Strong debut in the Pro class: Mario Farnbacher and teammate Ashton Harrison were able to celebrate a successful GT World Challenge America weekend with a victory and a third place. The Racers Edge Motorsports duo delivered two powerful races and great fighting spirit at Sonoma Raceway.
“We knew right from the start that the weekend wouldn’t be straightforward”, the driver from Ansbach explained after the opening weekend. “The track doesn’t really suit our car and we had to deal with tyre wear the entire time. We made the most out of the races – and can certainly be happy with a win and a podium!”
Both qualifying sessions had already made it clear that the two Sonoma races would be far from easy. A red flag in the first session made it impossible for Harrison to achieve a better position than her 14th on the grid. However, the Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 duo went on to produce a strong recovery in the race itself and fought forwards to an overall sixth. This also meant third place in the category and the step onto the podium.
“We got the best potential out of the first race and collected valuable points”, the 30-year-old continued. “The second race saw us improving, despite me having a few problems in my stint. Ashton did an absolutely awesome job though. She made up numerous places and her manoeuvre in the last lap clinched the victory.”
The Ansbach native’s second race of the season began initially without any big hitches. Deteriorating tyres after mid-stint and an involuntary touch did however throw Farnbacher back. “I didn’t see the Porsche coming and was forced into a spin. The manoeuvre was far too optimistic. There was nothing I could do about it, and I was simply pushed out. After that, all I wanted was to make up as much ground as possible”, the Acura works driver commented. With this goal in mind, US American Harrison advanced steadily forwards and with a remarkable pass, she finally secured the Pro class win.
Farnbacher continues on 28 to 30 April to the season’s second race weekend at the NOLA Motorsports Park.
