The Ford Mustang GT3 was formally unveiled today at Le Mans ahead of its global race debut at the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours next January. At the gathering, the ‘Blue Oval’ confirmed a new race livery, updated Ford Performance branding and crucially, an IMSA GTD Pro programme and confirmation of its first major customer team for the FIA WEC.
Ford’s FIA WEC customer team may come as a huge surprise to many, as longstanding Porsche GT customer Proton Competition is set to campaign a pair of Mustang GT3s in the globe-trotting championship next year when the LMGT3 category is introduced. (Subject to the team being granted entries by the FIA WEC selection committee).
“This is a very important programme and an exciting moment for our organization,” said Proton Competition team principal Christian Ried. “The Mustang is a great brand and this is an important step for our team. We look forward to joining with Ford starting in 2024.”
Ford CEO Jim Farley says this FIA WEC programme with Proton is hugely important, as it enables the ‘Blue Oval’ to return to Le Mans and build on its recent successes in GTE Pro with the GT.
“Ford and Le Mans are bound together by history. And now we’re coming back to the most dramatic, most rewarding and most important race in the world,” he said. “It is not Ford versus Ferrari anymore. It is Ford versus everyone. Going back to Le Mans is the beginning of building a global motorsports business with Mustang, just like we are doing with Bronco and Raptor off-road.”
In addition to Proton’s WEC commitments, Ford confirmed that it will run a two-car factory IMSA GTD Pro class programme under the Ford Performance banner. The effort will be managed by Multimatic Motorsports and begin at the 2024 Rolex 24.
The Mustang GT3 race car revealed at Le Mans was shown off in a bold, colourful new look from designer Troy Lee, and featured new Ford Performance branding, with a cleaner, simplified look that will feature on all its racing vehicles going forward.
Finally, the launch gave Ford Performance a chance to confirm that it is extending its relationship with two longtime partners – Multimatic and M-Sport – for the basis of this project.
Multimatic, the builder of the Ford GT, which was also involved in the Ford GT race programme will help build and support the Mustang GT3s. Longtime WRC team and former Bentley factory outfit M-Sport meanwhile will assemble the Ford Performance-developed 5.4-liter Coyote-based V8 engines that power the car.
“For a project like the Mustang GT3, we turned to two of our most trusted partners in the motorsports world to help bring this vehicle and program together,” added Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.
“I know we’ll all be as thrilled as Ford fans when Mustang begins racing at the highest levels of GT racing in 2024.”
Images courtesy of Ford Performance
