Time. Finite and irreplaceable, it may be one of the most important elements in our universe. Timing is critical to almost every aspect of life, but nowhere is time and timing so precious as it is in motor sports. Race victories are determined by the thousandths of seconds; drivers strain to run consistent lap times; pit crews and engineers wrack their brains to squeeze a few-hundredths of a second more performance from their driver’s car.

Roadfly was fortunate enough to spend 345,600 seconds (4 days) with Team Fernandez during this year’s CART Grand Prix of Monterey (Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California). We were granted full access to the team for these four days - nothing was ever off limits, and for this we extend a huge round of thanks to everyone at Team Fernandez. We were able to talk to anyone and everyone on the team, got to put our hands on some very expensive equipment and were made privy to some extremely sensitive information regarding the car set-ups and performance.

Before we dive into the events, happenings and the behind-the-scenes look into a typical race weekend, we need to address the current state of affairs within CART. A once prominent and dominant racing organization, feuds and other legal battles have taken their toll on America’s open wheel racing leagues. IRL and CART have successfully fought each other into near-extinction; television coverage is at an all-time low, and if the fighting continues, it is inevitable that time will run out for both series.

Heck, at this point I don’t even know how to properly describe the CART series - a few years ago, it was referred to as “Indy car racing,” but that title was snatched away when Tony George decided to start his own series. Fair enough. The name then became “CART,” which was catchy, easily remembered and appropriate for the series. But this year, a curve ball was thrown, and the series would officially become known as: “CART: Bridgestone Presents Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford,” I think. I have to leave myself an exit because I couldn’t find anyone who could confirm or deny the official name of the series. Talk about frustrating…let’s just agree that for the sake of this article the series will be referred to as either “CART” or “Champ Car,” ok?

Our race weekend began on Thursday, June 12 with a media lunch event, which was held in one of Laguna Seca’s paddock pit row suites. A posh lunch was provided while drivers, media agents, publicists and reporters swarmed the smallish suite. There were television cameras just about everywhere and the drivers were being pulled in ten different directions throughout the entire hour and a half long event.

After eating lunch while standing alongside and chatting with Jimmy Vasser, Mario Dominguez and Bruno Junqueira, we made our way down to the Team Fernandez hauler where we were introduced to some of the team. We took a quick tour of the haulers and were also shown the team’s garage space.

They say that first impressions are critical, and our first impression with the Team Fernandez organization was one of complete and utter awe. Everything they did, worked on or worked with was spotless - the organization and precision with which everything was executed and organized was mind-boggling. No doubt these guys could double as brain surgeons should they ever tire of the racing scene; it’s that impressive.

The crew was split between the two haulers and the garage space, and while there wassn’t any track time scheduled for the first day, the pace with which the crew worked was anything but lax. In one hauler (massive 18-wheeled tractor/trailer rigs that are filled with office, work and storage space), team engineers worked with computer modeling and simulation software to help determine the proper chassis set-up for the first practice. In the garage space located just across from the haulers, team members prepared one of the team’s two cars.

After familiarizing ourselves with the team’s quarters, we walked down pit lane with assistant race engineer, Dan Grabski. Dan is a native of Rochester, New York, holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering and has been involved with CART racing for three years. As we walk, he gives us an idea of what to expect for the weekend and explains his responsibilities to us.

“I’d say currently my responsibility is to analyze and process aerodynamic information, perform track and race simulations and assist as necessary with other team functions,” he says as we walk toward the Team Fernandez Tecate/Quaker State pit stall. He goes on to say that “All of the team’s engineers are on hand for a race event. We don’t leave anyone back at the shop.”

We arrive at the pit space, where another member of the Fernandez Racing Team is busy setting up the pit box. He’s placing strips of red and green racer’s tape on the pavement, which will later serve as an entry guide to the pit box for Adrian. Grabski leads us over to the main pit cart, on which there are flat-screen computer monitors, laptop computers and a high-speed network system, complete with switch and router.

“We continuously gather information from the car for use with our modeling and simulation software. We track and utilize information about fuel, tires, chassis set-up, ride height, aero packages, and so on,” says Grabski as he clicks away on his laptop. After a few seconds, he looks up and says, “We can run lap after lap of simulation software, make a change here and there, and get pretty close to finding a decent set-up for qualifying and race day. The software is pretty good, but it can’t model everything with total accuracy - it gets us close.”

As we look around the pit stall, we notice another crewmember, Ken Szymanski (”Kenny”) working on a stack of fresh Bridgestone racing slicks. It turns out that Kenny is somewhat of a legend- having been involved with racing since 1978, both in Formula One and CART. We picked Kenny’s brain about tires, and in doing so learned that he has worked with racing greats like Mario Andretti and Ayrton Senna.

Kenny explains that the team uses dried air from Bridgestone rather than nitrogen to air-up the tires. Interestingly, he says the air that Bridgestone supplies is as reliable and consistent if not more so than the nitrogen (nitrogen has been used instead of compressed air in racing tires because compressed air is usually very moist, and the moisture is undesirable). “Roughly speaking, it takes about 3-4 laps for the tires to come up to temperature and pressure, so to account for that increase in pressure, I usually set the cold pressures about 2 or 3-psi lower than what we’re looking for when the tires are hot.”

We asked Kenny for information about how much a set of Bridgestone racing tires was worth, but he wouldn’t comment on that. “The [tire] lease information is kept confidential - each team works out its own deal with Bridgestone, and we’re assigned an engineer from Bridgestone to help us with the tires and set-up,” he said.

Friday would bring us our first taste of on-track excitement - after an early morning press meeting, we received official photographer vests and armbands from CART and were ready to start photographing some racing action. We made our way to the famous corkscrew (turns 7 and 8 ) and staked our claim just at the bottom of the corkscrew. The sound of Ford Cosworth motors turning 11,000 rpm could be heard in the distance, so we readied the cameras.

Several cars scream up the hill that leads to the entry of the corkscrew and we catch our first glimpse of their noses as they negotiate the apex into turn 7. In what is at best two blinks of the eye, the cars are at full throttle again and racing through turn 9. I check my camera, hoping that I’ll have poster quality images awaiting my review.

Nope. I managed to get the nose of one car and a blurry rear wing shot of another. This is going to take some practice…The Champ Cars are lapping the 2.238 mile track in about 1 minute and 10 seconds. After the first practice session, we learn that Team Fernandez is a little off the pace with lap times in the 1:12 range. Two seconds is an eternity in CART racing, so the team has their work cut out for them - the next practice session will start in less than an hour.

The second practice session fares better, but traffic creates headaches for the #51 Team Fernandez Tecate/Quaker State/Telmex car. Adrian pulls into the pits after the practice session, and before he even has his safety belts undone the crew has removed the racing tires and is putting on rain tires. Adrian exits the car and with his helmet still on comments that the car feels a lot better than it did after the first session. He removes his helmet, grabs a drink of water, and hops on his bike. He’s headed back to the hauler for a debriefing session with the engineers.

Somewhat surprised to see the rain tires go on, I ask one of the crew members why they’ve switched to rain tires. Brian Vanetti (outside rear tire changer and mechanic) tells me that they always transport the car on rain tires. CART allots a limited amount of racing tires per event (typically seven or eight sets of 4 tires), so the team can’t afford to have a tire damaged by debris while the car is being rolled around the pits.

Qualifying is scheduled for 2:30pm and there’s a lot of work that needs to be completed in a short amount of time. The crew pushes the red and green #51 car back to the garage where they make a series of adjustments in preparation for qualifying. While the team works on the car, we make our way to the hauler. Adrian is talking about the car’s characteristics with his engineers and the discussion is extremely interesting.

They’re busy trying to determine how to make the car handle well without sacrificing speed, and there’s talk about braking efficiency. Adrian feels that the car isn’t rolling through the corners smoothly - he has to stay off the gas too much at times, and would like to be able to use more throttle, earlier.

As Adrian continues to discuss handling and strategy with the engineers, we decide to make our way over to the team’s hospitality tent. Most of the Champ Car teams have hospitality tents in which guests of the team can kick back and relax with some food and drink.

The Fernandez Racing hospitality tent is decked out in a combination of Tecate red and Quaker State green. A buffet table sits in the far corner; a large “tour bus” serves as one of the area’s walls, a large awning extends from the side of the bus to give some much needed shade. There’s a commercial cooler that’s stocked with water, soda and Tecate beer, and there are about a dozen round tables set-up for people to sit at.

The chefs do a wonderful job of preparing a diverse menu - there’s fresh fruit, two types of salad, seafood, chicken and a beef entree available. There are also vegetables and various pastas and breads, and a wonderful desert table holds chocolate cake and other goodies.

As we were eating our lunch, Mario Andretti walked into the tent, grabbed a plate and sat down next to us. It’s not everyday that you have lunch with Mario - we chatted about the weekend and then left him to enjoy his lunch.

We ran back to pit lane just as the Champ Cars were being called out for their provisional qualifying session. Rich Meredith (inside rear tire changer/starter/mechanic) told us that the team felt good about their qualifying chances. “We made some changes that should put us up near the front,” he said.

We walked around the car as it sat on pit lane and watched as the team made last minute adjustments and attached the nose to the car. Adrian arrived on his bike, hopped over the pit wall and put on his helmet and gloves. It’s very interesting to see how a driver enters the cockpit of his racecar - the fit is tight - very tight. Once in the cockpit, the crew straps him in and they set a custom built fan on the cowl so that cold air can be blown on the driver as he sits waiting for the car to be started.

The provisional qualifying session was rather uneventful - we watched Adrian lap the track via the telemetry screens (each car has a GPS unit that sends information about its location on the track back to the pits). In addition to providing information about its location, the car also transmits information about critical items like brake temperature, tire pressure and temperature, throttle position, and various vital engine statistics (oil pressure, oil and water temperature, etc.).

When the qualifying session ended, the team once again removed the racing tires, swapped in rain tires and pushed the car back to the pits. Team Fernandez had earned a sixth-place grid position with a 1:10.846 best lap. Less than 0.95 seconds separated Team Fernandez from fifth place qualifier Mario Haberfield.

When we arrived to the track on Saturday morning, we found the crew hard at work on the car - they were preparing for their next practice session while Adrian was attending a “Breakfast with Champions” promotion with several other CART drivers.

We learned that immediately following the day’s events the team would be replacing the engine on the #51 Team Fernandez racecar. Cosworth Racing supplies each team with a new 2.65-liter, 750 horsepower, Ford Cosworth V8 motor every 1,200 miles. The all aluminum, 32-vlave, turbocharged motor can spin 12,000 rpm and is monitored and maintained by a Cosworth engineer at each event.

Each time the motor is started “cold,” a Cosworth engineer is present - he plugs in a laptop computer to one of the electrical boxes on the motor and monitors oil and water temperature, fuel and oil pressures and various other components. The engineer is also present while the motor is changed and is involved with any and all troubleshooting related to the motor. Any time the car is on the track, there’s a Cosworth engineer sitting with the team, monitoring the engine’s vitals. We would talk with Mathew Leicht of Cosworth Racing later in the day.

During the practice session Adrian made several pitstops for adjustments. Some of these adjustments were minor, while others were significant. Through the team’s radio communications it became evident that the car was loose, so race engineer David Watson requested a shock absorber change. It was amazing to watch six or seven crewmembers replace a pair of shocks - they were able to swap a set of shocks in less than a minute, all without getting in one another’s way.

Again, the practice session came to a close and surprisingly, we learned that the team wasn’t practicing for the qualifying session - they were concentrating on “full tank” runs in preparation for Sunday’s race. In the debriefing session, Adrian commented that he was experiencing a brake vibration - it was taking a toll on his arms and made the car difficult to control in the corners.

Qualifying began at 1:45pm and would last for one hour (remember how important time is?). When the qualifying session came to a close, Adrian found himself in sixth place with a time of 1:10.228. Less than 0.7 seconds separated Adrian from the first place qualifier, Michel Jourdain, Jr.

Back in the garages, the Fernandez crew was hard at work on tearing down the car. They had a full schedule in front of them - the car would be completely disassembled and rebuilt in a matter of hours. Prior to tearing it down, they scaled the car and took a series of complicated measurements so that they could return the car to the same set-up as before it was torn down. They have complex alignment tools, and various other measuring devices that they use to record settings, ride heights, camber, caster, and so on.

We talked with various crewmembers as they removed the bodywork, drained the radiators and fuel bladder, replaced the brake rotors, pads and brake fluid, rebuilt the suspension system (including the steering rack), rebuilt the transaxle/transmission assembly (all gears were replaced), and performed other work on the Lola chassis.

Again, it was utterly amazing to watch a complete racecar transform into nothing more than a bare chassis-shell within a matter of sixty minutes. Each member knew his job exactly, and he worked with surgical precision.

We chatted at length with Brian Vanetti who described himself as a “floater mechanic” that helped out as needed in the garage. Brian is also the outside rear tire changer that we spoke to earlier on pit lane. Brian’s roots are in NHRA drag racing, where he crewed for legends like Don “The Snake” Prudhome. While Brian enjoys CART racing, he commented, “Things were a lot more relaxed in NHRA racing. CART’s much more politically correct.”

While talking with Vanetti, we received word from CART officials that Jourdain Jr.’s car was underweight, and he would be stripped of his pole position. Fernandez just moved up to position 5 (”P5″ as they say) for the start of Sunday’s race.

John Slater, inside tire changer and mechanic was hard at work on the front half of the car. He was replacing all of the braking components and was rebuilding the steering assembly when we stopped to chat with him. “This is what we call the calm before the storm,” he said as he twisted a Snap-On ratchet over a caliper mounting point.

John also explained to us that Team Fernandez uses a system of a “front crew” and a “back crew” - he and a few other crewmembers typically work on the front half of the car while another set of crewmembers typically focus on the back half of the car. While we were talking with John, Barry Scott walked by with a pan full of gears - he was rebuilding the gearbox.

“We’ve done this stuff so much that it’s almost a matter of habit,” said Tony Leith (outside front tire changer and mechanic).

While the crew continued to work on the car, we chatted with Mathew Leicht, who was serving as the Cosworth engineer for Team Fernandez this weekend. “We get shuffled from team to team each weekend, so the teams get a different engineer each weekend. This helps ensure that the playing field is level,” he commented while he watched the crew transfer parts from their old Cosworth V8 to the new one.

Mathew went on to explain that Cosworth tries to be as “transparent” as possible to the sport - the motors have been relatively problem free this year and are making more horsepower with less RPM and less fuel consumption. “Reliability has been tremendous so far,” he says as he reaches for a piece of wood to knock on. “I think the reason for the improved reliability and closer racing this year is due in large part to the deletion of traction control. Traction control made things somewhat difficult for us last year.”

We continued to watch the crew work on the car, while we asked Mr. Leicht about the Cosworth engine lease program. “CART teams lease motors from Cosworth for approximately $1.275 million per year. They run a motor for a maximum of 1,200 miles - that can include practice, testing, racing, anything. Once they hit 1,200 miles, we exchange the motor. Old motors are returned to Cosworth where they are disassembled and evaluated.”

We asked him if teams are allowed to do anything to the motor, and he said, “No, not really. The motors are all ’sealed’ meaning that each team gets an identical motor to its competitor - that way, there aren’t any advantages given to anyone based on motor performance.”
What if a motor has 1,000 miles on it and the next 200+ miles includes a race day? “Then we replace the motor early. If you’ve got 800 miles on your motor and a 500 mile race is tomorrow, we’ll have the motor exchanged so it’s fresh for the race.”

Feeling comfortable with Mathew, we decided to push him for some “dirt” by asking insider questions like what type of oil do the motors use? “I don’t know, let’s go see,” he said as he walked over to the Team Fernandez supply cabinet. “Looks like they use Quaker State 5w30 synthetic blend,” he said.

We thought he was joking, but as he said that, a Fernandez team member came over and grabbed two sealed cases of Quaker State 5w30 synthetic blend. We watched closely and carefully as he opened the cases, and poured quart after quart of the off-the-shelf Quaker State into the fresh motor’s dry sump oil tank, 11 quarts in all. Leicht went on to explain, “Cosworth doesn’t care what oil you use, as long as it meets our viscosity and performance requirements. We realize that teams have oil deals, so they usually use whatever is available to them.”

By the time we were finished talking with Mathew, the team was already putting the car back together. When we left for the evening, the crew was scaling the car and making various chassis adjustments, and Kenny Szymanski was busy shaving the team’s racing tires to make sure they were completely clean and ready for race day.

The entire team is nothing short of amazing - it was quite an experience to be standing inches from them as they tore down the car and rebuilt it.

Race day started with another early morning press meeting with CART officials. We were instructed on the timeline and schedule for the day’s events. CART runs a tight ship - the schedule was coordinated to the minute. At exactly 12:21pm we would have to leave pit lane and return to the team’s pit box. At 12:26pm the drivers would have to be in their cars. At 12:29pm the command would be given to start the engines and at 12:30pm, the cars would be doing their warm-up laps.

Scheduling aside, the team was preparing the car for the final practice session before the race. Once again, we stood inches from the car and watched as Adrian returned the car to the pits for a differential adjustment, a rear shock change and some modifications to the rear brake ducting. It’s quite amazing that CART (and the teams) allow photographers and journalists to stand an inch from a car as it races into its pit stall. The general sense seems to be, “Don’t get run over, don’t get in our way and everything will be fine.”

While Team Fernandez sorted the minor problems, Michel Jourdain Jr’s problems continued - his team was pitted directly in front of the Fernandez pit stall, and his gearbox was continually malfunctioning. “I hope they can get it figured out,” said a Fernandez crewmember. Not only are these guys incredibly smart and talented, they’re also genuinely nice people. Adrian finished the final practice and then disappeared to the hauler to prepare for the race.

Meanwhile, the team returned to the garage for last minute adjustments (they set the fuel cell capacity and made a few minor changes) and to suit-up for the race. The Fernandez crewmembers wear flame retardant one-piece suits and helmets to help protect them should the unthinkable happen.

When the team returned to pit lane, their demeanor was different - they were ready to work and were serious about their efforts. The joking and kidding subsided and everyone was wearing their game face. By 11:30am, the car was parked on the starting grid, the team was suited and ready to go, and the SpeedTV crew was walking up and down pit-lane, looking for a story.

The final hour before the race seemed to last for an eternity - the time crawled by. We sat on pit wall and watched as the drivers took their parade lap while standing on the back of a pick-up truck. Many of the drivers had their fathers with them as the race was held on Fathers Day.

We finally had to clear pit lane and return to the team’s pit box, where we were given racing headsets so that we could listen to the crew’s conversations. Everyone was in place - the engineers were “in” their pit cart, laptops buzzing, and the rest of the crew was at their respective station. Tire changers lined the wall, the fuel man checked his equipment and we tried to stay out of everyone’s way.

The green flag dropped, followed immediately by a yellow flag - there had been contact between two cars on the start. The green flag would fly on the next lap, and the race was underway.

The pits are eerily calm during a race. The crew is quiet on the radio and not much conversation takes place between Adrian and his engineers. By lap 18 Adrian has moved up to 4th place and is 8 seconds behind the leader. The radio crackles to life, “Raise the rear tire pressure 2-psi for this stop.” Kenny is on it.

I look at the telemetry screen and notice that the rear tire pressures and temperature look normal. Kenny tells me that there’s nothing wrong with the handling, they (the engineers) just want the pressures to be slightly higher). I almost fell over when I saw the brake temperatures from the Fernandez car - 820-degrees Celsius on the front rotors and nearly 500-degrees Celsius on the rears! That is some serious heat!

On lap 23 the radio again came to life. “Pit next lap. Pit next lap.” The crew began to prepare for the pending stop. A fresh right-front tire was placed over the wall, the pneumatic impact guns were double-checked and one crewmember was performing some stretching exercises.

Lap 24 and the pits were suddenly a buzz with action - Adrian raced into the pit box, hit his mark and the tires were changed in a matter of seconds. Air hoses flew and the car dropped from its pneumatic lift. Fueler Mike Gugar, stepped back and Adrian smoked the tires on his way out of the pit.

I was amazed - the pit stop looked flawless, but Fernandez dropped two positions while in the pits. How could this be? It turns out there had been an equipment problem with the fuel man’s helmet and he over-filled the car by about one second.

One second. A one second error cost two racing positions; the error wasn’t anyone’s fault - an electronic “blinker” that is mounted inside of the helmet of the fuel man had failed. The blinker is supposed to flash when the car has received enough fuel - it’s how the fuel man knows when to remove the fuel nozzle from the car.

Meanwhile, Derek Daly of SpeedTV/CBS was walking up and down the pits, looking for a story. He stopped in and asked, “Have you got anything for me?” Tamy Valkosky, Team Fernandez Public Relations Director shook her head to say, “No.” Daly watched the race on one of the Fernandez monitors, then gathered his crew and moved on.

As the race continued, the radio was relatively quiet. Lap 48 brings another pit stop and the pit stop exercise is repeated. Again, the team is upset because they lost two positions by the time Adrian exits pit lane. I managed to catch a glimpse of the fuel gauge and saw that they dumped 29-gallons of methanol into the car in less than eight seconds.

Fuel information is extremely privileged - the teams go to great lengths to keep the information confidential. The fuel valve deadman operator (he stands at the fuel cart and is the emergency fuel shut-off man) hides the fuel meter from view by blocking it with his body. Then, as soon as Dan Grabski can take a reading, the meter is reset to zero - I was lucky to catch a glimpse of it.

The final pit stop took place on lap 71, and the team put in 22 gallons of methanol. After the pit stop was finished I flashed a “thumbs up/thumbs down” sign to John Slater and he returned a “thumbs middle” sign. Adrian left the pit in seventh position and went on to finish the race in the same position.

After the checkered flag flew, the team was informed their car would be tech inspected, so they pushed it to the tech center for an inspection. Various crew members hurriedly packed up the pit space and within an hour, the pit box was nearly vacant.

Back in the garage, the packing continued at a hurried pace as well. The team would have to repeat this weekend’s entire process again in just a few days - Portland, Oregon was the next stop, which Fernandez would go on to win.

Rich Meredith (inside rear tire changer/starter/mechanic) also drives one of the haulers. He explained that he would leave the track by around 6pm and drive straight to Portland. The rest of the team would fly to Portland on Monday. Rich was looking forward to getting to the track early, washing the haulers and then playing a little golf.

While the team packed, Adrian debriefed with his engineers. A long line of fans began to accumulate outside of the haulers - they were looking for autographs and pictures of their favorite driver. While we talked with Adrian, he was busy signing various items for fans - a helmet visor, a CD, a photograph, a poster and so on.

Despite having just run 87 grueling laps in a cramped racecar, Adrian looked like a million bucks. He took time to answer all of our questions (see side bar), posed for a photo and wished us well.

As we exited the hauler, we said thanks to all of the Fernandez crewmembers and wished them luck with the upcoming race in Portland. As we were walking back to the rental car, I turned and saw the car being loaded into the hauler - they were almost ready to leave the track.

So there you have it. 345,600 seconds in the life of a CART racing team brought to you compliments of the Fernandez Racing team. We have to say thank you to many people for making this story possible, including: Adrian Fernandez, Tammy Valkosky, Mathew Leicht, Ed Grabski, Ed Nichols and of course each and every member of the Team Fernandez racing crew.

Click here for Roadfly’s interview with Adrian Fernandez.

R: You’re the only owner/driver that’s currently active on the CART circuit. What are the challenges of being in this position?

Adrian Fernandez: It is a very challenging position to be in. It’s very difficult to get started as both an owner and a driver, and then I have to try and manage my time and my thoughts so that my driving is not distracted and my performance is not compromised.

R: As an owner/driver, do you see yourself transitioning away from driving responsibilities and focusing more on the management and ownership issues?

AF: I put most of my energy into driving the car and only oversee the management of the team right now. Things are so busy. For future drivers, I have my eye on a few of the younger Mexican drivers, but I’m so busy I don’t have much time to do any cultivating.

R: With the CART/IRL split, is it more difficult to obtain sponsorship? What effect do you think the split has had on the sport?

AF: Economics is always an issue, and sponsorship is very valuable because it can be hard to obtain. The split has probably hurt the sport. We all have less television coverage and that is what helps keep people interested in the sport and interest drives sponsors.

R: Who are your primary adversaries on the track?

AF: There are a lot of great drivers out there today. Guys like Jourdain, Sebastian, Carpentier, Tracy, Dominguez - they all are great drivers and are very competitive. I think things are much more competitive today than they were when I started racing CART in 1993.

R: We’ve followed your team this weekend and it’s been really interesting. Tell us a little about your weekend - what do you like best about a race weekend?

AF: I like the entire event except for all of the headaches that come with being so busy. This weekend my IRL team is in another city, so I get updates from them. Then I have to concern myself with our efforts here. My favorite thing is driving the car- it’s amazing, and Laguna Seca is an incredible track. This weekend wasn’t so good though. Our two pit stops killed our chances because it’s hard to pass on this track.

R: How critical is it to get a good qualifying position? When you’re practicing, are you focusing on qualification efforts or race strategy?

AF: Both. At a track like this, qualifying is so very important because passing opportunities are very rare. When we practice, we focus on both racing and qualifying. Making a change for the sake of qualifying might affect the racing set-up.

R: Tell us about some of your off track experiences. Are you a car guy away from the track? What types of cars catch your eye today, and what do you look for in a car?

AF: I love cars. I LOVE cars. But, because of my job, I don’t have much time to enjoy them. I currently have a Ferrari 260 Spyder, a Mercedes SL55 and an Acura MDX - I really enjoy driving them. Cars that catch my eye are the Enzo, but everyone says that. For regular cars, I think the MINI Cooper is a pretty cool little car. I am attracted to a good looking car but it also has to have performance.

R: Congratulations on your recent engagement. I trust that your fiancee is a racing fan?

AF: Actually, no. She doesn’t really like racing. We met on the set of the Sylvester Stallone movie “Driven.”

R: In closing, what tracks and events are your favorites? Are there any that you really look forward to?

AF: The Mexico race is very special to me and the event is the best. It’s almost overwhelming because of the tremendous fan support. Australia is an event I really enjoy because the country is very fun to visit. For tracks, I think I like Road America the best - it’s long, challenging and has a lot of turns and fast straights.

R: Adrian, thank you for letting us join you this weekend and we wish you lots of luck for the rest of the season.

AF: Thanks guys, it was a pleasure to have you here.

Adrian Fernandez is the team owner and driver of the #51 Fernandez Racing Tecate / Quaker State / Telmex Lola Ford Champ car. Born in Mexico, the forty-year-old driver currently resides in Paradise Valley, Arizona. He is in his eleventh year of CART racing and has 7 victories to his name, with nineteen podium finishes. He is an avid fitness enthusiast, who works out an average of three-and-a-half hours per day, and maintains a very strict diet.

The following weekend, at the G.I. Joe’s 200 race on June 22, 2003, Team Fernandez earned their place in history- Adrian won the race, an accomplishment that few have ever achieved while serving as an owner and driver. It was also Team Fernandez’ first victory as a team.

Nestled in the sandy dunes and cactus lined hills of beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona is a small, enthusiast-owned company that develops products that deliver big performance. Paul Ebeyer, long-time Roadfly member and supporter is the owner and president of Strong-Strut, a leading manufacturer of chassis enhancements for many popular BMW vehicles.

Paul’s Strong Strut body braces (there are several models available) have been a popular performance enhancer for many Z3 owners, and are now becoming popular with the 3-series crowd. And, for good reason- Paul builds one heckuva product. While showing us his company’s original Strong Strut, the all-new Alloy Strut, the Butt Strut and the Body Brace, we were instantly impressed with at the level of craftsmanship and the high-level of detailed finishing that Paul demands for his products.

With their beautiful welds, the perfectly CNC machined solid, cold-rolled steel and the incredibly precise hardware, all of the Strong Strut pieces exude quality. “I wouldn’t put them on my own car if I didn’t believe in them,” says Ebeyer as we admire a highly polished strut brace. “We don’t rush into anything, and we take our time making it. I’ve got a really good team of guys helping me, and we put a lot of pride in our products.”

“I drove a Z3 for a few years and quickly grew tired of the chassis flex that is inherent in almost every convertible, so I set-out to build something that would solve the problem,” says Ebeyer as he describes how Strong Strut was started. “It was a problem turned hobby turned business,” he says with a smile.

Paul Ebeyer is a friendly, good natured person who has an aura of BMW glow around him - when talking with him, you get the feeling that he may even bleed blue, black and white. His 2000 BMW M Roadster, however, is blindingly red. We took a stroll through his garage and admired his current pride and joy. He pops the hood and we’re greeted by a beautiful, chrome strut tower brace (The Strong Strut).

The Strong Strut is truly a work of art - CNC machined from cold rolled steel, masterfully welded and then fastened in place with some of the nicest hardware we’ve ever seen, the brace is as beautiful as it is functional. “It helps with just about every aspect of the car,” says Paul, “Flex, alignment, ride quality- it’s all improved with the Strong Strut.” And we don’t doubt him - the thing is that incredible.

“Take a look at the Body Brace,” he says, directing us to peer under the car. We immediately notice two body-length braces, carefully hugging the BMW’s body rails. They look like factory components. “They really stiffen up the car,” he adds.

Paul’s M Roadster sits low - very low, so we ask him about ground clearance. “I’ve been driving with these for about 2,000 miles now - how do they look?” We take a look at them again, and they’re completely unscathed. While we’re admiring the Body Brace system, we notice the “Butt Strut” that Paul has on the back of his M Roadster.

The Butt Strut is a solid, 2-1/2 inch piece of cold rolled, CNC machined steel and it’s mounted to the brackets that support the rear sub-frame assembly, which appears to offer a ton of reinforcement to the rear assembly. Again, the brackets, the components and the brace itself are absolutely impressive; the quality is more than top-notch.

Paul explains that the placement of the Butt Strut results in a direct reinforcement of the chassis as the Butt Strut is effectively bolted to the body and chassis. “Ground clearance on this can be a problem for people with very low cars, but as you can see, my car is pretty low and I’ve been OK with it.”

People seem to really be reacting well to the Butt Strut. “I’ve noticed a marked improvement with turn-in, but my favorite story comes from a gentleman who swears that his car feels like it has four-wheel steering [after the Butt Strut was installed],” says Paul. “It seems to cure the infamous ‘hula dance’ that so many Z drivers complain about, and for what it’s worth, when you traverse railroad tracks or other ‘chops’ in the road, the car moves over it as a unit rather than flexing and shaking.”

We were convinced of Strong Strut’s benefits just from looking at the products, but a quick ride confirmed our beliefs. The car felt much more solid - like it was machined from a single piece of billet; cowl shake, chassis flex and imprecise feedback were completely eliminated. The Strong Strut products undoubtedly improved the character of the Roadster.

Paul also shared with us a new product, his “Competition Light” strut tower brace. “The Strong Strut is probably stronger than it needs to be, but that’s what I wanted,” says Paul as he shows us his latest product, the CL Strong Strut. “The CL isn’t intended to replace the Strong Strut, but rather to offer an alternative for guys who are racing their car and are willing to sacrifice a little strength in the name of weight savings.”

The CL Strong Strut is CNC machined from solid aircraft grade alloy, heat treated to T-6 specifications and features the same pivotless design of the original Strong Strut. The pivotless design is critical to offering robust, flex-free performance, and is what has set the Strong Strut products apart from the competition.

The CL weighs just four pounds, despite measuring 2-inches wide by 1/2-inch thick, and features eleven cross-drilled holes. Paul tells us it’s available for all Z3 models, and all E46 and E36 3-series BMWs. Color choices are limited to “galaxy,” powder coated flat black or titanium.

Our time with Paul drew to a close, and we asked him for specifics - quick facts about his products. What do they fit, who can benefit from them, and how can people get their hands on them?

“I have products for all of the Z3 models, the E36 3-series, the E46 3-series and I’m working on some Z4 products right now. Anyone who drives one of these vehicles would benefit tremendously from the Strong Strut products - we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so there’s virtually no risk. I’ve been a Roadfly member and supporter for many years, and I listen to my customer’s input. If anyone would like to order a product, they can visit the website at: http://www.strong-strut.com”

We take one last look at the incredible Strong Strut products and wish Paul well. Our ride back to the hotel in our 2003 Taurus really points out the benefits of the Strong Strut- the Taurus flexes and shakes as it wallows over bumps and road irregularities, something that the M Roadster was immune to when we drove the roads just minutes earlier. Perhaps Paul might consider building Strong Struts for Hertz rental cars….

Strong Strut is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and can be found online at http://www.strong-strut.com. If you own a Z3, E36, E46 or Z4, do yourself (and your car) a huge favor and check out the Strong Strut products - they really impressed us, and that’s not easy to do.

Car shopping. Love it or hate it, it’s a necessary fact of life. It can cause your emotions to run the gamut - excitement, anticipation, hesitation, fear, anger, happiness, and eventually, relief once the buying process is complete.

Generally speaking, car dealerships have long fought the stereotype of being sneaky, underhanded scam factories. Everyone has heard the horror stories about the infamous plaid jacketed, slicked back salesman who sold the ultimate lemon to an unsuspecting buyer. As a result, programs, incentives, policies, and laws have been developed and passed in an effort to protect the consumer.

To further alleviate some of the headaches that are common to the buying process, services like Certified Pre Owned (CPO) and vehicle background checks have been initiated by automobile manufacturers and independent reporting services. These highly promoted programs are intended to help educate the consumer about the vehicle they’re interested in.

Independent reporting services such as CARFAX or Experian Automotive Services provide information about a vehicle’s ownership and insurance history and can often identify problems that might not otherwise be obvious - odometer tampering, salvage titles, flood damage, and occasionally even major accident damage. Often, these services can supply additional information that might be helpful to a potential buyer as well.

CPO programs are typically factory-initiated services, wherein a dealership follows an inspection procedure to identify, fix, repair and/or disclose problems with a previously owned vehicle, prior to offering the vehicle for sale. Additional CPO benefits may include an enhanced or extended warranty, roadside assistance, “loaner” vehicle assistance (in the event of vehicle repair), and so on.

Of course, these benefits extend beyond the consumer and to the dealer and manufacturer as well - dealerships are able to more easily sell used vehicles under the CPO program, as it alleviates some of the concern that a consumer might have about buying “a used car.”

Recently, there’s been a massive commercial pitch to promote and educate people of the benefits of a CPO program - “Buy the car you didn’t think you could afford” or “Enjoy piece of mind” are some of the underlying messages in these marketing campaigns. The manufacturer wants the consumer to understand that buying a CPO vehicle should be painless and quite possibly “prestigious.”

Sounds great, right? Heck, we should all run out and buy a CPO vehicle - we’d save thousands of dollars, enjoy complete piece of mind, and never have to worry again.

For the most part, CPO programs do appear to work as intended. But there are some potential problems and pitfalls that the consumer needs to be made aware of - the adage “Let the buyer beware” still applies to CPO vehicles. Roadfly has learned of several recent CPO problems and feels compelled to share some of this info with you, our valued reader.

The Basics: What Exactly is CPO?

Rather than bore you with paragraph after paragraph of information, let’s just consider the basics about most CPO programs.

* Factory initiated program
* Applies to vehicles that are relatively new and still covered by original warranty
* May extend vehicle’s warranty by time and mileage
* May include extra services like roadside assistance
* Vehicles are inspected by the selling dealership: a comprehensive list of body, mechanical, safety and accessory inspections is performed
* Vehicles are repaired and brought up to standard prior to sale
* Vehicles usually receive additional detailing
* Vehicles are usually “featured” by the dealership
* Vehicles usually cost more than non-CPO vehicles with similar options and equipment

The above list is just what it is - the very general basics. There’s a ton of fine print involved with each manufacturer’s CPO program, so you’ll have to do your homework if you’re interested in a CPO vehicle. But what happens if things go wrong? Does buying a CPO vehicle guarantee you’ll get a trouble free vehicle? Not exactly.
While browsing the various internet-based message boards, we discovered that a small (yet not insignificant) number of people were reporting odd problems with their CPO vehicles - some had an inordinate number of problems, others had minor problems, but they were problems nonetheless.

After doing a little more digging, we found one CPO vehicle owner who was sold a car that appeared to have been the victim of a major accident - body panels had been replaced and repainted, air bag problems existed, and so on. Another CPO vehicle owner had reported that his “new” CPO vehicle was in the shop for months on end, while the dealer attempted to fix a long list of problems. And yet another owner reported a constant overheating problem, combined with oil leaks.

We attempted to contact the owners so that we could discuss this with them, but apparently, the manufacturers who sponsor the CPO program had put a “gag order” on the owners. E-mails were returned with a brief note indicating something to the effect of, “Can’t talk about it, [vehicle manufacturer] has made me sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

Sure enough, all talk about the problems on the message boards stopped soon after we attempted to contact the owners. The manufacturers had successfully swept the issue under the rug; we can only speculate as to what has happened with the vehicles. Several of the people who were having problems with their recent CPO purchased vehicles appear to have new replacements. Calls to the respective manufacturers were not returned, so we can’t confirm the exact outcome of these events.

Rest assured that these incidents are not typical, and are probably the result of a few rogue dealerships. After all, a manufacturer would not want to develop a reputation of certifying anything and everything that sat on the lot - that would negate any benefit of a CPO program.

But, the problems present another question - if damaged vehicles can be inspected, certified and sold as CPO vehicles, why isn’t a service like CARFAX or Experian catching some of these problems? That’s what they’re is supposed to do, right?

Again, the answer is “not exactly.” The vehicle history services appear to only catch problems that have a direct impact on the title and/or “history” of the vehicle. Transactions such as ownership transfer, or a change in status (i.e., Salvaged title) are the major components of a report. In theory, a vehicle could have tens of thousands of dollars of damage from an accident, and so long as the vehicle wasn’t “totaled” by the insurance company, the reporting services might not be able to pick-up on the damage.

Ultimately, buying a vehicle is still a somewhat risky business, even though the vehicle may be “Certified Pre Owned.” An inexperienced technician may have missed a few inspection points, or a dealership might be desperate to move a vehicle off the lot quickly, and a seemingly perfect CPO vehicle might turn into a real nightmare.

We strongly suggest that a prospective buyer take the following actions when considering the purchase of a used vehicle, even if it is a Certified Pre Owned vehicle:

* Drive the vehicle not as a buyer, but as an inspector. Pay attention to any rattles, squeaks, odd noises, or problem indicators. A vehicle should not pull or drift to one side or another, nor should it smoke, smell odd or exhibit any other unusual characteristics. If you’re uncertain as to what’s normal, ask to drive a similar vehicle for comparison.

* Carefully inspect the vehicle for proper equipment. We’ve heard dozens of stories about CPO vehicles not having the correct spare tire included with the vehicle, or components like CD changers and tool kits missing. Spare tires should be in good condition, properly inflated, and the proper size and style for the vehicle.

* Take the vehicle to an independent shop and ask them to inspect it for you. A thorough inspection should cost between $100 and $200, and is money well spent. If possible, ask the shop to conduct a service history check for you - it will give you an idea if the car has been spending a lot of time in the service department.

* If you suspect the vehicle might have been in an accident, take it to a quality body shop and have them check the paint thickness. Often, cars that have been repainted will have a thicker layer of paint than what the factory would apply. Factory paint thickness on most modern BMW vehicles is between 4-7 “mils.”

* Get a vehicle history report on the vehicle. While it won’t tell you everything about the car, it is helpful.

* Ask the selling dealership for copies of the CPO paperwork, including inspection and service records. A reputable dealer will not be afraid to share this information with you. We’ve heard stories of some dealerships claiming that the service information is “confidential,” which isn’t exactly true. If the dealership wavers on this, consider walking away, as the history is most likely not favorable.

* Compare the CPO vehicle to a non-CPO vehicle with similar options. Ask yourself if the additional price for the CPO vehicle warrants the purchase. Many times, a consumer can purchase an aftermarket warranty that would cover most repairs for less than the additional cost of the CPO vehicle. It’s an option to consider.

Buying a car can be a very rewarding experience, and it can be a very disappointing experience. When car shopping, take your time - don’t be in a rush to buy, and most importantly, don’t “fall in love” with a certain vehicle. Car manufacturers build thousands of vehicles each month, and you can be assured that there are plenty to choose from. If anything about a particular vehicle causes you to raise an eyebrow, be prepared to walk away and consider another vehicle, regardless of whether it’s a CPO vehicle or not.

If you’d like to learn more about CPO vehicles and owner experiences, visit our message boards and use the search feature to find information and discussion about other people’s “CPO” experiences.