Last weekend, Augusto Farfus celebrated another perfect start to the racing season. Exactly one year after his first and very emotional victory at the 2019 Daytona 24 Hours he added another chapter to his success story – and another Rolex watch to his collection. At the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 2020 season-opener, Farfus was at the wheel of the #24 BMW M8 GTE together with Jesse Krohn, John Edwards and Chaz Mostert. After 786 laps and more than 40 lead changes they finished an absolutely thrilling race in P1 in the GTLM class ahead of two Porsches.
| Back in 2019 it was Farfus who had won the race for BMW Team RLL with an impressive final stint to clinch first place at the Florida endurance classic. This time, it was Krohn who took the wheel for the last stint of the race. He overtook the leading #911 Porsche with 46 minutes of the race remaining. Shortly thereafter, he came in for his final pit stop, following which he successfully defended his lead to the finish. Krohn also set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:42.168 minutes. “I am speechless,“ said Farfus. “That was the best 24-hour race I have driven in my whole life. It was extremely fast, extremely close, and you could not afford to make any mistakes. We drove a perfect race: team, strategy, drivers, mechanics. The car worked well throughout the entire race. You don’t get through the full 24 hours like that very often. To win this race twice in a row is exceptional.” After the podium ceremony and some wild celebrations with the team Farfus has already set sights on his next challenge. Together with Mostert he is heading to Australia to compete in the legendary Bathurst 12-hour race next weekend. Farfus will drive the Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 with Mostert and Nick Catsburg at Bathurst and throughout the whole Intercontinental GT Challenge season. “I’m very much looking forward to Bathurst and the IGTC season,” said Farfus. “Last year the IGTC proved to be probably the strongest GT3 championship on the planet. The competitiveness of both the drivers and the cars is very high. With one year of experience learning the racetracks I am optimistic that we can put in a strong season. I am looking forward to working with Walkenhorst Motorsport and new, experienced team-mates and am very motivated to go back to Bathurst and to aim for a strong finish there.” |
