Ford Mustang GT3 Gears Up to Extend Ford Racing Heritage at 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans
Sixty years after Ford unleashed the power of Mustang to the world, the seventh-generation Ford Mustang makes its attempt at conquering the world’s pinnacle endurance racing event -- the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month.
Racing is part of the Mustang DNA: the car made its successful competitive debut during the 1964 Tour de France de Automobile, only five months after Ford introduced the car to the world. Ever since, Ford’s global race car has competed in NASCAR, NHRA, IMSA, Australian Supercars and Formula Drift.
“The Ford Mustang has raced in circuits across the world for decades, and now is the time for us to race our iconic coupe at the most important race in the world,” said Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company CEO. “Ford has a rich history at Le Mans dating back to the first race in 1923 and we are excited to return to the global stage in what promises to be one of the most exciting races of the modern era.”
Though Mustang has raced Le Mans previously -- one entry in 1967 and two more in 1997 -- 2024 marks the first time Mustang races with specific intent in the World Endurance Championship circuit. Longtime collaborators Multimatic Motorsports and M-Sport both work on the production of Mustang with the team being run by successful Germany-based team Proton Competition.
Ford’s Le Mans history notably includes the Ford GT40, which took on -- and took down -- previously vaunted European competitors for four consecutive years in the late 1960s. Then, in 2016 -- 50 years after the GT40 first won -- a reborn Ford GT took to the top step of the podium in the LMGTE Pro category.
The sold-out 92nd edition of Le Mans -- the fourth race of the FIA World Endurance Championship season -- takes place June 15-16 at Circuit de la Sarthe in France. Proton Competition will race three Mustang GT3 cars among nearly two dozen LMGT3 Le Mans entrants.
Proton Competition will maintain its regular-season FIA World Endurance Cup LMGT3 class driver line-up for its two Mustang GT3s: The No. 77 will be co-piloted by Ryan Hardwick, Ben Baker and Zacharie Robichon, and the No. 88 will see Giorgio Roda, Dennis Olsen and Mikkel O. Pedersen share the seat. Announced last month, the No. 44 will be shared by Christopher Mies, John Hartshorne and Ben Tuck.
Off the track, the Mustang GTD -- a roadgoing version of the Mustang GT3 -- makes its European debut and will be a focal point at Maison de Mustang inside Manufacturer Village. Maison de Mustang is a fan zone that features driver autograph sessions, merchandise, and a racing simulator competition for a chance to win Mustang prizes.
Up to 1,000 fans can participate in a Paul Swift Precision Driving experience as passengers in nearby Arnage and can book this upon arrival at the track.
“While Mustang GT3 is the pinnacle of our sports car racing around the world, it is only one part of a far broader strategy around Mustang racing that includes our recent Mustang Challenge Series as well as GT4 and much more besides," said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We race to win and also to build our Ford Performance community, and our hope is that fans at Le Mans get as much excitement from the off-track experiences as they get from attending the race itself. This is an exciting time to be a fan of Mustang.”
https://performance.ford.com/series/road-racing/news/articles/2024/2024/6/ford-gt3-le-mans.html
(photo credit: Ford Performance)
