Fifth podium of the season: Mario Farnbacher and teammate Trent Hindman continued their IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship success story at the VIRginia International Raceway and climbed the rostrum yet again, this time with a second place. The Meyer Shank Racing duo could significantly increase their championship lead and after eight races with a total of 241 points the two Acura drivers lie 37 points ahead of the runner up.
“Obviously, a victory is always fantastic, but there was no getting past Jeroen”, Farnbacher explains. “He was really fast, and I tried overtaking, but didn’t want to take too big a risk. After all, we knew we didn’t need to win. The championship is our top priority and second place meant a lot of points.”
The race was a battle for victory right to the end. Hindman started from fourth on the grid, quickly grabbed second position and the #86 Acura even periodically led the field. Thanks to a fast final pit stop, Farnbacher entered the concluding phase in the lead, but lost it during the final nail-biting threesome fight for first place. The 27-year-old native from Ansbach did all he could to recapture the number one position, but Jeroen Bleekemolen in the Mercedes-AMG successfully defended himself.
“The trainings were really difficult for us this time. At first, we had big problems with our set-up. The team adjusted that for qualifying. That was a great team effort! After all these difficulties, I’m all the more proud of the result and the team”, said the Acura pilot after the weekend.
There are two races left in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Penultimate race of the season is scheduled for 13 to 15 September in California at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where the championship decision will be entering its hot phase.
