Fermín Vèlez

Fermín Vélez (Barcelona, March 24, 1962 – March 31, 2003) was a Spanish racing driver with a solid international career, particularly distinguished in endurance racing and single-seaters in the United States. Although he achieved the title of Spanish Mountain Racing Champion in 1985, he is not as well-known in Spain as other names, but abroad he had considerably more success. After starting his racing career in national categories, he made the leap to North American single-seater championships in the late 1980s. He competed in Indy Lights, where he became champion in 1987, which opened the doors to CART/IndyCar. He managed to compete in the Indianapolis 500, one of motorsport's greatest showcases. Later, he directed his career toward endurance racing, achieving his greatest successes in the American IMSA championship. He was champion in the World Sports Car category in 1995 and achieved notable victories in iconic events such as the 24 Hours of Daytona, establishing himself as one of Spain's most successful endurance racing drivers before the media explosion of this discipline in Spain.