Mario Farnbacher looks back onto a successful first season with the Lexus RC F GT3. In 2015, the race driver from Ansbach made an important contribution to the development of the new race car from Japan. With respectable results in the VLN endurance racing championship, the 23-years-old demonstrated the potential of the car.
The foundation stone for the successful development was laid by Mario Farnbacher and his brother Bruder Dominik beginning of July. At the fourth round of the season, the brothers made it to the finish right at their first participation with the new car. They finished in tenth place and furthermore won the prototype class at the fourth race of the VLN season. “At that time, it was if a stone felt from our heart”, remembers Farnbacher. “Despite the extreme heat, we took the chequered flag which is anything but self-evident if you make your debut in a new race car.”
It was only one race later when the big surprise followed. Due to an excellent performance of Mario and Dominik Farnbacher, they completed their first kilometres with the Lexus RC F GT3 in the lead and finally finished twelfth overall. The joy about the first result on the podium at the second attempt was overwhelming for Mario Farnbacher: “No one had expected this. We have taken the right steps after analysing our debut in the VLN and thus made it on the podium. That was definitely one of our highlights”, said the 23-years-old. And the next highlight in the very young history of the Lexus RC F GT4 followed only a few weeks later with the first pole position in the VLN endurance racing championship. In difficult weather conditions, Mario and Dominik Farnbacher gained first position on the grid together with Hiroki Yoshimoto.
One result on the podium, important laps in the lead and the first pole position, the performance of Mario Farnbacher in 2015 is impressive. With his successful results at the Nürburgring Nordschleife which is considered to be the most demanding race track of the world, Farnbacher has significantly contributed to the development of the Lexus RC F GT3. At the end of an eventful season, Farnbacher takes a positive summary: “We can be really satisfied. These successful results would not have been possible without the fantastic cooperation with Lexus, TMG, Yokohama, KW and all of the other partners. I wish of course to also say a big thankyou to all our fans on-site and to our crew.”
