Below is the official release from Hankook Team Farnbacher following their excellent 2nd place at the 2010 24hour race at Nurburgring. The Farnbacher Ferrari almost didnt make the start due to the theft of the cars carbon under body. Check out the Farnbacher news below for all of the details.

24-Hour Race, Nürburgring (GER), 15th/16th May 2010, Race Report
Sensational second place at the Nürburgring 24 Hours for Hankook Team Farnbacher

Nürburgring, 16th May 2010 – Nobody had reckoned with this result. Hankook Team Farnbacher finished second overall at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Dominik Farnbacher (GER), Allan Simonsen (DEN), Lehman Keen (USA) and Marco Seefried (GER) guided their Ferrari 430 GTC from 46th place to the winner’s podium, finishing just 3:54.191 minutes behind the victorious BMW M3 GT2 after 154 laps. The gap at the top has only been less on one occasion in the history of the endurance classic.

The team from Lichtenau almost didn’t line-up for the race at all. Shortly before the start at 15:00hrs on Saturday, Team Manager Horst Farnbacher’s team were minus an undercarriage. As it turns out, a fan had found the part behind the team tent and, seeing it as an exclusive souvenir, quickly took it with him. When the police found the fan, he dropped the undercarriage and fled into the crowds in the drivers’ paddock.

Horst Farnbacher (Team Manager): “The missing undercarriage was quite a worry just before the start of the race. We did have a replacement, but we were also missing the entire connecting rod. We had already worked out a solution using rope, but it goes without saying that would not have been enough and everything would have flown off. Fortunately, however, we were able to sort it out in time – although it really was last minute. I told the drivers that they should look after the car. That meant: no kerbs, no carrousel, no first gear. That aside, however, the boys went right on the attack. I am very proud of the whole team. That is a huge success for us.”

Dominik Farnbacher: “It was a very tough race for us. Our goal was to finish in the top ten and put on a good show. We did that rather well. Qualifying, on the other hand, was not so good for us. However, we made good progress through the field right from the start. My team-mates deserve huge praise: they produced a great performance, remained error-free, and clocked top lap times. Of course we were a bit lucky that we even started. To finish runner-up after that is simply beyond words.”

Allan Simonsen: “This result is absolutely fantastic – particularly for Hankook, as the 24-hour race is very important for the German market. We didn’t have any problems at all. To finish about four minutes behind the winner is only possible if you drive flawlessly throughout the entire race. The tyres were absolutely fantastic. They were very consistent and – more importantly – durable. Unlike some of the other teams, we had no tyre problems at all. That gives a driver a lot of confidence.”

Lehman Keen: “It is amazing to be stood on the podium here. That is an enormous success, particularly when you bear in mind the outlay of works teams like Porsche, Audi and BMW. On top of that is the fact that this is a 24-hour race, and on a really crazy race track. The team did an unbelievable job. You are battling against the best here for 24 hours. I think we did really well for our first outing here.”

Marco Seefried: “Huge praise to my team-mates from me too. You could see that they were pros and were not racing here for the first time. They know where the right pedal is. I will not be starting with two cars again next year. Unfortunately the other car crashed during the night, but this meant I was able to concentrate fully on my role with Hankook Team Farnbacher. Our efforts were rewarded with second place. That is fantastic.”