Mario Farnbacher continued his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with a fighting drive to twelfth in-class at the 73rd 12 Hours of Sebring.
Competing once again aboard the Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 alongside Misha Goikhberg and Parker Kligerman, Farnbacher entered his eleventh 12 Hours of Sebring this past weekend, an event at which the two-time GTD-class IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar champion has previously take two class wins. Tellingly, the German driver was even among the GTD podium contenders in the early stages only for an errant puncture, caused by on-track debris, to drop the #78 Lamborghini out of contention. Forte Racing did ultimately bounce back to finish a points-paying twelfth in-class.
Mario Farnbacher: “This was an interesting weekend. We knew we didn’t have the strongest car, but we intended to make the best out of the situation and maximize our points. Our goal was to finish around fifth or sixth, so to be among the frontrunners early on was a bonus!”
Issue-free runs during Practice at the Sebring International Raceway were rewarded with seventh on the GTD class grid, just half-a-second shy of the second row. A judicious start allowed the experienced Farnbacher to pick up places during the opening laps, and, thanks to beautifully timed strategy by the engineers during an early full-course caution, Forte Racing completed the second hour at Sebring third in-class. Thereafter, the #78 Huracán circulated comfortably within GTD’s top 10 for the opening two-thirds of the 12-hour classic. A left-front puncture just 40 minutes before half-distance ended up dropping the Lamborghini off the lead lap and back to an unrepresentative 15th in-class.
Mario Farnbacher: “Unfortunately, because of the puncture, we lost a lap and ultimately, because of a long period of green, we couldn’t afford to do a brake change. That put us on the backfoot. We did everything we could from then on but there are just some things you can’t control in an endurance race. Hopefully Long Beach will be better.”
A strong consistent run throughout the evening allowed Farnbacher, Goikhberg and Kligerman to claw back three positions, and nearly two laps, en-route to the chequered flag. A spirit-boosting performance heading into the next round of the IMSA season.
The 2025 IMSA season continues with round three at the famed Long Beach Street Circuit on 11 to 12 April. The Californian venue holds fond memories for Mario Farnbacher, who finished an impressive 2nd in-class at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2022.
