From 22 to 25 October, Mario Farnbacher took part in one of the season’s highlights – the legendary 24 Hours of Spa. Due to difficult and permanently changing conditions, this round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge was a tough one. Renger van der Zande, Dane Cameron and the 28-year-old fought together for Team Honda Racing and secured a ninth in a very fierce race.
“The race was a huge challenge, but we can be satisfied with the result”, Farnbacher sums up. “The team did a super job and we were able to continually improve over the weekend. Spa sees the Crème de la Crème coming together to compete and we could prove we belonged to the top 10. This is something we can be proud of!”
It was clear right from the start that the race would place high demands on the Team Honda Racing, when they joined the endurance classic’s total of 55 cars. The trio in the NSX GT3 Evo started from 28th on the grid and immediately pushed forwards to pick up as many positions as possible. It wasn’t an easy task for the crew of the #29: changing conditions – sometimes wet, sometimes dry – several safety car periods and the long night made it tough going. However, the team determinedly braved all the hardships and crossed the finish line in ninth place.
“It was an incredibly hard race. The ever-changing conditions were a big challenge for drivers and teams”, the 28-year-old explains. “We were well under way when it was dry, but we lacked some pace when it was wet and didn’t get the front tyres up to temperature. But we gave everything we had and secured a good result with a ninth. We can build on that in South Africa.”
Next race on the Intercontinental GT Challenge schedule is from 10 to 12 December at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and it will also be the championship finale. Farnbacher, however, continues from 30 October 1 November to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race in Laguna Seca, where he’ll be fighting with Meyer Shank Racing and teammate Matt McMurry for the title in the GTD class.