Mario Farnbacher’s 2023 GT World Challenge America season began with ups and downs. The Franconian and his team Racers Edge Motorsports were aiming to climb onto the top step of the rostrum again at the Austin race weekend (19to 21 May) in Texas – and they succeeded. In the second race, Farnbacher and his team colleague Ashton Harrison secured the victory. The previous day, the duo had already clinched a second place in the Pro category at the Circuit of the Americas.

“Our weekend definitely wasn’t an easy one, we always lacked a bit of pace. We can be all the happier about the results now. We certainly got the most out of it”, said the 31-year-old. “We felt a lot of pressure. After the last, not quite so successful weekend, we desperately wanted to score a lot of championship points. And that’s what we did!”

After the Saturday qualifying, at first it didn’t look as though the race weekend in Austin would proceed so successfully. Farnbacher and Harrison entered the race from just 15th on the grid. A drive-through penalty right at the start made a catch-up all the more problematic. However, the Racers Edge Motorsports duo were not put off and fought their way steadily, position for position, to the finish line. In the end, they finished seventh overall, which secured them second place in the Pro category.

The second race took them even further forwards. Starting from seventh, Farnbacher managed to avoid all scuffles and handed the wheel in a promising position to Harrison. The US American driver in the Acura NSX GT3 maintained a consistently high speed and was able to land the season’s first overall win.

“A very big compliment to Ashton and the whole crew. The team did a perfect job and their pitstops were awesome. Ashton delivered a strong performance on the track”, the Acura works driver explained. “Of course, we profited a bit from competitors’ bad luck in the first race, but that’s life in motorsport. We also weren’t always the lucky ones. Now we hope things will continue so positively in Virginia. The circuit should suit us.”

The next GT World Challenge America race weekend is scheduled for 16to 18 June at the Virginia International Raceway. Season rounds seven and eight are on the programme.

Mario Farnbacher competed in the fifth round of the GT World Challenge America from 19to 21 August. The Acura works driver stood on the grid of the highly traditional race circuit Road America in Wisconsin together with Ashton Harrison and Racers Edge Motorsports and the duo clinched two wins in the Pro-Am category.

Continue reading “Farnbacher celebrates a double win at Road America”

The GT World Challenge America season opener from 15 to17 April was next on Mario Farnbacher’s event programme. Together with Racers Edge Motorsports and Ashton Harrison, the Acura works driver started in Sonoma and immediately secured the season’s first podium in the #93 Acura NSX GT3.

Sonoma Raceway was new race territory for the 29-year-old and his team mate. The duo had to explore the track under difficult rain conditions, but with seventh and second places in the Pro/Am qualifying runs, both pilots displayed their own potential as well as that of the car.

“All things considered, we can be satisfied with the outcome. It was Ashton’s first rain experience and in addition, neither of us had been on the track before. We were very content after qualifying – the wet circuit seemed to suit us and the car a little better this weekend”, Farnbacher explained.

Start driver Harrison had to begin from the back of the field due to a penalty, however she was able to move the Acura forward in an impressive attack. After Farnbacher had taken the wheel, he achieved a sixth place in class. Sunday’s race went much better for the duo and thanks to a strong fighting performance, Harrison and Farnbacher earned a second place on the podium.

Although the Ansbach-born native sees room for improvement, he was visibly happy with the first race weekend: “Of course, the final results were good. We’re pleased to have been fighting up front but are very aware of the work lying ahead. We have a new tyre this year, so we need to understand better how it works in the coming races. I am confident that we will improve over the weekends!”

Second round of the GT World Challenge America is from 20to 22May, when season races three and four will take place on the Ozarks International Raceway.

Mario Farnbacher started from 8 to 10 April 2022 at the 100-minute Long Beach race, the third round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Together with Marc Miller, the 29-year-old drove the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3. Thanks to a strong performance, the duo was able to celebrate second place.

A lot of bad luck recently prevented the aspired top results, but things fell into place on the street circuit in California. “Right from the start, we felt we could make a decisive attack at the weekend. It was often small accidents or defects that blocked the final jump onto the rostrum, but this time everything fitted perfectly”, Farnbacher explained. “Although Marc experienced a small incident during qualifying that prevented a better starting position, we all knew we had a very good chance in the race.”

The duo launched into the season’s third endurance race from fifth on the grid. A tough fight in the initial phase saw Miller battling fiercely and passing the wheel in a promising position to the two-time GTD champion. Farnbacher went from there to second place and secured the season’s first podium result for the team. Another reason to be pleased – the Long Beach weekend was dedicated to “Chiaki’s Journey” and the #66 Acura was carrying the eye-catching design of the Japanese manufacturer’s anime series.

“Sometimes everything simply runs smoothly”, said the Ansbach-native. “The team did a fantastic job and I’m really proud of that. We’ve worked on this for a long time and finally the hard work has paid off. And claiming a podium in front of partners and sponsors makes it all the better.”

Farnbacher continues with the GT World Challenge America. The season kicks off from 15to 17 April in Sonoma, where he’ll be driving with Ashton Harrison in the Racers Edge Motorsports Acura.

Compass Racing’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Laguna Seca came to an end after just two corners. A collision involving Mario Farnbacher’s new teammate, Jacob Abel, cost him and the team the chance of a good result.

“I think we did a good job over the weekend getting with a competitive set-up. But we were taken out of the race as early as turn two and as a result, we pretty much didn’t get to drive at all,” said the two-time GTD class champion.

Honda Performance Development GT3 Academy driver Abel initially qualified eleventh on the grid in the GTD class in Compass Racing’s Acura NSX GT3 Evo. But the driver duo was eliminated before the race had really taken off. In the starting fray, the car was hit by an opponent at the exit of the second corner and spun out into the run-off zone. Farnbacher, who had been concentrating on the set-up for the race in the practice sessions, did not come into action.

“Jacob did a good job for his first IMSA weekend. I more or less worked on setting the car up for the race, while he focused more on qualifying. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as smoothly in qualifying, but I think we would have had a good car for the run,” the 29-year-old continued.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continues 24 and 25 September on the famous street circuit in Long Beach. For the Franconian, it is the first start at the former Grand Prix circuit in southern California.

Lightning forced the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to end prematurely, dashing Mario Farnbacher and his teammate Jeff Kingsley’s hopes of a top result.

“What can I say? I personally think calling the race was an incorrect decision by the IMSA. I feel very frustrated, because I was expecting a much better result for this race”, said Farnbacher.

Kingsley started in the Acura NSX GT3 Evo from tenth on the grid and maintained a top 10 position in the tight field of the GTD class. Farnbacher took the wheel of the Compass Racing-Acura for the second stint and delivered an impressive performance with consistently fast laps. The 29-year-old had pushed forward to ninth position, before the red flag waved due to the thunderstorm and the event was then halted.

“I’m really disappointed. Firstly, for the fans and secondly for us too. I think we’d put an effective package together for the race, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. The race call means it’s just a ninth-place finish”, the two-time GTD champion stated.

The journey continues from the shortest track on the IMSA Championship schedule to the season’s longest – the 6,5-kilometre-long Road America, which enjoys cult status amongst the fans. The next race event, the “IMSA Sportscar Weekend”, takes place from 5to 8 August.

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.

Mario Farnbacher is participating in the coming 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship again. Together with teammate Jeff Kingsley, the 28-year-old Franconian will be driving Compass Racing’s Acura NSX GT3 Evo in the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup. First race is scheduled for 16 May in Mid-Ohio.

“I’m really looking forward to the new challenge and working with the team”, says Farnbacher. “And I’m incredibly proud to be a part of the Acura family again. Many thanks go to the team and of course Acura and HPD, for making this possible.”

The Acura driver returns to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as the reigning, two-time GTD Champion. Ansbach-native Farnbacher has been on the road in the championship with a NSX GT3 since 2018 and has celebrated numerous victories and podiums since then.

He’ll be contributing his expertise to the cooperation with Compass Racing. The Canadian team will be competing with an Acura NSX GT3 Evo for the first time in 2021 – in the Sprint Cup of the American sports car series as well as the GT World Challenge America.

“It’ll be the team’s debut season with the car, but they have a lot of GT experience. We’ve tied up a fantastic package and I’m convinced we can secure more victories and podiums for Acura together”, the HPD works driver continues.

First joint appearance on the Mid-Ohio track will be on 14 to 16 May, when the season’s first race under the Sprint Cup flag takes place.