A race full of premieres: thanks to a flawless performance, Mario Farnbacher secured his first overall victory of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft. The success with the Lexus RC F GT Prototype also marks the first overall win for the Japanese manufacturer at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
Faced with wet weather conditions, Mario Farnbacher started ninth on the grid with wet tires. The track dried up quickly and the new Lexus RC F GT Prototype was at an advantage. The early stage of the race ran perfectly and after the change to slicks, there was no stopping Mario and Dominik Farnbacher. Lap by lap, the two brothers fought their way forwards and at half time took the well-deserved lead.
After four hours, Mario Farnbacher finished in first place and Farnbacher Racing was over the moon! The success by the Lichtenau family team produced the first victory for a Japanese car at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. In addition to the 24-year-old’s debut win with the Porsche 911 GT3 R in Laguna Seca, this is his second historical podium finish within one year.
“After the setbacks during the last races, winning here for the first time is an amazing feeling”, reported a very proud Mario Farnbacher. “The performance by the Lexus RC F GT Prototype was awesome. The car ran like clockwork and even when it started raining during the last laps, I had absolutely no problems driving slicks.”
Winning the ninth race of the season marks a milestone for Mario Farnbacher and his crew. The racing team made continuous progress with the Lexus in summer 2015 and not only collected important information, but also very respectable achievements. “Standing here today on the very top of the podium, is the result of two years’ hard work. And I’d like to say a huge thank you to all concerned. The Lexus RC F GT Prototype shows the incredible development that has been made.”
The final VLN race and Mario Farnbacher’s last race is scheduled for 22nd October. A summary of the season’s ninth run can be seen on the Sport1 TV channel on Saturday 15th October at 16:45.
