Mario Farnbacher was back behind the wheel of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 on the weekend of 10 to 12 May. Farnbacher, who was in action for Heart of Racing at Laguna Seca in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, came home in sixth position in the GTD Pro class together with Ross Gunn.
“We had a really busy weekend,” Farnbacher said. “Our top priority was gathering data, as the track has recently been resurfaced and, on top of that, we were also racing the Evo version of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. In other words, we didn’t have much information to go on ahead of the race weekend, so some of the other teams were a step or so ahead of us in that respect. But we did a good job and closed that gap step by step.”
In free practice, the task was clear: get as many laps under the car’s belt as possible. The 31-year-old Farnbacher and his teammate Ross Gunn still managed to put in a promising showing during the practice sessions, finishing both times in the top 8. It was a similar story in qualifying on Saturday evening, with the pair taking a further step forward in the battle for the best possible grid position. Ultimately the team’s Aston Martin qualified in sixth place.
On Sunday, the duo were setting their sights on moving up through the field and fighting with the leaders. Thanks to an excellent start, Farnbacher was up to fifth position almost immediately and kept the #23 Aston Martin in a solid position up until the first pit stop. Farnbacher and Gunn battled hard throughout the remainder of the race but had to settle for a sixth-place finish.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it into the top 5,” Farnbacher said after the race. “But the most important thing was that we picked up some important points. Of course, it would have been great to pick up a few more, but I think we can still be happy with our performance. Thanks to the whole Heart of Racing team, Aston Martin and Ross for this chance to race with them this weekend, replacing Alex Riberas, who was in action in the FIA WEC. That was a fantastic opportunity for me.”
The next IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race for the Aston Martin driver will be in Canada on the 14 July, when the series travels to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
