Continental Tire IMSA Driver Spotlight: Dominik Farnbacher

Driver Spotlight: Dominik Farnbacher
Driver, No. 91 SRT Motorsports Viper GTS-R (GTLM)
Follow: @Dom_Farnbacher

How did the last round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca go for you and the Viper team?

“In my opinion it was very good. We made a step in the right direction. Since the Daytona weekend, we’ve struggled with finding grip but coming back to Monterey, we made a few changes in the setup and how we approached the race. It really helped us. In qualifying, we were not too far off from the others. The gap was a lot smaller than usual. The race was unfortunate as we had contact in the first corner. I had a little coming together with Michael Christensen. He tapped me in the right corner of the wheel and my toe was bent, so it was very tough for me to keep the car under control. From there, we just tried to score points and survive, which I think was the right decision. A seventh place result was good considering what happened.”

What do you think of the competition in the GTLM class this year?

“It’s very strong. Last year was also very strong. I think the series does quite a good job there, looking at the Balance of Performance. GTLM racing is top-notch. That’s what the fans want to see and that’s why we’re there. We like to compete against the best.”

What are your thoughts on the two-class Prototype/GTLM race format that we’ve seen the past few races?

“Looking at it from a safety point of view, I think both Long Beach and Laguna Seca were both too short of tracks to run every class. But if the track is long enough and the pit lane is big enough, so nobody could get run over due to the amount of traffic, I think it’s OK to have all classes racing together. I like the two-class format for the shorter tracks and I like having a lot of cars on the racetracks that provide a big enough pit lane. It doesn’t really matter to me, as long as it’s safe and good for the fans.”

How will the SRT team prepare for Watkins Glen, a track the Viper GTS-R hasn’t been to before?

“We’ll be going to Watkins Glen next week to do a two-day test to try a few different things and to see how strong our car is there. The Viper has been quite good at high-speed tracks like Daytona and Road America. Watkins Glen is a high-speed race track as well, that should more or less suit our Viper. We don’t have any experience there yet but I’m looking forward to going back to Watkins Glen. I’ve been there before but it’s been a while. My first experience in a race car in the U.S. actually came at Watkins Glen in 2004, so I’m quite looking forward to returning to New York state to see the beautiful race track.”

What are some of your hobbies away from the track?

“I like to go cycling and running. I also have a few American Muscle Cars, a 1970 Dodge Challenger and a Mustang Boss 302, that I work on a lot during the off-season. There’s a lot of burnout stripes on the road in my town in Germany! I’m also there for my father’s team [in European GT racing], to help him and watch them compete and learn a little bit for myself to help my racing.”