Meyer Shank Racing grows GTD Championship lead with 19-point advantage
Bowmanville, Ontario (7 July 2019) – The No. 86 SiriusXM Canada / AutoNation Acura NSX GT3 of Trent Hindman and Mario Farnbacher took home their second straight IMSA WeatherTech podium after finishing second in the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Acura on Sunday.
The result keeps the No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura in the provisional IMSA GTD class championship lead with a 19-point advantage.
Despite being required to carry additional ballast for the Canadian event due to updated balance of performance adjustments, Farnbacher and Hindman worked to maximize the potential in the car, with the team holding its end of the bargain with smart strategy and well-executed pit stops. The pair stayed in the top two for the entire 125 lap race duration, including leading for 18 laps of the two hour, forty-minute race.
In addition to the added weight for the Acura NSX GT3, Meyer Shank Racing also carried a lot of momentum heading into the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park race weekend following a big win at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen last weekend.
Hindman’s third place qualifying run on Saturday set the Acura up well for a strong run for the start of the sprint distance race. Hindman showed pace beyond his years, staying within the top two for 48 laps with 16 laps spent in the lead.
Farnbacher took the controls on Lap 49, returning to the track second in the GTD order. After that, he never looked back despite facing pressure on a Lap 112 restart – the second full course caution of the race. Farnacher crossed the line second.
With five rounds left in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Meyer Shank Racing will have its full focus on the GTD championship. The next round of competition will see the team head to Lime Rock Park on July 19-20.
Meyer Shank Racing Team Quotes:
Mike Shank:
“The guys drove a great race today. We really didn’t have the strongest pace on the track, but they held their own out there and it showed. Today for us, the big picture (GTD championship) was the main focus. We knew who we needed to finish ahead of and both Trent and Mario brought home a clean race car. This is a good spot for us heading to Lime Rock.”
Mario Farnbacher:
“We are thinking long term – the championship. The Acura was incredibly strong today. Our goal was to earn points and we did that. Trent (Hindman) did a great job today as well. Today was a result that is beneficial to our long-term plans. It is super important to finish the race and be consistent. I’m really proud of the guys who worked so hard as always to bring us to another podium.”
Trent Hindman:
“During my stint I was a little frisky out there – more than I wanted to be. There were opportunities that presented themselves and if I was close enough I was going to take it. The Acura NSX GT3 is super quick in clean air but we were not in clean air at the start. That became our goal so we could get to the front and let it run in the best conditions. Overall, when we got past that stage of the race when there was potential to take the lead, we settled into a rhythm to save our fuel and tires. We worked how we needed to in order to bring home the best result possible. CTMP was not a place that we expected to come out and light the world on fire but we showed how strong this Meyer Shank Racing team is.”