Farnbacher Joins Heart of Racing for Endurance Rounds

Mario Farnbacher will make the switch from Acura to Aston Martin machinery as he joins The Heart of Racing as the third driver for the team’s GTD Pro lineup in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The German driver will team up with Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas for the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, piloting Aston Martin’s as yet unnamed and updated new-for-2024 GT3 challenger.

The switch marks the end of a multi-year stint as a HPD factory driver for Farnbacher, which saw him compete behind the wheel of Acura GT3 machinery from 2018 to 2023.

He secured back-to-back GTD titles with Meyer Shank Racing in 2019 and 2020 and won the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Pro-Am title last year.

The move also marks something of a reunion for Farnbacher, Riberas and Heart of Racing team principal Ian James, as the three drivers took three GTD class wins at the wheel of a Team Seattle Porsche 911 GT3 R between 2014 and 2016.

Farnbacher is managed by James.

“I’m super excited to join The Heart of Racing Team,” said Farnbacher. “You could even say I’m heading ‘back to my roots’, I pretty much started my American racing career with Ian and Alex in 2014.

“I had three amazing years with those guys and I’m excited to get to race with them again. I’ve known Ian for a long time now, a big thank you to him and Gabe [Newell, team owner] for giving me the chance to join the No. 23 Pro car.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge. The Vantage GT3 is different from the Acura NSX that I have been driving, but I think the package of the Aston Martin is great.

“I think we will be really competitive even with the evolution with the new Vantage GT3. The IMSA test in December will be my first time in the Aston.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the car and how it operates. I’m happy to be where I’m at right now and I can’t wait to get the season started!”

The team also has welcomed Canadian driver Zach Robichon to its ranks for the No. 27 car, which will compete in GTD.

Robichon will share the car at the Rolex 24 at Daytona with James, newly Gold-rated Roman De Angelis and Aston Martin factory driver Marco Sorensen.

De Angelis’ co-driver for the remainder of the season is “not ready to be announced” according to a team spokesperson.

“We are thrilled to have Mario and Zach join our team for Daytona,” said James.

“Mario has shown he has the pace and has won several championships in different series and we believe he will be a great addition to The Heart of Racing Team.

“Zach is another IMSA championship winner and Rolex 24 winner, we couldn’t be more excited to have him join the team.”