Mario Farnbacher and Trent Hindman had a up and down day at Motul Petit Le Mans. The duo, together with Justin Marks, retired from the race with radiator damage. However, taking the start of the race was enough for Farnbacher and Hindman to capture the GTD championship.
"I have grown up here," said Farnbacher. "I drove the (Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring) back in the ALMS, but it was my first race here and it was my first in the U.S. racing. Then later on, I got my first full-season ride here and I just built myself up here.
My brother was around here, my father, with some teams. It's nice, if you look at the whole picture, my whole family was here. Now to be successful, to put my family name in the book, it means a lot to me."
The #86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo retired from the season finale after a piece of debris on track pierced the car's radiator, ending their race early. Despite this, the team entered the race with a 32-point lead, which was more than enough to take Michael Shank's first title as a team owner.
"This is certainly the most significant," said Hindman. "It was an unbelievable opportunity to be in the WeatherTech GTD paddock. It's a championship that I've been trying to get myself in for so long now. From the time I won the Pilot championship to now, it's been a full five years.
This is my first full season in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship competition, so I think that amount of time has prepared me correctly for this opportunity, and ultimately, working with some great people also made this happen. This is certainly the highlight of my career."
