Fermin Velez 1959-2003

Velez is best known for winning the 1987 Group C2 World Championship with co-driver Gordon Spice, but his long career encompassed many forms of racing, including two outings in the Indianapolis 500 and two victories in the Sebring 12 Hours. The pint-sized Velez, who could barely see out of the cockpits of many of the cars he drove, was always a popular man in the paddock.

Born in Barcelona, Velez made his name in karting. He won a scholarship from the Spanish ASN which led to a drive in the British F3 series in 1978, competing against the likes of Nelson Piquet and Derek Warwick. His car was uncompetitive and he was still only a teenager with a lot to learn, but in his second season he qualified between Roberto Guerrero and Nigel Mansell at Silverstone, and ran second behind Stefan Johansson in a wet event at the same circuit.

Eighteen months of compulsory military service effectively ruined his chances of progressing, and having ran out of sponsorship he even worked as a tourist coach driver in an attempt to raise funds! He then spent several years contesting domestic racing and hillclimb championships, with some success. He made an international comeback as co-driver of Emilio de Villota's Porsche 956 in the 1986 World Sportscar Championship. He finished fourth at Le Mans, and the following year he joined Spice Engineering as the team's 'hare,' frequently battling for C2 class pole with the late Will Hoy on his way to the title.

After becoming the first Spaniard to win a motor racing World Championship he attracted the support of Silk Cut for an assault on the 1988 FIA F3000 series. He was delighted to have a second chance at making it big, a decade after his aborted spell in F3. But at 29 he had effectively missed the boat, and it was a disappointing season. A huge testing crash at Silverstone in a Jaguar XJR9 was another major setback, and cost him a works Le Mans ride.

Returning to C2 he won the 1989 title for Chamberlain Engineering with Nick Adams, before moving to IMSA the following year, where he won the Camel Lights class four times. He soon became a major star of the American sportscar scene, and found his biggest successes when he linked up with Scandia Racing boss Andy Evans. In 1995 he won three IMSA races in the team's Ferrari 333SP, including the Sebring 12 Hours, and took the overall World Sportscar title.

In 1996 Evans took Velez into the new Indy Racing League. He contested six races over the next two seasons, finishing 10th in the Indy 500 in 1997. He also won Sebring for a second time that year. Fermin competed at Le Mans on six occasions, his co drivers including Eric van de Poele, Chris Hodgetts and Tim Harvey. He won the LMP1 class in 1998. In 2000 he returned to race in his native Spain, competing in his last GT race in 2001.

A cheerful soul who never lost his boyish demeanour, Fermin will be missed on both sides of the Atlantic.

Adam Cooper