Mario Farnbacher started from 8 to 10 April 2022 at the 100-minute Long Beach race, the third round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Together with Marc Miller, the 29-year-old drove the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3. Thanks to a strong performance, the duo was able to celebrate second place.
A lot of bad luck recently prevented the aspired top results, but things fell into place on the street circuit in California. “Right from the start, we felt we could make a decisive attack at the weekend. It was often small accidents or defects that blocked the final jump onto the rostrum, but this time everything fitted perfectly”, Farnbacher explained. “Although Marc experienced a small incident during qualifying that prevented a better starting position, we all knew we had a very good chance in the race.”
The duo launched into the season’s third endurance race from fifth on the grid. A tough fight in the initial phase saw Miller battling fiercely and passing the wheel in a promising position to the two-time GTD champion. Farnbacher went from there to second place and secured the season’s first podium result for the team. Another reason to be pleased – the Long Beach weekend was dedicated to “Chiaki’s Journey” and the #66 Acura was carrying the eye-catching design of the Japanese manufacturer’s anime series.
“Sometimes everything simply runs smoothly”, said the Ansbach-native. “The team did a fantastic job and I’m really proud of that. We’ve worked on this for a long time and finally the hard work has paid off. And claiming a podium in front of partners and sponsors makes it all the better.”
Farnbacher continues with the GT World Challenge America. The season kicks off from 15to 17 April in Sonoma, where he’ll be driving with Ashton Harrison in the Racers Edge Motorsports Acura.
