IRL: Indy Racing League news and notes 2004-12-10

Indy Racing League News and Notes -- 12/10/04

Today's IRL headlines
1. Fernandez's Book Debuts In Mexico
2. Castroneves Helps Raise Money For Charity

1. Fernandez's Book Debuts In Mexico: IRL IndyCar® Series owner/driver Adrian Fernandez debuted his first book, "Adrian Fernandez, Imagenes para la Historia," on Dec. 10 in his hometown of Mexico City. The 200-page, full color, coffee-table hardback chronicles Fernandez's life in photos, and features a foreword by Jo Ramirez, the former team manager of the West McLaren Mercedes Formula One team.

"I have had the idea of a book in the back of my mind for a while now," Fernandez said. "When my sister, Mary, approached me about heading the project, I thought the time was right coming off our success in the IRL this year."

With detailed Spanish-language captions by Jose Antonio Cortes, the book covers Fernandez's childhood days and his early racing successes in Mexico and Europe. The book also documents Fernandez's debut on the American racing scene in Indy Lights and follows his 11 years in CART competition, culminating with his recent accomplishments in the IndyCar® Series.

"When I look back over my career to date, I have so many memories -- of people that have helped me to get to this level, of friends that I have made, of the fans that have supported me, of successes shared and the many challenges along the way," Fernandez said. "I have been very proud to represent my country around the globe. Hopefully, this book will give everyone a glimpse into the world that I have worked hard to be a part of these past 30 years."

Published by Mexico Desconocido S.A. de C.V., "Adrian Fernandez, Imagenes para la Historia" will be distributed by Sanborn's, a department store with 58 locations in Mexico City and an additional 71 stores throughout Mexico, beginning Dec. 10. The book will also be available at the SIAM 2004 Auto Show in Mexico City (El Salon Internacional del Automovil Mexico 2004) Dec. 11-19.

"Adrian has been an inspiration to so many people," Cortes said. "I feel very honored to have partnered with him on this project. Many people have followed his career through the media over the years, and this book really gives you an inside look at his life."

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2. Castroneves Helps Raise Money For Charity: Marlboro Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves participated in the Chris Evert/Bank of America Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic on Dec. 4-5 in Delray Beach, Fla.

The event brought together some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment including former President George H.W. Bush, Matthew Perry, Chevy Chase, Lindsay Davenport and rocker Gavin Rossdale and raised $1.2 million for South Florida charities.

The weekend's matches paired a celebrity participant with a professional tennis player. Castroneves, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, teamed with tennis star Lisa Raymond to defeat the team of Chris Evert and Chevy Chase, 6-4.

In addition to the action on the court, the event featured a concert by Sheena Easton on Dec. 4 at a black-tie gala at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. A silent and live auction raised more than $300,000.

Among items up for bid were two pace car rides with Castroneves and four passes to the Toyota Motorsports suite at the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar® Series season-opening Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The items sold for a combined $25,000.

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The IRL IndyCar Series opens its 10th season of competition with the Toyota Indy 300 at 2 p.m. (EST) on March 6, 2005 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be broadcast live on ESPN and the IMS Radio Network. The 2005 Menards Infiniti Pro Series season also opens on March 6 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be broadcast by ESPN2 at 4 p.m. (EST) on March 17.

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