News

Strong performance ends in disappointment for Mario

A promising weekend ended in disappointment for Mario Farnbacher in the Six Hours of the Glen, the third round of the North American Endurance Championship (NAEC). The 25-year-old German only managed a tenth-placed finish for Riley Motorsports – Team AMG in the GT Daytona (GTD) class in a stop/start race.

Farnbacher arrived at Watkins Glen International, looking to build on the previous round of the NAEC’s victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, in the #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Riley Motorsports. Starting from 11th on the grid, teammate Ben Keating took the green flag and was able to maintain his position in the 17-car GTD class.

After about one hour, Farnbacher took over and immediately went into attack in an effort to make his way up the field. However, a number of full-course yellow periods disrupted the rhythm of the race and also bunched the field up as teams tried to optimise their strategies.

“Despite all the interruptions, the car was in good shape and I was confident during my stint that we could finish well here,” Farnbacher said after the race. “The timing of a couple of the full-course yellow periods wasn’t brilliant, and meant we had to stop for a tyre check while the pit lane was officially closed. That, coupled with a minor infringement after the pit stop, ultimately put paid to our chances.”

Despite running as high as second midway through the race, Farnbacher and Riley Motorsports could only manage tenth after the six hours. However, the team are still well-placed in the North American Endurance Cup for going into the final round, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October.

Mario Farnbacher will return to the racetrack at the fifth round of the International GT Open at Silverstone from 1 – 3 September, where he will be driving the Lexus RC-F GT3 for Farnbacher Racing.

Arrow left