Mario Farnbacher
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| Mario Farnbacher | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Nationality |  German |
| Born | 14 May 1992 |
| Relatives | Dominik Farnbacher (brother) |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2014 |
| Current team | Forte Racing |
| Racing licence |  FIA Silver (until 2018) FIA Gold (2019–)[1] |
| Car number | 78 |
| Former teams | NGT Motorsport Burtin Racing / Goldcrest Motorsports Alex Job Racing Riley Motorsports 3GT Racing Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian Magnus Racing with Archangel Motorsports Compass Racing Gradient Racing Heart of Racing Team |
| Previous series | |
| American Le Mans Series Rolex Sports Car Series | |
| Championship titles | |
| 2019, 2020 2022 | IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD class GT World Challenge America – Pro-Am |
Mario Farnbacher (born 14 May 1992) is a German racecar driver.[2] He won the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the GTD class in 2019 and 2020, and also won the GT World Challenge America Pro-Am title in 2022. He has class victories at the Petit Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance races.
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Farnbacher began competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2014 with Team Seattle, driving a Porsche 911 GT America. He scored his first class victory the following season, winning the GTD class at the 2015 12 Hours of Sebring.[3]
In 2019, Farnbacher won the IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD class championship with co-driver Trent Hindman.[4] The duo claimed one race win during the season, taking class victory at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen.[5] The following season, Farnbacher scored his second consecutive GTD class championship, this time with co-driver Matt McMurry.[6]
With MSR's move to the DPi class for 2021, Farnbacher found himself initially without a ride. In January, however, it was announced that he would compete with Magnus Racing in their new Acura NSX GT3 at the 24 Hours of Daytona.[7] For most of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup races, beginning at Mid-Ohio, he joined Compass Racing, driving alongside Jeff Kingsley.[8] Farnbacher also competed with Gradient Racing at the VIR round as a substitute for injured Marc Miller.[9]
For the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship season, Farnbacher embarked upon a Michelin Endurance Cup-only campaign with Gradient Racing,[10] alongside a full-season effort in the GT World Challenge America with HPD Academy graduate Ashton Harrison.[11] Driving alongside Kyffin Simpson and Till Bechtolsheimer, he led Gradient Racing to victory in the 25th running of the Petit Le Mans endurance race, where the team were the overall winner among all the GT entries.[12] In GTWC America, Farnbacher and Harrison took four class wins and three further podiums to enter the final race 15 points behind the leaders.[13] Following a second-place finish at the Indianapolis 8 Hour, the duo claimed the Pro-Am class title by five points.[14][15]
Farnbacher began 2023 by taking part in the Michelin Pilot Challenge event at Daytona, driving for HART. It was his first time piloting a TCR touring car.[16] The remainder of Farnbacher's season involved a second season in the GT World Challenge America alongside Harrison, this time in the Pro class.[17] The pair were involved in the title fight all season long, claiming a class victory early in the season at Sonoma before adding an overall victory at COTA.[18] Ultimately, they would settle for second in the championship, 44 points behind champions Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer.[citation needed]
For 2024, Farnbacher left his role as a factory driver for Honda Performance Development to join Aston Martin team The Heart of Racing for the IMSA Endurance Cup rounds.[19]
