respect, the car performance and speed up through the corners [00:14:00] was.

In some ways, very close to IndyCars. So really, the things that you needed to work a lot, like I say, working with your teammates, working in a compromise setup that it works for everybody, learning how to, uh, manage the car, not destroy the car. Obviously, these days, even in my days, you can push. 10, 10, all the time, the car and the car, they survived the other 12 hours, 24 hours is a go.

But at the same time, you know, it’s a long race, so you don’t want to do stupid mistakes. And you just really want to have a little reserve just to make sure you don’t make any mistakes. And you drive through the night. Sometimes you drive through the night in rain and things like that, that you don’t have in IndyCars.

IndyCars, you always have lights. The races are very short compared to Le Mans. I remember one year, 2010, with the LMP1, I was driving with my good friend Stefan Muka and Harald Primat. And Harald Primat had a problem through the night, and he couldn’t drive after one hour. And I just came out of the car. I was just getting ready, you know, you have your motorhome, you take a shower, you have your physiotherapist, you eat, [00:15:00] you do all the things.

And I was starting to get ready to go to sleep. And the team called me that they had an issue with him. And that if I would be able to replace him, he had, uh, an issue with, uh, cramping and things like that. So I jumped in the car. I didn’t rest much three years. Yeah. Three and a half hours after I came out of the car and I drove almost four hours straight.

And I say almost four hours, because it was like three hours and 55 minutes, because you cannot exceed in those days. You couldn’t exceed more than four hours. Otherwise you get a penalty, but I was fine. I was fine. I could drive. I was. Not sweating. I was just, I remember that thing that I did so long, actually the engineers and everybody went to sleep in the, in the trucks.

I was not hearing any, anybody was completely dark. There’s not even lights. The only part that there’s some lights is in the permanent course, but the rest is just absolutely night. So you just see your lights of the dash. The lights of the other cars, but it’s so peaceful and you’re just basically, it’s like diving at night, which is so beautiful.

But I was calling my engineer and nobody was answering like for two, three laps. I was getting [00:16:00] worried, you know, even though I knew exactly more or less when I had to get into the pit, but sometimes it gets a little, uh, scary if you don’t hear back from your team.

Crew Chief Eric: Glad you brought us into 2010 and the LMP1 attempt with Aston Martin.

And so I wanted to focus in on something you just said. said, we’ve heard from other drivers about the changing conditions at Lamar. What are the most stressful times when the sun is starting to come back up or what inevitably starts to rain, but almost four hours in the car, a lot of drivers these days don’t do those long stints like that.

They do two hours at a time. And you know, then they have the maximum amount of drive time and all those kinds of things. How do you stay focused for four hours in the middle of the night when you’re just by yourself? How do you not, let’s just say, get bored or. How do you keep your pace consistent? Lap after lap for four hours.

Adrian Fernandez: Just training. I have always been a very disciplined person, very disciplined athlete. Even in my days of IndyCars, I always worked to the maximum and more. I was very good with everything I did, you know, and the type of training physically that I used to do. It [00:17:00] was also about concentration and focusing and things like that.

For me, it was just natural. I felt I was very good at it. Barely made any mistakes. I’ve never crashed in Le Mans. So I was just very pure concentration. And to the point that, like I said, you know, I can drive for four hours and I didn’t have any problems with getting tired. In IndyCar, one of the challenges that I face when I enter IndyCar is that I have a very small bone frame.

You know, my bones are tiny compared to, for example, people in those days like Mario, Andre, Nigel Ma, Paul, Tracy, ARDI, et cetera. So the indicators in those days were so physical that you needed four or five LAP to do a, a good lap in qualifying, and the four feet lab were the best. And I couldn’t do more than three laps good.

And, uh, so the X track, which was in the fourth or fifth lap, my body was completely done. Physically, I just couldn’t turn the steering wheel. We have no assistance of anything. We have no traction [00:18:00] controls. We have no power steering control. And we have 1000 horsepower. Those cars were really a beast. I mean, you have physically.

I remember Ari lying like a night before the start of the Laguna Seca race. We were instead of talking about the car or whatever it is we were talking about, are we going to make it, you know, physically because it was so physical. So I learned a technique to relax. Obviously I changed the way I work out and everything, you know, less cardio, more, more weights and things like that.

But then I work a lot on relaxing my muscles through the straights. A technique that I learned and I applied very successful work with my engineer because we have this deficit. So how are we going to make it? So one, physically you have to work on this. So I learned how to relax my muscles on the straight and just put the effort on the, you know, so some people are like very tense, you know, even in the straight, no, no.

And in the straight I was just relaxed, just basically putting the minimum amount of effort just to keep the car on the line. And then when you get to the corners and all that, that’s when you put the effort. So that really [00:19:00] takes a lot of effort out of each lab. And that’s how I managed to improve because of the strength that I, that was, I was lacking.

And then because we were not qualifying so good, John Ward and myself, we work on just how are we going to fight with these deficits? So basically we work a lot on how to save fuel. And if you remember my days of IndyCars, we were the first one that we were so good on saving fuel. So I always managed to do one lap or two laps more than the guys when they came into the pits.

And that was how we compensate the lack of strength in those days. Within the cars to be able to win races that transfer it to Lamont. So same with Lamont, some guys who, when they come and you know, the speed and everything, they are very tense and they get tired more and all that. And I was extremely relaxed on the straight.

You have a such a long straight. So I was very relaxed driving the car in that respect, putting minimum effort into my muscles and just. Focusing on the track, but you’re going so fast, you know, [00:20:00] you’re going so fast, but you have to relax. And once you put everything in contest, you know, everything slows down in your mind.

It’s like a machine, you know, lap after lap after lap. And the only thing you have to worry is about somebody went off, there’s gravel, or there’s certain things that normally when there’s a driver change, you have to be ready, like half an hour before you get into your shift to getting back into the car.

And at that time, you put your earplugs, your radio, and you start talking to the driver that is driving the car. And he’s telling you the last three laps or two laps or the last lap, he tells you, you know, be careful in here, be careful in there, there’s a little bit of oil, or the track is okay, don’t worry, because you have to perform.

Once you get out of the pits, even if it’s 3, 4 in the morning, you know, a little chilly and all that. And you’re like sleepy or whatever. I mean, you have to jump on the car and you have to go and you have to be within three, four tens or, or the same lap times that the other guy got was, I mean, you have to be really on it because the competition is so strong, but it helps to listen to the driver that is coming out to see how is the track, how is the car, any [00:21:00] problems, blah, blah, blah.

And that’s the big difference when you were asking about Indy cars and sport cars, you know, the endurance. A competition is just that, that you’re sharing the car with somebody else. So you’re a team in that respect that you normally don’t do that in IndyCar. That’s a lot of fun and it’s very challenging.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s catch everybody up. 2007, you come home with a second place finish in LMP2, your first time at Le Mans.

Adrian Fernandez: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: With all the preparation that you did, it paid off. I’m sure you couldn’t have been more happy with those results. Yes. You come back in 2010 running an LMP one car for a totally different team, totally different car.

And you come in fifth, sixth overall.

Adrian Fernandez: Sixth overall. We finished fifth in class and, uh, it was with Harold Priman and Stefan Munchen. We finished, uh, fifth in class. Yes.

Crew Chief Eric: Another year goes by the 2011 season comes around and I didn’t mention this in the introduction because your luck sort of ran out at Le Mans that year and you had some problems with the LMP1 Aston Martin AMR1.

So what happened?

Adrian Fernandez: David [00:22:00] Richard wanted to do his own engine, his And, uh, the way they designed the car, especially the engine, they run out of time to produce a good engine. Um, basically they were having so many problems, both cars retiring within. We started, we did one lap just as that after the door lock corner, you know, in the Molson straight, just 200 meters into the Molson straight, basically I broke first and then Darren Turner was driving the other one.

He broke a hundred meters ahead of me. And that was it. One lap in a quarter. That’s what we did. That was very hard on Aston Martin, in Debbie Richard. And it was just a tough day for the whole team.

Crew Chief Eric: But that didn’t stop you. No. Another attempt in 2012 at Le Mans. So how did that work? How did you move then into the GT production class?

Again, running for Aston Martin. Why the invite to go into production and not maybe another LMP2 or LMP1?

Adrian Fernandez: So this is what happened at the end of 2009, we see us and myself, we won the LMP2 championship in the American Le Mans series. At the same time was the end [00:23:00] of my team, Fernandez Racing, I closed the doors of Fernandez Racing.

And the reason was we had the crisis of 2008. And we did very good with Fernandez Racing. I wanted to, uh, keep the team, but it was very difficult to keep sponsors and a lot of things. At that point, you know, I’ve done everything in my career. I was, you know, I was very successful in most of the championships and cars that I competed.

So I was in a good position myself. And for me, the most important part of my life at that point was to put a lot of attention on my family. That was like as much attention and dedication I put to my race career. I wanted to put that into my family. I was just burned out. I was living in Miami. I didn’t want to go on and live in Indianapolis or somewhere else.

And I mean, I had different opportunities, but I was done basically. We decided to sell the team and Lowe’s USA helped me to get this deal with Aston Martin. They sponsor us. They paid for my salary and the deal was for three years. So basically I was going to drive whatever David Richard [00:24:00] wanted me to drive there and whoever he would put me to drive with because I was at that time, I was not an owner driver.

I was just a driver. So basically he wanted, first, the LMP one was the first time 2010 with him. Then 2011 was his project. It was our LMP one also, but it was just a total disaster. And actually that year we have to jump back to the other car that we had to the LMP one. You know, the beautiful, I don’t know if you ever heard it, but the, the aftermath, they call it BO nine 60, which was the Lola Chelsea, beautiful Chelsea.

With this B12 Astro Matthew was beautiful, sounding beautiful. So in 2011, we went back. After we saw that the AMR one was not working, we went back to the Lola chassis and we finished the season. So for 2012, David say no more LMP1 or LMP2. Obviously Aston Martin makes a lot of cars, you know, especially, you know, the Vantage GT and all those.

So they had always a program there. So, but basically they wanted to have the top [00:25:00] drivers. Driving in the pro team, basically that was my year that I just did GT, which I never done before in my life. I did a few NASCAR races in Mexico and things like that. And I did, uh, a few reasons on the, all of a sudden when I tried to go to NASCAR in 2005, six, seven, and it was challenging to be honest, driving the GT was the most challenging because I was driving with Darren Turner and Stefan Muecke.

These guys were extremely good drivers in GTs. When you come from cars like the LMP1, LMP2, and driving all your life single seaters, Indy cars, things like that, type of driving is just very precise, very small movements, etc. You know, when you jump in a GT, you know, the car moves a lot more. You have to get used to that movement and trusting the car and things like that.

So I really had to work really, really, really hard on it, but I managed to have a great season with them. I worked really hard on looking at how the car felt and everything. And I was always within two tens of them. So it was a great season [00:26:00] and basically a great finish for my career in terms of racing, because that was my last race.

And we finished third,

Crew Chief Eric: you know, when you follow. The WEC and even the IMSA schedule, not all of the races do the quote unquote, the bigger cars, like the LMP twos and LMP ones run the whole season with the GT cars. It’s a little bit different when you’ve got all the classes running together, like at Rolex or at the Glen and places like that.

So when you got to Lamar running the GT, even though you had been running it in the rest of the season, I’ve heard a lot of other drivers. Say that when they took a step into a production class, they spent a lot more time driving than their mirrors, than they were used to.

Adrian Fernandez: Yeah, that’s the horrible part of it.

I remember very well because, you know, I took my dad there because I, I really thought it would, that was going to be my last race. So he was with me there. So we started driving and in practice, I did race some at night and I was extremely uncomfortable, especially, you know, I was 50 years old. My eyes are not as good as when I was 35 and I was struggling at night.

The most [00:27:00] difficult part of it, first the lights, you know, you get these lights and obviously your marks are not as good and now they have better systems so you don’t get blinded. But you see the lights and you think that he’s there and you want to turn that part of it that you are not secure. If he’s there or he’s not there, it’s very difficult, especially in those years.

Now they have much better system to know if they turn, if the other guy is there or not. So it was just very, very difficult in that respect. So what I told my guys, Stefan Mucha and Darren Turner, and I said, how old are you? Is 20 something, you know, and you 31 or 32. Okay, good. See you in the morning. I’m not driving at night.

I took the right decision of not driving at night. They did all the work. They did a fantastic work. Fantastic drivers. And I drove in the morning and David Richard let me, uh, finish the race, cross the finish line. And, uh, that was very special.

Crew Chief Eric: A lot of drivers that tell their Le Mans story, it’s a turning point for them as a driver.

And for you, it was towards the end of your career, actually at the end of your career, as you decided to retire after the [00:28:00] 2012 season and move on to other things, still involved in motorsports, which we’ll get to, but everybody’s tends to agree that. Lamar changed them as a driver for the good. Sometimes maybe for the bad, but generally for the good.

So how would you say that Lamar changed you or what did you walk away from the experience with? What did Lamar teach you as a driver?

Adrian Fernandez: To be even more disciplined because any small mistakes, you know, like the Indy 500 is a tough race, but it’s just two hours and a half, maybe. Max, but Lamont says 24 hours, you know, you’re driving with different classes, different speeds.

So basically it just teaches you a lot about awareness and respect the other classes, respect the other drivers and be more disciplined within yourself. Every time you make any decision. When you’re driving, and that’s why Le Mans, it makes you a better driving in all aspects.

Crew Chief Eric: As you retired from racing, but you didn’t retire from motorsport.

You got involved with Sergio Perez in formula one and trying to promote the next generation of Mexican drivers coming up through the [00:29:00] system. And so you’ve been involved in motorsport for your entire life. When you look back over your career, working with Sergio, working with a lot of other drivers, do you have any advice for aspiring Latino drivers who want to make a career in professional racing?

Adrian Fernandez: Yes, of course. I mean, the main thing is that if you really want to become a professional race car driver and make an impact, you have to really take it with all your your arms. I mean, you have to be completely involved on it 10 10 all the time because it just takes so much. The competition is so tough.

There’s so many good drivers. So you have to always look at how can I be better than the other guys? And there’s so many good drivers around, you know, that the difference between the good drivers are not so good. It’s very small. It’s just the good drivers, exceptional drivers are the drivers that can stay in that limit for a long time and they don’t make mistakes.

They can adapt to different type of cars. If the car is not good or bad, they can adapt and they can go through adversity and things like that and still be there and make the results. And that’s what it takes. And to do [00:30:00] that, you know, your life has to be balanced, meaning you have to have. Time just to think about racing.

If you have other businesses, other distractions, family, or a lot of family or other distractions, you know, it’s difficult. I mean, look at Max Verstappen. He finished one race and even sometimes in the weekend of the Grand Prix, he’s racing online, you know, with the simulators and after the races. He’s racing on Monday and Tuesday and Thursday with a simulator.

He’s so sharp mentally because he’s on it all the time. And that’s how the level of competition it is. So if you really want to do this, you have to really put everything on it. You have to be very selfish because you have to really dedicate a lot of your time to it. And sometimes, you know, I miss a lot of weddings and special events for my family.

I have to leave Mexico. I have pursued my dreams and that takes a lot of sacrifices. It’s done. Nah. A lot of people don’t do it a hundred percent and they do it 98%, 97% or, or like that. And [00:31:00] sometimes that two 3% makes the difference between the good drivers and the exception of drivers.

Crew Chief Eric: Do you know of any pathways for younger drivers to come up through the system?

Is it easier now? Are there any incentives for Latin Americans and Mexicans to come into the US and European racing programs?

Adrian Fernandez: You know, I, I have not been so attached to racing. I mean, I watched the races. Because I like to race. I watched IndyCar races. I watched Formula One and I watched some NASCAR races because my good friend Daniel Suarez is there.

But for Mexican and for a lot of the Latin drivers, the doors now are open. When I went to Europe, the doors were shut and I had to open them because there were no opportunities to have sponsorship. Nobody believed that you can make it. Now it is proven. So now the work is that you have to go and knock at the doors of the sponsorship and convince them that this is what you want to do.

And they tell you, no, it feels bad, but you have to keep knocking at more doors. And because now it’s easier to really make it in terms of make it to different [00:32:00] categories. Like I tried to do, it’s easier, but I will probably say it’s more difficult to make it to the top in terms of Formula One, because there are so many drivers now.

They all know the techniques and all that, because it’s all out there. In my days, you have to walk the track. There was no simulator. They have no, I mean, you have to find yourself out now. All the information is out there. So that’s what I’m saying. So it’s in the old days, the difference between exceptional drug and a good driver was bigger because of the knowledge that we didn’t have now, because they have everything, they have all the tools now, the small details.

on your commitment to racing. That’s what makes the difference.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s say non drivers, enthusiasts, you know, somebody walks up to you, Adrian, and says, Hey, I heard you drove at Le Mans. I’ve never watched an endurance race before. Why should I watch such a long race?

Adrian Fernandez: American Le Mans series, endurance racing is not easy to watch.

You just have to be very passionate about it because there’s too many drivers, too many classes. But when I race a sport car, so I mean, all those times the fans were really knowledgeable about [00:33:00] the drivers and the brands, everything. It was like a big family. And same with Le Mans, you have so much history there.

If you like cars and you start reading about all the stories about Le Mans and the Porsches and Ferrari and Ferrari versus Ford, et cetera, et cetera. And then you get there and you see the atmosphere, the place. I mean, it’s just, it’s overwhelming. It’s just beautiful, but obviously you have to like racing.

And these days, you know, uh, the young generations have three kids. The span of attention is very, it’s very short. They want things very quickly. And that’s why like NASCAR, you know, to watch a NASCAR race. Now it’s just more difficult in the old days. Remember, I mean, you have all the red, everybody watching the races stay there.

You know, I raised in those era, I raised against Dillon, her seniors, junior, all those legends. And he was, all the people were there because racing was in their blood. So now we just have to educate the new generations and like what is happening with Formula 1 because of COVID and Netflix and they did this [00:34:00] documentary on the racing, you know, people got cooked because of the personality of the drivers and everything.

And the same with me when my career became a boom in, in, in the nineties. It was because people knew about the drivers, we have very good television coverage and everything, and people really got really hooked into it. It was very special. So now it’s the same. It’s just, you know, we just have to educate the public in terms of endurance racing.

What’s it all about? Make small stories and all that. So, yeah, but I mean, as a driver is for me, it’s just one of the best. And I, I, I put Le Mans as my favorite racetrack in my entire career.

Crew Chief Eric: One of the things you touched on there was seeing a lot of change over the years and over your many years in the motor sports world, in your professional career.

And then afterwards you’ve seen a lot of change. What do you think is one of the best things to have happened to motorsport in your time in its involvement, or one of the best things that’s ever happened to Lamont? You came after the course redesign and the building changes. You didn’t get to see all [00:35:00] the stuff in the eighties, but there’s a lot out there.

So what do you think is one of the best? Things that’s happened.

Adrian Fernandez: Yeah. I say safety, definitely. I mean, I was one of the first drivers to test the Hans device. It felt weird. It felt like, really, we have to use this, but the safety aspect of it is just incredible. And then the halo, but all these things, I had also a terrible accident.

I don’t know if you remember, but in Michigan and one of my wheels came out and went into the public and it was just horrible and after my accident, the fences went up on the track and more in. And they start putting tethers in the uprights to attach the tires to it. So that was a big improvement in terms of safety, the halo and many, many, many other things.

So I I’ll say the aspect of safety, not just on the cars, but the tracks has made it much better. Since I started driving to when I finished driving, I lost 14 friends that they’re actually practicing testing or erasing. So that’s a lot of drivers. You know, my career was span of 32 years, but losing 14 friends, that’s a [00:36:00] lot.

That’s way too many. So, yeah, I say safety is the main thing. Obviously, the track has improved a lot. Le Mans. For example, my last race, you know, with the GT and the following year, I forgot his name from Denmark. I think was his name, got killed in, uh, Petra rush, just little things because it was a real and they had a tree on the back and things like that.

So I’ll say the safety is the main, main, main point. Obviously the cars are becoming also a little less physical, but more degrading in terms of your steering wheel, which in the old days, we didn’t have that many things on the steering wheel. We have them in different areas, so it’s more there. So basically you just have to train your, your mind, your brain to work with this little steering wheel where you have everything in our days, we didn’t have any, I, I actually, I used to, I remember I used to say to my engineers, you know, the less bottoms you have in my steering wheel, the better, you know, I don’t want destruction because it was already physically very, very hard.

And, you know, I just bought, um, a BRM from Pedro Rodriguez. [00:37:00] 1970. And the car is, uh, difficult to drive. It’s very, I drove it in the last year in the Monaco Grand Prix Storix. That’s when you realize how racing was so much more for the driver, more difficult, more challenging, especially physically, because the position wasn’t the right one.

You didn’t have the right steering wheels. The pedal position was not right. The cars were not that strong. They were very dangerous. Et cetera, et cetera. So when people start comparing drivers from different generations, eras, I always say, listen, you cannot compare, you know, you cannot compare, you cannot put me a modern Formula One driver and put it in, in the cars that I, I, we used to drive or other areas.

So they find you errors. Where if you have an off, you probably most likely are going to get killed or get burned because the cars were like that. So when, you know, for example, in a corner, you take flat out in Formula 1 these days, if you don’t make it, you go in, in a off lane, it’s all paved, no worries, offline, you know, off limits, like they call it these days.

Our off limits [00:38:00] was the wall, the trees, you know, the, the grass, the rocks, the fence, whatever. So in that respect, everything has changed a lot that has improved, which is good. In some ways, it’s good. In some other ways, I think they have taken a little bit too far, especially with these four wheels out of the line and all that.

I think that’s so stupid. I think they should put natural limits on tracks. And if you want to go up there, well, there’s no grip or you’re going to go into the wall. It’s still with the safety protocols that they have these days, they can still do that. But obviously always, always there is a compromise.

Well,

Crew Chief Eric: I’m glad you brought up driving historic cars because as we wrap up here, one of the final questions I want to ask you is if you could go back to Lamont today, all things being equal and drive maybe a car from 2023 or the 2024 season, what would it be? Or because this year we have the opportunity that we’re running the Lamont’s classic for the first time in many, many years, would you go back to Lamont and drive one of your previous cars or one of your [00:39:00] competitor’s cars?

Adrian Fernandez: I think I would love to have driven the GT 40, you know, the GT 40 that Pedro Rodriguez drove on typical, you know, the, the engines when they were fighting with, uh, Ferrari and all that, the GT is just a beautiful car. I’m actually trying to get one because I would like to drive it actually in Le Mans, in the Le Mans classics, you know, with the old cars, but that’s the car that I would love.

It’s just a beautiful car. Another car that I like is the 970, you know, from Steve McQueen those days. That’s another car that I love. It’s another beautiful car, but I think I like better the GT40. Just imagine in those days they didn’t have chicanes and they were flat out and if you jump in these cars if you see the 917 in the front it’s just little shoes.

There is nothing in front of your pedal to protect you if you hit the wall. I mean, you’re going to be just as much when the car is going to be like this. It’s just incredible that in those days through Le Mans and all that, what they did and the speeds they were doing in those days in these cars is incredible.

I mean, that’s a [00:40:00] Molson straight took forever. I mean, probably some guys smoke a cigarette those days.

Crew Chief Eric: To paraphrase something I heard Derek Bell once say, driving the 917 was like being strapped to a lawn chair that could do 200 miles an hour.

Adrian Fernandez: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I, I know him well and I, we talk about it and you know, I drove a lot of the cars that were very unsafe and sort of like when I started my career, but it’s incredible that in those days you don’t think about it, you know, even the truck that I used to drive, you see some of the pictures of my early days and you see people there, people there, whatever.

That was how racing was. And you, you just didn’t think about it. It was like, okay, well, you hit him and kill him. Well, that’s part of the sport, right? Sublime to think that, you know, now we’re thinking, you know, now is so scrutinize everything, safety drivers, everything, uniforms, fire, this, that. In those days, I mean, even the seatbelts and so many things that were not so safe as they are now.

Crew Chief Eric: What’s next? Is there more to the story? Are you done with motorsport?

Adrian Fernandez: No, [00:41:00] you know what? I have learned to close the circles. I live a beautiful life now. I have three beautiful kids. I have a beautiful wife. I have a 16 year old boy, a 17 year old girl, Valentina Nico, and then I have a four year old, Adrian Junior.

And like I said, I sacrificed so much and I was very selfish where I didn’t have other life but racing. I was so, so into it and so perfectionist in everything I did, that I miss a lot of those things. So now I just love my life because I’m just Adrian Fernandez. I’m not the Rayska Frapper. I go out, I can be myself.

If they don’t recognize me in the better, I can do the things that I didn’t do for so many years. And I absolutely love it because I had a fantastic career. I’m here. I’m still in one piece. I did a lot of good friends. I. I own my own team, I competed in different series. I won in most of them. I made my money doing racing, which not many people do that.

You’re right. Everything I have, I made it from racing. And also my career [00:42:00] teach me a lot of other things. So I’m in another thing investments and I’ve done very well, but it’s my own schedule. I don’t like schedules anymore. I don’t fancy that, you know, they invite me to the Mexican grumpy or to these, I don’t fancy that anymore.

I spent so much time, you know, I was an FIA steward also in formula one, apart from being a manager of Checo Perez. And I mean, those are the worst jobs because you know, you’re not looking after yourself, you’re looking after somebody and they don’t hear you all the time. So it’s, that’s not very nice. I, a lot of people want me to manage them.

I don’t do that anymore. I help them. I give them advice and I, I say, I help you for free. One day, if you become big, just invite me to one of the races. To be with you and we have a nice dinner and that’s it. That’s your thank you. And I’ll be happy, but I don’t have to get involved. I don’t have to go through the headaches.

I already have them, you know, because racing is tough, especially that I, I was the driver. I was the owner. I sold the sponsorship. I never had a managers. So I did everything myself and I did it very well, but I was extremely exhausted. So now this balance of life that I have here, where I am, I have a [00:43:00] beautiful museum here in Miami with some of my race cars, memorabilia, and I work here.

We have. Great partners with other collections of cars. It just cannot get better. Some people, sometimes they don’t let it go, you know, and they want to stay, stay attached. I see it with a lot of people, you know, drivers and they keep driving. You know, you see, I mean, I drove the 32 years. So what else am I going to prove?

You know, it’s a Lamont, you know, like I do Monaco that’s for fun. I don’t care if I win or if I’m bad last, I don’t care. I mean, what am I going to prove? I don’t have to prove anything I’m done. And that circle in my life is closed. It’s just the best part. A lot of people who cannot do that, then they start getting a lot of problems with themselves because they want to be that light.

They want to be in the spotlight. And they want to be there. It’s just, I don’t care if I’m in the spotlight. I don’t care if they look at me. They recognize me. In the 90s, I was big. You know, I was very That’s fine. I enjoy it. But that circle is closed. Now I do other things and I enjoy it a lot.

Crew Chief Eric: Have your kids expressed any interest in going into motorsport?

Or is that just part of [00:44:00] dad’s past?

Adrian Fernandez: No, I, you know, I took Nico, Nico because he’s, uh, two years younger than Sebastian Montoya. Juan Pablo Montoya is a good friend of mine. They used to live here in Miami. We were neighbors. The kids went to the same school. So when Sebastian, Sebas was starting to drive go karts and all that, I took Nico a few times with him and all that, but he was never, he didn’t really, didn’t like it that much.

He enjoyed, but like, if I invite you to a ride in, in, uh, Fairground or something like that, but nothing special. He never asked me again and I didn’t. So he has been playing soccer since then and he’s a fantastic soccer player, which I love it because I also do different things. And sometimes I think about it.

Do I want to spend the rest of my life going to the tracks again and the weekends and all that? It’s just too much. Now I live in other things. I do other things. And it’s just so your life is full. In terms of experiences and everything, when you do everything the same, that’s why I don’t do podcasts or [00:45:00] anything like this, because if I speak the truth, most of the time it’s, it’s going to be in trouble.

And now these days with social media that you have to be politically correct and all that, I mean, it’s all that bullshit. You know, I don’t want to get into that. I don’t need it. I don’t live from that. It’s just a great balance in my life at this moment. And I enjoy a lot of what I did. You know, I had a fantastic 31 years.

It was just a wonderful journey. And, you know, I’m just glad that I’m still here because I lost a lot of good friends that I love and that I like, you know, I’m very blessed to be able to be here with good health and enjoy my family and do the things I love to do.

Crew Chief Eric: As we wrap out here, I’d like to pass the torch to David Lowe, president of the ACO USA for some parting thoughts.

David Lowe: Adrian, on behalf of the ACO and the U. S. members. I just want to thank you for an incredible evening.

Adrian Fernandez: Thank you.

David Lowe: It was about Lamont, but it started to sound like a TED Talk, which is a big compliment. You touched on a lot of points that people don’t touch on in our evenings, and you brought [00:46:00] a different flavor to it, and I really appreciate that.

And I say that on behalf of the members. I personally thought it was an incredible evening. Thank you so much.

Adrian Fernandez: Thank you, Dave. Anytime, and thank you, Eric.

Crew Chief Eric: And on behalf of everyone here and those listening at home, thank you, Adrian, for sharing your stories with us. Since 1981, when Adrian entered his first auto race, the 24 Hours of Mexico, in Mexico City at the age of 15, he made racing a permanent part of his life.

In the 90s, he would enjoy many successes behind the wheel of an Indy car, along with his four attempts at Le Mans from 2007 to 2012, propelling him to even higher heights, becoming the manager for another up and coming Mexican driver, Formula One’s Sergio Perez. With over 30 years of professional racing under his helmet, Adrian is a model for many of us to continue to aspire to.

To learn more or to keep up with Adrian’s latest adventures, be sure to follow him on social at adrianf007 on Twitter and Instagram. We hope you enjoyed this [00:47:00] presentation and look forward to more evening with a legend throughout the season. And with that, Adrian, I can’t thank you enough for coming on the show and sharing your stories with us.

And whether you realize it or not, you continue to be a role model for up and coming drivers from here on out.

Adrian Fernandez: Thank you, my friend. Thank you, Eric. Stay well, my friend. Good luck. Ciao. Ciao.

Crew Chief Eric: This episode has been brought to you by the Automobile Club of the West and the ACO USA. From the awe inspiring speed demons that have graced the track to the courageous drivers who have pushed the limits of endurance, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is an automotive spectacle like no other. For over a century, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has urged manufacturers to innovate for the benefit of future motorists, and it’s a celebration of the relentless pursuit of speed and excellence in the world of motorsports.

To learn more about or to become a member of the ACO USA, look no further [00:48:00] than www. lemans. org, click on English in the upper right corner, and then click on the ACO Members tab for club offers. Once you’ve become a member, you can follow all the action on the Facebook group ACO USA Members Club and become part of the legend with future Evening with the Legend meetups.

Hello. Hello. Hello.

Crew Chief Eric: This episode has been brought to you by Grand Touring Motorsports as part of our Motoring Podcast Network. For more episodes like this, tune in each week for more exciting and educational content from organizations like the Exotic Car Marketplace, The Motoring Historian, Brake Fix, and many others.

If you’d like to support Grand Touring Motorsports and the Motoring Podcast Network, sign up for one of our many sponsorship tiers at www. patreon. com forward slash GT Motorsports. Please note that the content, opinions, and materials presented and expressed in this episode are those of its [00:49:00] creator, and this episode has been published with their consent.

If you have any inquiries about this program, please contact the creators of this episode via email or social media as mentioned in the episode.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

00:00 Adrian Fernandez’s Le Mans Journey
01:56 Early Racing Career and Challenges
03:20 Transition to Endurance Racing
07:54 First Le Mans Experience
10:50 Challenges and Triumphs at Le Mans; The Art of Endurance Racing
21:45 Aston Martin and Later Years
24:49 Transition and Challenges of GT Racing
25:58 Final Race and Reflections
29:03 Advice for Aspiring Drivers
34:37 Changes in Motorsport: Safety Innovations
38:32 Historic Cars and Modern Racing
40:55 Life After Racing
45:35 Closing Thoughts and Farewell

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Be sure to check out the behind the scenes for this episode, filled with extras, bloopers, and other great moments not found in the final version. Become a Break/Fix VIP today by joining our Patreon.

All of our BEHIND THE SCENES (BTS) Break/Fix episodes are raw and unedited, and expressly shared with the permission and consent of our guests.

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Evening With A Legend (EWAL)

Evening With A Legend is a series of presentations exclusive to Legends of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans giving us an opportunity to bring a piece of Le Mans to you. By sharing stories and highlights of the big event, you get a chance to become part of the Legend of Le Mans with guests from different eras of over 100 years of racing.

We hope you enjoyed this presentation and look forward to more Evening With A Legend throughout this season. Sign up for the next EWAL TODAY!

After a successful run in IndyCar and a stint in IRL, Adrian transitioned to sports cars in 2006 with Honda, racing in Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series. In 2007, Honda orchestrated his debut at Le Mans in an LMP2 prototype with Team SciTech. “Le Mans is my favorite Racetrack – Fast, Smooth, and Unforgiving. I prepared by riding a scooter corner to corner, taking pictures of buildings and landmarks to memorize braking points.”

That preparation paid off. Adrian qualified the car on pole and finished second in class – making history as the first Mexican driver to podium at Le Mans since the 1960s.

From LMP2 to LMP1 with Aston Martin

In 2010, Adrian returned to Le Mans in Aston Martin’s LMP1 program, finishing fifth in class and sixth overall. But the race was far from easy. “Harald Primat had to drop out mid-race, and I drove nearly four hours straight through the night. It was peaceful, surreal – like diving a night.”

His discipline and physical conditioning, honed during his IndyCar days, allowed him to push through exhaustion and maintain pace in the dark.

Photo courtesy Wikipedia, By Brian Snelson – originally posted to Flickr.

Adrian’s 2011 Le Mans campaign with Aston Martin’s AMR-One prototype ended in heartbreak. The car failed just one lap into the race due to engine issues. “It was a tough day for the whole team. Both cars retired almost immediately”

A Graceful Farewell in GT

In 2012, Adrian returned for his final Le Mans in the GTE Pro class, driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT. Despite never having raced GTs before, he adapted quickly and finished third in class. “GTs were the most challenging. The car moves more, and you have to trust it. But I worked hard and stayed within two-tenths of my teammates.”

That race marked the end of Adrian’s professional driving career. He took the checkered flag and retired on a high note.

Adrian’s insights into endurance racing reveal the mental and physical demands of sharing a car, managing fatigue, and adapting to changing conditions. “You’re not just driving – you’re part of a team. You have to compromise on setup, seating, everything. And you have to be ready to perform, even at 4 a.m. in the rain.”

Adrian Fernandez’s story is one of grit, adaptability, and relentless pursuit of excellence. From sleeping in train stations to standing on the podium at Le Mans, his journey embodies the spirit of motorsport. “I’ve never crashed at Le Mans. I always drove with respect, focus, and love for the race.”

ACO USA

To learn more about or to become a member of the ACO USA, look no further than www.lemans.org, Click on English in the upper right corner and then click on the ACO members tab for Club Offers. Once you become a Member you can follow all the action on the Facebook group ACOUSAMembersClub; and become part of the Legend with future Evening With A Legend meet ups.

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