Back in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and straight back on the top step of the podium: Mario Farnbacher took the victory around the challenging Detroit street circuit together with teammate Katherine Legge. Success at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park also marked the first victory of 2018 for Meyer Shank Racing and the Acura NSX GT3.
“It’s an amazing feeling”, Farnbacher said after his fifth GTD victory in the US sportscar championship. “The first two races of the year in Daytona and Sebring weren’t easy for us. To get back behind the wheel of the Acura and win the race is brilliant, especially given that Detroit is my favourite racetrack. I just tried to give it everything to help Meyer Shank Racing in the championship battle.”
The German driver has tasted victory at the street circuit in Michigan before at the 2015 race. This year, a strong performance in qualifying, where the Farnbacher/Legge duo secured second position, gave the team the best possible starting point for the race. Farnbacher’s British teammate then made an excellent start to the race, putting polesitter Bryan Sellers under pressure and delivering some wheel-to-wheel battles with the Lamborghini driver during her stint.
A perfectly timed pitstop saw Mario Farnbacher then emerge from the pitlane in the lead – an advantage that he didn’t surrender for the remainder of the race. The reigning North American Endurance Cup champion simply extended his lead at the head of the GTD field, crossing the line around nine seconds ahead of the second Meyer Shank Racing car. “The car was brilliant”, Farnbacher said. “Racing around here in the Acura is so much fun.”
Thanks to Mario Farnbacher’s victory, the team took a significant step forward in the battle for championship honours.
