With a fourth place in the American sports car championship race in Detroit, Mario Farnbacher has successfully defended second in the overall rankings. The 24-year-old and his teammate Alex Riberas drove a successful hot pursuit on the street circuit situated on the doorstep of the US metropolis.
“We can be satisfied with the weekend”, Mario Farnbacher sums up. “We didn’t quite make it onto the podium, but collected a good handful of points. It wasn’t a smooth ride, because a few problems cropped up, but I think we made the best of our situation.”
After technical difficulties during qualifying, Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas were only eleventh. Gearbox failure right at the start of the qualifying session meant losing all chances of a front row grid position.
However, the race itself went much better for the German/Spanish duo. Thanks to a thrilling chase on the Detroit street circuit, Farnbacher was able to work his way forwards from eleventh to third position. The 24-year-old only just missed a podium finish after a final fourth place.
Another strong performance and important championship points strengthened Mario Farnbacher’s second place in the standings. The Porsche pilot was also able to increase his lead in front of the third-placed team in the GTD rankings. “Now we’ll try and reduce the gap to the top. The season continues for a long time and we’ll have many opportunities”, said the young man from Lichtenau.
Next step in the American sports car championship is Watkins Glen from 30th June – 3rd July. The Six Hours race in Upstate New York is one of the championship highlights. For the first time, Farnbacher and his fellow contenders will be at the start of the completely renovated version of the former Formula 1 circuit, which was originally constructed in 1948. Throughout the winter months, the circuit has been completely modernized and has received a new asphalt surface.
