Compass Names Drivers for Indy 8H Entry

IMSA class champions Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry will team up with HPD GT3 Academy driver Ashton Harrison in Compass Racing’s lineup for the Indianapolis 8 Hour.

Compass is running the No. 77 Richard Mille-backed Acura NSX GT3 Evo in next weekend’s Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli round, which also marks the season finale of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS.

McMurry is aiming for a top-three result in the latter series and will be supported by two fellow Honda Performance Development-affiliated drivers for the longest race of the GTWC America season.

Farnbacher drove for the JAS-run factory Honda team in last year’s IGTC and currently represents Compass in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The German driver’s previous Intercontinental campaign included finishing third in the inaugural Indianapolis 8 Hour alongside Renger van der Zande and Dane Cameron.

McMurry and Farnbacher won the 2020 IMSA GT Daytona title sharing a Meyer Shank Racing Acura and were recently reunited in a Compass car for the round at Long Beach.

Harrison is set for her GT3 debut, which comes near the tail end of a class race-winning Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America program with Wayne Taylor Racing.

The American driver is one of four participants in the second year of HPD’sGT3 Academy talent program.

McMurry and Harrison will share the No. 77 Acura in the first three hours to cover the GTWC America part of the race, before Farnbacher steps in for the remainder.

“We’re truly excited to have Ashton, Matt and Mario together in our Richard Mille NSX for the eight-hour race at Indianapolis,” said team owner Jill Beck.

“All are at various stages of their driving careers with HPD, and it highlights Honda’s commitment to creating a ladder that can be climbed to the top level of sports car racing here in North America.

“The Indy 8-hour is a big event for us, for HPD, for SRO and for our drivers.

“Although Compass Racing has been competing at the pro level for 18 years, this will be the longest race we’ve ever competed in, and it’s incredibly competitive. With this driver line-up, we’re doing all we can to finish at the front.”

Compass has already confirmed that it will forgo this weekend’s IMSA fixture at Virginia International Raceway to focus on its preparations for the IGTC event.

“We have two races we’re running concurrently in Indianapolis,” said team principal Karl Thomson.

“Firstly, we have to do well in the first three hours to score points for the American championship, to have Matt finish as high as he can there and hopefully wrap up our first World Challenge GT3 season with a place on the year-end podium.

“And then we have five more hours to try and beat the best teams in the world on an international stage.”