Brilliant sunshine and cheering spectators – the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Mid-Ohio presented itself at its very best on 16 May. And the Compass Racing-Acura with Mario Farnbacher and Jeff Kingsley was in the thick of it. The German-Canadian duo’s fifth place in the Sprint Cup debut was a promising result for the team, that had launched the NSX GT3 Evo in the championship for the very first time.
“We can be happy with our performance”, the 29-year-old summed up. “It’s still a very young project, which naturally means we have a lot of work ahead. We had to make quite a few adjustments to the setup at the weekend, but we’re getting there step-by-step. We can build on our fifth place, which was a great start.”
The Acura-duo laid the foundations for the top 5 result during qualifying. A new format for 2021 plans two sessions: Farnbacher and Kingsley secured the season’s first points with a fourth in the so-called “Points Qualifying” and in the “GTD Qualifying”, which decides start positions in the race, the Compass Racing drivers finished eighth.
The race itself saw them both delivering a consistent performance and masses of fighting spirit. Starting from seventh on the grid due to a penalty for a competitor, the pair held itself permanently within striking distance to the lead and finally saw the chequered flag as fifth in the GTD category. Not only their top result, but also the tight wheel-to-wheel duels stirred up plenty of spectator enthusiasm.
“We got the maximum out of the race”, the reigning GTD champion adds. “We had a few problems to deal with, but all in all we coped very well. All those tight fights on the track were also great fun. I hope things continue like this!”
Second stop on the WeatherTech Sprint Cup calendar is Detroit. The next fight for points and trophies takes place on 11 and 12 June on the Raceway at Belle Isle Park.
