| Mario Farnbacher | |
| Birth Date: | 14 May 1992 |
| Birth Place: | Ansbach, Germany |
| Related To: | Dominik Farnbacher (brother) |
| Racing Licence: | FIA Gold |
| Current Series: | IMSA SportsCar Championship |
| First Year: | 2014 |
| Current Team: | Heart of Racing Team |
| Car Number: | 23 |
| 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 |
| Titles: | IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD class GT World Challenge America – Pro-Am |
| Title Years: | 2019, 2020 2022 |
Mario Farnbacher (born 14 May 1992) is a German racecar driver who currently competes in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.[1]
thumb|235px|Farnbacher competing at the Nürburgring in 2012Farnbacher 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.[2]
In 2019, Farnbacher won the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class championship with co-driver Trent Hindman.[3] The duo claimed one race win during the season, taking class victory at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen.[4] The following season, Farnbacher scored his second consecutive GTD class championship, this time with co-driver Matt McMurry.[5]
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.[6] For the remainder of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup, beginning at Mid-Ohio, he joined Compass Racing, driving alongside Jeff Kingsley.[7] Following an injury suffered by Marc Miller prior to the round at VIR, Farnbacher also competed with Gradient Racing, finishing 15th in the GTD class following an accident.[8]
For the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship season, Farnbacher embarked upon a Michelin Endurance Cup-only campaign with Gradient Racing,[9] alongside a full-season effort in the GT World Challenge America with HPD Academy graduate Ashton Harrison.[10] Following a second-place finish at the Indianapolis 8 Hour, the duo claimed the Pro-Am class title.[11]
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.[12] The remainder of Farnbacher's season involved a second season in the GT World Challenge America alongside Harrison, this time in the Pro class.[13] 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.[14] Ultimately, they would settle for second in the championship, 44 points behind champions Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer.
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | NGT Motorsport | GTC | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SEB | LBH | LGA | LIM | MOS | MDO | ELK | BAL | VIR | PET | 18th | 24 | [15] | |
| 2013 | NGT Motorsport | GTC | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SEB | LBH | LGA | LIM | MOS | ELK | BAL | COT | VIR | PET | NC | 0 | [16] |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)