Ford’s new Mustang GT3 car will race at Daytona
The new Ford Mustang will be rolled out for competition for the first time at Daytona, competing in GT3 and GT4 classes
One of the joys of GT3 racing is the variety of shapes, engines and mechanical configurations across the grid. Everything from the Mercedes-AMG GT3 to Porsche’s 911 GT3 R and Ferrari’s 296 GT3 battle for the same piece of tarmac, and at this year’s Daytona 24 Hours, the Ford Mustang will join that eclectic group.
Ford has announced that it will run two factory supported Mustang GT3 cars at the iconic endurance race this weekend, with two customer teams fielding Mustang GT4 racers. The event marks the new Mustang’s first official motorsport venture as Ford hunts for glory in the GTD and IMSA categories.
Ford has a decorated history at Daytona, having won the 24 Hour race with the GT40 in 1966 and taken a class win with the second-generation GT in 2017. Ford Performance has created the Mustang GT3 to add to that success, and it gets extensive modifications and bespoke components in its transformation from road car to racer.
The GT3 car features a derivative of the Mustang’s Coyote V8, with an increased 5.4-litre capacity and a dry sump among other revisions. The unit is built by British firm M-Sport, Ford’s long-time World Rally Championship partner.
Multimatic – the engineering company that built the Ford GT – has partnered with Ford to build the GT3 car, which uses unique carbonfibre body panels, bespoke suspension components and a six-speed transaxle gearbox.
Speaking on Ford’s Daytona entry, Multimatic’s Executive Vice President Larry Holt said: ‘The first race for a new car is always the most challenging. Daytona is the culmination of two years of intense work by Multimatic, Ford and M-Sport, with no effort spared in creating a car capable of taking on the legendary twice around the clock contest. We are ready!’
Chris Mies, Mike Rockenfeller and Harry Tincknell will drive the factory-run number 64 Mustang, with the number 65 car driven by Joey Hand, Dirk Müller and Frédéric Vervisch. The race gets underway on Saturday 27 January.
