Technical problems ended all of Mario Farnbacher´s hopes of a top result at the Petit Le Mans on the Road Atlanta. The Bavarian had every chance of finishing the season on the podium. With good training results and a strong pace in the first half of the race, the Acura driver underlined his ambitions for victory.
“Unfortunately we had to reitre from the race after five of ten hours,” a disappointed Farnbacher explained. “The race went very well until the retirement. We were fighting inside the Top 3 the whole time. If we had crossed the finish line we would have been on the podium – I’m convinced of that.”
The final race of the year at Road Atlanta marks the end of an exciting season for Mario Farnbacher. In 2018 the young German has been in action for two teams in one of the toughest series in the world – the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It has been a rollercoaster year with many highs and lows, and two particularly impressive results: victory at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix and second place in the SP8 class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Together with Katherine Legge, the Bavarian took an outstanding victory at Belle Isle Park in the GTD class, giving Meyer Shank Racing their first win of the season and Legge a helping hand in her championship battle. The pair followed this up with another podium at Virginia International Raceway. Mario Farnbacher secured further IMSA Top 5 for 3GT Racing at Watkins Glen and Lime Rock Park.
Despite a challenging start to the season at Daytona and Sebring, the 26-year-old is happy with how 2018 has gone: “I was delighted to get the chance to race for Acura in the US. We had only planned three races to begin with, and it was brilliant to have the opportunity to race more as the season progressed. It was also a great feeling to help Katherine in her title ambitions. I would like to say special thanks to Michael Shank who put his faith in me at the start of the season!”
