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Thursday, April 5
Fernández enjoyed Mexico reception
By Adrián Fernández
Special to ESPN.com
There's been quite a break in the CART schedule since Mexico, and I think everyone is more than ready for Long Beach. As drivers, we are not used to having so much time in between events. In the past, we would be out testing almost every chance we got. But the new rules prohibiting in-season testing put a stop to that and, for me, these three weeks have been a blessing.
I think it took me a full week to recover from Mexico! I didn't think I could sleep that much. In reality, the down time was great for giving my arm a rest. (Fernández was suffering from a form of tendinitis called intersection syndrome that required daily medical attention during the Monterrey race weekend and a wrapping on his arm). In Mexico, I would say my arm was 40 percent and now it's 90 so I am really happy about that.
|  | | Adrián Fernández and teammate Shinji Nakano ham it up for the camera. |
The break also gave me a chance to focus on the team and our next steps, as well as spend time with my teammate, Shinji Nakano. Shinji came back out to Phoenix to spend a week training with me. His fitness trainer also came out, and we worked a lot with my trainer, JD, in different areas so Shinji could do a lot of what we were doing back at his home in Indy.
We did a lot of training -- the gym, racquetball, squash, mountain bikes, hiking and running. The photo that you see is of me, JD and Shinji from an earlier workout session. JD has been my trainer the last two years. I love working out with JD. He works me hard, but he is very motivating.
I train six days a week for two hours a day during the offseason and follow a very strict diet. I cut down a little bit during the race season on the training, but not by much. My reward is "cheat day" which is usually a Sunday, or Monday if it falls on race weekend. Then I eat all the foods I miss - ice cream, tacos. Honestly, we are only human and you have to indulge a little bit. Cheat day has passed, and yes, it was good, and now I am focusing on the race weekend.
I have always enjoyed Long Beach -- the track, the atmosphere, the fans -- it's a great event. This year's race already feels different because I am going back there as not only a driver, but also an owner this time. I entered my first-ever Champ Car race at Long Beach back in 1993. I was driving for Galles Racing in a partial season of five events.
I was working so hard to try to put together a career in Champ Cars at that point, and to have the opportunity to compete at Long Beach was a dream come true. Nine years have gone by since then, and now I'm going back there with my own team. In a way, it's a journey that has come full circle. There are a lot of people with me now that were there supporting me back then, and I will always be grateful.
This will be Shinji's first appearance at Long Beach. He missed last year's race because of a testing accident. Right now there is not much I can tell him, unfortunately. He's watched the tapes of previous races, but we really need to be there at the circuit to go over things. I will have more time to dedicate to the team this weekend as opposed to Mexico, and also to working with Shinji. I have a feeling it's going to be a lot better in terms of performance.
2000 CART runner-up Adrián Fernández, who drives the No. 51 Tecate/Quaker State/Telmex Honda/Reynard car, will provide a weekly diary to ESPN.com throughout the 2001 season. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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