The Lowes Fernandez LMP2 car won for the second straight ALMS race.

ST. PETERSBUG, Fl —  Maybe Acura should sponsor more races!

The premium brand was the sponsor of the ALMS race at St. Petersburg (Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg) today and it was a one-two finish for its teams in the second race of the season.

In the LMP1 class it was the Patron Highcroft Racing team with Scott Sharp and David Brabham at the wheel that led virtually from start to finish. The sister entry, the DeFerran Motorsports car had problems and finished off the pace. The Patrón Highcroft Acura went on without a hitch while the de Ferran Acura struggled with electrical and fuel pump issues that sidelined Simon Pagenaud with about 15 minutes remaining.

In LMP2 the Lowes Fernandez Acura ARX-01b car took its second straight victory and finished second overall, leading for a few brief moments midway thanks to a zippy pit stop. The LMP1 Patron car, however, regained the lead a short time later. But it was the team of Luis Diaz and Adrian Fernandez, both of Mexico City, who really shined for a second straight week.

Noted Fernandez of the race,” It was another perfect weekend for us. We had no problems whatsoever. It was a perfectly prepared car by Lowe’s Fernandez Racing, and I am very proud of the guys.”

Acura became the first auto manufacturer to win both prototype classes in the same race. Brabham and Sharp won their second overall event together, the first coming last July at Lime Rock Park. They have five class victories together with four in LMP2 together last year.

However the Lola Mazda LMP1 team made progress this week finishing just a lap behind the the Lowes Fernandez team in second place in the class and third overall for the race. The number two car was third overall in the class, two laps back, and fourth overall. Fernandez and Diaz were a lap clear of Dyson Racing’s Guy Smith and Chris Dyson in the team’s first Mazda-powered Lola B09/86. The second entry of Butch Leitzinger and Marino Franchitti were third after a mid-race stop to replace a punctured right-front tire.

In the GT2 class the results got turned upside down as Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister won by two laps in their Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The pairing, class champions together in 2005, gave Porsche its first victory at St. Petersburg after wins by Ferrari in 2007 and 2008.

The class winner at Sebring, the Ferrari F430 GT went our early in the race with mechanical difficulties.

Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg street circuit, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Saturday’s results
1. (2) Scott Sharp, Jupiter, FL; David Brabham, Australia; Acura ARX-02a (1, P1), 93.
2. (3) Luis Diaz, Mexico; Adrian Fernandez, Mexico; Acura ARX-01B (1, P2), 93.
3. (4) Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, England; Lola B09 86 Mazda (2, P2), 92.
4. (5) Marino Franchitti, Scotland; Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Lola B09/86 Mazda (3, P2), 91.
5. (11) Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Jörg Bergmeister, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (1, GT2), 88.
6. (6) Chapman Ducote, Miami, FL; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Lola B06/10 AER (2, P1), 88.
7. (10) Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; Dirk Mueller, Germany; BMW E92 M3 (2, GT2), 86.
8. (12) Ian James, England; Dominik Farnbacher, Germany; Panoz Esperante GTLM Ford (3, GT2), 86.
9. (14) Lou Gigliotti, Dallas, TX; Eric Curran, Easthampton, MA; Chevrolet Riley Corvette C6 (4, GT2), 85.
10. (17) Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (5, GT2), 84.
11. (13) David Murry, Cumming, GA; Andrea Robertson, Ray, MI; Doran Ford GT MK 7 (6, GT2), 83.
12. (8) Wolf Henzler, Germany; Dirk Werner, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (7, GT2), 74.
13. (1) Gil de Ferran, Brazil; Simon Pagenaud, France; Acura ARX-02a (3, P1), 66.
14. (15) Chris Hall, Daytona, FL; Joel Feinberg, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Dodge Viper Comp Coupe (8, GT2), 38, Accident.
15. (16) Tom Sutherland, Los Gatos, CA; Ryan Phinney, Carmel, CA; Panoz Esperante GTLM Ford (9, GT2), 38, Gearbox.
16. (9) Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; BMW E92 M3 (10, GT2), 28, Mechanical.
17. (7) Pierre Kaffer, Germany; Jaime Melo, Brazil; Ferrari F430 GT (11, GT2), 27, Mechanical.