Fernandez out to repeat front row show in Denver.

After finishing eighth in last weekend's Molson Indy Montreal, Adrian Fernandez and his Fernandez Racing concern will take to the streets of the 'Mile High City' this weekend for the Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver.

Fernandez is hoping for similar results to those he experienced during last year's inaugural event where, in a career best street course qualifying performance, he place the #51 machine on the front row and went on to finish a competitive fourth around the unloved, nine-turn temporary street circuit surrounding Denver's Pepsi Centre.

Personal opinions aside, the recently repaved and slightly altered 1.647-mile circuit will host the 15th round of competition in the 19 race series, a pivotal point in the battle for position within the championship standings.

"We had a very good car here last year, and I feel we will be very competitive this weekend," said Fernandez, whose second trip to the Mile High City coincides with career Champ Car start number 175. "Denver is a great city and this is an important market for our team and the series. We have a lot of fans here and we are looking forward to putting on a good show for them."

Due to the ultra tight nature of the track, CART will revert to the single-car qualifying system it employed with some success earlier this year at Brands Hatch.

Friday's provisional qualifying will be a one-hour session with the qualifying order based on the reverse order of the combined practice times. Saturday's final qualifying session order will be the reverse order of Friday's provisional qualifying results. Drivers will be given a maximum of five laps for their qualifying run - an untimed out-lap, a maximum of three timed laps, and an untimed in-lap.

"The track is challenging and, like any street circuit, qualifying is important. I think the new single-car qualifying procedure for this race is good because the track is so tight and the corners are one right after another. The track was very slippery last year and if you got off line you lost everything. We have been strong on the street circuits this year, and I am looking forward to the race."

The nine-turn, 1.647-mile street circuit features a long, sweeping curve back straight and a short front straight. Fernandez Racing Race Engineer Chris Finch estimates top speeds of 185 - 187 mph with minimum cornering speeds in the 50 to 55 mph range.

Drivers will shift 24 times per lap throughout the course of the 106-lap race, pulling a maximum G-force load of 2.3. The maximum lap interval for pit stops is set at 32 laps, requiring a minimum of three stops.

Denver's higher altitude and thinner air could present braking and cooling problems, and drivers will have to exercise patience in order not to overuse these systems. As Finch notes, the variety of challenges will make for an interesting weekend: "Denver is a slick and bumpy street circuit. All corners, except one, have a minimum speed of 50-55 mph with top speed on the back straight at 185-187 mph. Therefore, we will need to balance the car's low speed cornering characteristics to its top speed performance.

"Denver is at an altitude where the barometric pressure is reduced from 29.92 in Hg at sea level to 25.00 in Hg. Therefore, consideration must be made to engine cooling and brake cooling. This change will direct emphasis on the car's mechanical grip because the aerodynamic performance is degraded from the altitude change."

Away from the race itself, Fernandez will team with fellow countrymen Michel Jourdain Jr., Mario Dominguez and Rodolfo Lavin for a Denver-based Four Amigos promotion.

Four grand prize winners and their guests from a local radio campaign with join the quartet for breakfast on Friday at 8:00 am at the CART Business Unit located in the Champ Car Paddock. The winners will also receive team gear and be honorary pit crewmembers for the day.