Back to the top of the standings! Thanks to the second triumph of the season, Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry lead the GTD class. A sovereign start-finish victory ensured a maximum point haul for the Meyer Shank Racing duo in Laguna Seca and it now ranks first in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a seven-point advantage.
“What a race! After last year’s problematic weekend in Laguna Seca, we didn’t reckon with a victory here this time”, Farnbacher says. “Many thanks go to Matt, who was absolutely awesome this weekend. He laid the foundations for our achievement!”
McMurry’s qualifying had already paved the road to success, when he secured pole for the Acura team. The US American continued his top performance during the race and maintained the lead up to the driver change. An impeccable pit stop brought Farnbacher back onto the track as frontrunner.
The 28-year-old’s performance was also flawless and he defended first position, even increasing it by six seconds. After 108 laps, 103 of which they were in the lead, the Franconian victoriously took the flag, clinching the fifth podium of the season.
“The weekend got off to a fairly difficult start, when we had a lot of problems with tyre wear and had to make initial adjustments to the set-up”, the Franconian adds. “However, the crew gave their all and presented us with a completely new car overnight. That made the win possible.”
Farnbacher and McMurry have regained the GTD class championship lead with 256 points and travel to the finale with a seven-point advantage.
The final of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts, is scheduled for 14 November.
