Farnbacher began racing in karting in 1996, continuing through 2000. He graduated to circuit racing with Formula BMW Junior in 2001, finishing ninth in the championship. He then transitioned to sports car racing, entering the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany with the family operation, Farnbacher Racing, and participating in the 2004 Porsche Supercup season.
In 2005, Farnbacher claimed a class win at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the GT category, marking his first major international endurance result. The following year, 2006, brought his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Seikel Motorsport in the GT2 class, where he finished second in class — an immediate indicator of his pace on the French endurance circuit.
Farnbacher joined the American Le Mans Series more fully from 2007 onward, racing with Tafel Racing. His 2008 ALMS campaign proved particularly strong: he finished second in the GT2 championship with four race victories, establishing himself as one of the leading GT2 drivers in North American sportscar racing at the time. He also made endurance starts at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans during these years.
Alongside his North American campaigns, the 2007 season included competition in Japan's Super GT series in the GT300 category. Farnbacher achieved two race wins that year, at Motegi and Fuji, demonstrating adaptability across different sportscar disciplines and racing cultures.
Farnbacher competed at Le Mans across multiple years and enjoyed sustained success in the GT2 class. The 2006 debut second-place finish was matched in 2010, when he again finished second in class alongside Allan Simonsen and Leh Keen. He returned to Le Mans in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2013, giving him a long and consistent presence at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The Nürburgring circuit became closely associated with some of Farnbacher's strongest results. At the 2010 Nürburgring 24 Hours he took the SP7 class victory alongside Sascha Keen, Marco Seefried, and Allan Simonsen.
On 14 September 2011, he set the Nürburgring Nordschleife production car lap record, recording a time of 7 minutes 12.13 seconds aboard a Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR. The mark at the time became the recognised benchmark for production car laps on the full Nordschleife.
In 2009 he also won the Okayama 1000 km, racing for Team PTG in a Panoz Esperante.
From 2013 to 2014, Farnbacher joined the SRT Motorsports factory programme, racing the SRT Viper GTS-R in GT competition through the ALMS season and then the inaugural IMSA United SportsCar Championship in 2014 following the consolidation of American sportscar racing. His association with Dodge-Viper-based cars thus extended from the 2011 Nordschleife record through his factory works years.
From 2017 to 2018 Farnbacher raced for 3GT Racing, the factory-supported Lexus programme that campaigned the Lexus RC F GT3 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The stint gave Farnbacher a further major manufacturer connection and rounded out a career that had taken him across four continents in GT competition.
Throughout his career Farnbacher demonstrated a particular talent for long-distance endurance racing in the GT classes, accumulating race wins in multiple championships on both sides of the Atlantic and in Japan. His association with Farnbacher Racing provided structured support for major endurance outings, while factory stints at SRT and 3GT Racing confirmed his standing in the upper tier of GT competition.
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