Fernando Rees
Encyclopedia
In late 2003, Fernando made a good impression to Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
in a private test of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
manufacturer in the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
circuit of Estoril
Estoril
Estoril is a seaside resort and civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, Lisboa District. The Estoril coast is close to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It starts in Carcavelos, 15 kilometres from Lisbon, and stretches as far as Guincho, often known as Costa de Estoril-Sintra or...
. On December 11, 2003, Mercedes-Benz had organized a Formula 3 test among its official client teams of Formula 3 Euroseries. Only six drivers were selected to take part in the test: Fernando Rees, Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica
Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...
, Jamie Green
Jamie Green
Jamie Green is a British professional racing driver. He is currently employed by Persson Motorsport in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters touring car championship.-Early career:...
, Bruno Spengler
Bruno Spengler
Bruno Spengler is a French-born Canadian racing driver, nicknamed 'The Secret Canadian'.-Early Career:...
, Alexandre Premat
Alexandre Prémat
Alexandre Prémat is a French race car driver.-Career:-Karting & French Formula Renault Campus:...
and Adrian Sutil
Adrian Sutil
-Biography:Sutil is the son of professional musicians Monika, a German, and Jorge, a Uruguayan. He has two brothers named Daniel and Raphael. He weighs 165 pounds and is 6 feet tall. A talented pianist, Sutil started karting at 14 before moving up to Swiss Formula Ford 1800 in 2002...
. In the test day, Fernando topped the time sheets driving the ASM Mercedes-Benz car. Later in the same year, Ron Dennis
Ron Dennis
Ronald "Ron" Dennis CBE is the executive chairman of McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group, and is also a significant shareholder in both companies...
picked the ASM Mercedes-Benz team for Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
to drive in the upcoming Formula 3 Euroseries championship, and Fernando was forced to look elsewhere to compete.
After four years competing in the major single-seater categories in Europe (2001–2005), and having proved himself driving for the low budget team Interwetten.com in World Series by Renault
World Series by Renault
The World Series by Renault, formerly the World Series by Nissan from 1998 to 2004, is a motor racing series. The series consists of the flagship Formula Renault 3.5 Series , the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and the Eurocup Mégane Trophy...
during its 2005 season, Fernando was awarded a test in the renowned Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
dream Draco Racing
Draco Racing
Draco Racing is a motorsports team from Italy. It currently operates in the World Series by Renault, but has also taken part in Formula Opel Lotus, International Formula 3000 and Euro Formula 3000.-Formula Opel Lotus Euroseries:...
in the winter of that same year. With more than 30 drivers on track, including 2005 season champion Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica
Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...
, Rees lead the field in the demanding track of Valencia
Circuit de Valencia
Circuit Ricardo Tormo, also known as Circuit de Valencia and officially named Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, is a motorsport race track located in Cheste and built in 1999. It has a capacity of 120,000 spectators and seating for 60,000...
, with more than half a second gap to Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta is a Venezuelan Formula One driver. Before making his Formula One debut in 2011, he won the 2010 GP2 championship.-Formula Renault:...
, who emerged second. The test opened new doors for the Brazilian driver.
But in early 2006, at the Italian circuit of Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
, Fernando was unfortunately involved in a shunt during a Formula 3000 International Masters
Formula 3000
The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter the Formula One championship...
test day, under heavy rain, and was seriously injured. Fernando had two broken vertebrae, a broken ankle and other excoriations in both legs. As a consequence, Rees was away from motor racing for 18 months.
With his convalescence complete, Fernando made his sportscar debut in the last Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
event of 2007, the Mil Milhas of Interlagos
2007 Mil Milhas Brasil
The 2007 Mil Milhas Brasil was the 35th running of the Mil Milhas Brasil and was the sixth and final round of the 2007 Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Brazil, on November 10, 2007. It is the first round of the Le Mans Series held outside of Europe, as well...
. Racing for Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition is a French auto racing team founded in 1988 by Jack Leconte. Based at the Circuit du Val de Vienne in La Vigeant, Larbre has had considerable success in the Porsche Carrera Cup, French GT Championship, and international FIA GT Championship...
with an Aston Martin DBR9
Aston Martin DBR9
The Aston Martin DBR9 is a racing car built by Aston Martin Racing, debuting in 2005. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning DBR1 car, named for then-owner David Brown, which not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but also the World Sportscar title.-Development:Based...
, together with drivers Roland Berville, Gregor Fisken and Steve Zacchia, Fernando took a clear win in the GT1 class after almost nine hours of racing. It was the perfect comeback, and Fernando decided to remain in the Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
for the following season.
Fernando made his debut in the LMP2 class of Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
in the second round of the 2008 championship, in Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
. Returning to the place of his huge accident back in 2006 for the first time, Fernando had a strong pace racing for the Barazi-Epsilon
Barazi-Epsilon
Barazi-Epsilon is a racing team owned by engineer Michel Lecomte and entrepreneur turned amateur racer Juan Barazi. The teams base is located in Le Mans...
team alongside drivers Juan Barazi and the experienced Michael Vergers. Fernando Rees had taken over from Juan Barazi for the second stint in the race, and was immediately quick, recording the car's fastest lap in the race weekend. An "ever-improving" Fernando got progressively quicker during the 2008 Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
season, becoming recognized as the fastest driver in the team. But a "black cat" surrounded the Barazi-Epsilon
Barazi-Epsilon
Barazi-Epsilon is a racing team owned by engineer Michel Lecomte and entrepreneur turned amateur racer Juan Barazi. The teams base is located in Le Mans...
team during the 2008 season. With starting positions between second and fourth during the whole season, mechanical problems (in Spa-Francorchamps) and racing accidents (two by Michael Vergers in Barcelona and Monza, and two by Juan Barazi in Nurburgring and Silverstone) resulted in a frustrating season with the team's best result an eighth place in Nurburgring. The results clearly did not represent the potential of the team.
In 2009, Fernando signed once again with the Barazi-Epsilon
Barazi-Epsilon
Barazi-Epsilon is a racing team owned by engineer Michel Lecomte and entrepreneur turned amateur racer Juan Barazi. The teams base is located in Le Mans...
team in the LMP2 class of Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
. This season, the team decided to run a two drivers team, with Rees and Juan Barazi. But soon ater the second race of the season, in Spa-Francorchamps, the team announced its retirement from the 2009 Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
championship because of financial problems. Fernando was left without a team to race for the remaining races of the season.
For 2010, Fernando has signed with Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition is a French auto racing team founded in 1988 by Jack Leconte. Based at the Circuit du Val de Vienne in La Vigeant, Larbre has had considerable success in the Porsche Carrera Cup, French GT Championship, and international FIA GT Championship...
for the 2010 season of the Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
, the same team with which he won the Interlagos round of the championship in 2007 - at that time, driving an Aston Martin DBR9
Aston Martin DBR9
The Aston Martin DBR9 is a racing car built by Aston Martin Racing, debuting in 2005. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning DBR1 car, named for then-owner David Brown, which not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but also the World Sportscar title.-Development:Based...
. In the 2010 season, after wins in the opening event in Paul Ricard, at the Algarve and Hungaroring, and a fourth place in Spa-Francorchamps, Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition is a French auto racing team founded in 1988 by Jack Leconte. Based at the Circuit du Val de Vienne in La Vigeant, Larbre has had considerable success in the Porsche Carrera Cup, French GT Championship, and international FIA GT Championship...
has won the Team's Championship with its Saleen S7-R in the GT1
GT1
GT1 may refer to*FIA GT1 World Championship*Gran Turismo *A top line category in GT racing, existing between 1993 to 1998, which was merged into the LMP category*Porsche 911 GT1, designated to compete at the above category...
category. Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition is a French auto racing team founded in 1988 by Jack Leconte. Based at the Circuit du Val de Vienne in La Vigeant, Larbre has had considerable success in the Porsche Carrera Cup, French GT Championship, and international FIA GT Championship...
has also won the 2010 edition of the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
.
Road Racing Career
- 2010: Le Mans SeriesLe Mans SeriesThe Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
(Team - Larbre CompétitionLarbre CompétitionLarbre Compétition is a French auto racing team founded in 1988 by Jack Leconte. Based at the Circuit du Val de Vienne in La Vigeant, Larbre has had considerable success in the Porsche Carrera Cup, French GT Championship, and international FIA GT Championship...
)- 4 races, best start 1st (Hungaroring, Race 4; Silverstone, Race 5); best race result 1st (Algarve, Race 3; Hungaroring, Race 4; Silverstone, Race 5)
- 2009: Le Mans SeriesLe Mans SeriesThe Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
(Team - Barazi-EpsilonBarazi-EpsilonBarazi-Epsilon is a racing team owned by engineer Michel Lecomte and entrepreneur turned amateur racer Juan Barazi. The teams base is located in Le Mans...
)- 1 race, best start 5th (Spa-Francorchamps, Race 2); best race result 4th (Spa-Francorchamps, Race 2)
- 2008: Le Mans SeriesLe Mans SeriesThe Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
(Team - Barazi-EpsilonBarazi-EpsilonBarazi-Epsilon is a racing team owned by engineer Michel Lecomte and entrepreneur turned amateur racer Juan Barazi. The teams base is located in Le Mans...
)- 4 races, best start 2nd (Silverstone, Race 5); best race result 8th (Nurburgring, Race 4)
- 2007: Le Mans SeriesLe Mans SeriesThe Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
(Team - Larbre CompétitionLarbre CompétitionLarbre Compétition is a French auto racing team founded in 1988 by Jack Leconte. Based at the Circuit du Val de Vienne in La Vigeant, Larbre has had considerable success in the Porsche Carrera Cup, French GT Championship, and international FIA GT Championship...
)- One race, Interlagos. Qualified 2nd. Race: 1st.
- 2006: Formula 3000 International MastersFormula 3000The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter the Formula One championship...
(Team - Pro Motorsport) - 2005: World Series by RenaultWorld Series by RenaultThe World Series by Renault, formerly the World Series by Nissan from 1998 to 2004, is a motor racing series. The series consists of the flagship Formula Renault 3.5 Series , the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and the Eurocup Mégane Trophy...
3.5 (Team - Interwetten)- 12 races, best start 5th (Donington, Race 2); best race result 14th (Bilbao, Race 2)
- 2005: Formula Toyota Atlantic (Team - Brooks Associates Racing)
- One race, Long Beach. Qualified 3rd. Race: 16th.
- 2004: Formula 3 Euroseries (Swiss Racing Team) - Formula 3 Euroseries tests with ASM Mercedes-Benz
- two races with SRT
- 2003: South-American Formula 3 Championship (Team Cesario Formula) - Formula 3 Euroseries tests with ASM Mercedes
- 12 races in F3 SudamericanaFormula Three SudamericanaFormula Three Sudamericana is the official name for the South American Formula Three Championship. It was inaugurated in 1987 and currently holds events in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay...
, one win (São Paulo, Race 1), five third place finishes, sixth in championship
- 12 races in F3 Sudamericana
- 2002: Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup (Team RC Motorsports) - Italian Formula Renault 2000 (Team RC Motorsports)
- 9 races, best start 5th (Imola), best race result 12th (Pergusa)
- 2001: Italian Formula Renault 2000 (Team Bicar Racing)
- 1 race, best start 7th (Misano), best race result 13th (Misano)
Karting career
- 2001: Karting in Italian and European Championships (BirelBirelBirel S.p.A. of Lissone started building karts in the late 1950s after many years as a bicycle manufacturer.They have had numerous world champions over the years including Mike Wilson and Gianluca Beggio....
Official Factory Team) - 2000: Karting in Italian, European and World Championships (Danilo Rossi Racing Team)
- 1999: Karting in Italian and European Championships (Danilo Rossi Racing Team)
- 1998: Karting in Brazilian National Championships and North-American Championships (CRG Official Factory Team)
- 1997: Karting in Brazilian National Championships
- 1996: Karting in Brazilian National Championships
- 1995: Karting in Brazilian National Championships
- 1994: Karting in Brazilian National Championships
- 1993: Karting in InterlagosInterlagos***Interlagos is an upper class neighborhood located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It includes the Autódromo José Carlos Pace race track, home of the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix...
, São PauloSão PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Sim-Racing Career
Fernando Rees also became a known figure among the international sim-racingSim racing
Sim racing is the collective term for computer software that attempts to simulate accurately auto racing , complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings...
online communities. His debut in online sim-racing is said to be in the 2001, in the Little Formula Racing Series (LFRS) league, at the time the top level of online sim-racing for the computer simulator Grand Prix series
Grand Prix 3
Grand Prix 3 is a computer racing simulator by MicroProse. Released in 2000 by Hasbro Interactive featuring the 1998 Formula One season...
.
Rees was a present in the most well-known sim-racing leagues between 2001 and 2006, proving to be competent in simulators such as the Grand Prix series (Grand Prix 2, Grand Prix 3
Grand Prix 3
Grand Prix 3 is a computer racing simulator by MicroProse. Released in 2000 by Hasbro Interactive featuring the 1998 Formula One season...
and Grand Prix 4
Grand Prix 4
Grand Prix 4, commonly known as GP4 was released for the PC on June 21, 2002, is currently the last Formula One racing simulator released by the developer Geoff Crammond and the MicroProse label...
), NASCAR Racing Series
NASCAR Racing 2003 Season
NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, or NR2003 for short, is a computer racing simulator released in February 2003 by Papyrus for PC and Mac OS X. The game was the last to be released by the company before EA Sports bought the NASCAR license exclusively from 2004-09...
(by Papyrus Racing Games), F1 Challenge '99-'02
EA Sports F1 Series
The EA Sports F1 Series consists of five racing simulation games based on Formula One motorsport. The games were released annually between 2000 and 2003, stopped selling, then continued in 2006...
(by EA Sports) and later in the GTR FIA Racing series
GTR - FIA GT Racing Game
GTR is a sports car racing simulator developed by SimBin for the x86 PC. An Xbox version was announced very early on, but never materialized. In April 2006, an Xbox 360 version was announced. The Xbox 360 version of the game was to be published by THQ. However, THQ later announced they would no...
(GTR
GTR - FIA GT Racing Game
GTR is a sports car racing simulator developed by SimBin for the x86 PC. An Xbox version was announced very early on, but never materialized. In April 2006, an Xbox 360 version was announced. The Xbox 360 version of the game was to be published by THQ. However, THQ later announced they would no...
and GTR2).
His dozens of records and results are still online in the different league’s archives, and can be downloaded and watched using the appropriate simulators. Many of Rees’ laps are still celebrated in the sim-racing environment, especially in the Grand Prix series
Grand Prix 3
Grand Prix 3 is a computer racing simulator by MicroProse. Released in 2000 by Hasbro Interactive featuring the 1998 Formula One season...
communities.
In an interview on November 27 of 2006, LFRS disclosed that Fernando Rees would be rejoining the Grand Prix 4
Grand Prix 4
Grand Prix 4, commonly known as GP4 was released for the PC on June 21, 2002, is currently the last Formula One racing simulator released by the developer Geoff Crammond and the MicroProse label...
championship in the next season. This information was never confirmed.
Rees can now often be found racing on GTR2 and GTR: Evolution simulators in various servers and classes. Fernando actually joined the well-known GTR2 championship of Gamers-Crib in its Season 3 in the first semester of 2008, racing the events of Enna and Interlagos scoring two pole-positions and one win. Fernando also competed in Gamers-Crib's Seasons 4 and 5, scoring a dozen of pole-positions and wins. In Season 5, in his debut in the Premier League, he was incontestably the quickest competitor in Gamers-Crib, with 7 pole-positions in 8 races, but failed to win the championship after a series of small mistakes.
Fernando is also a frequent competitor in the Pilsbierbude servers in GTR2, having scored a long list of track records and race wins.