It’s all systems ‘go’ at Ford Performance as it gears up for its 2027 Hypercar programme in the FIA WEC.
Speaking with DSC earlier today, Mark Rushbrook, the global director of Ford Performance, explained that work is already well underway to ensure the first season with its LMDh prototype is a successful one.
2027 feels like the distant future. But when you count the months on the calendar, you soon realise that with the 2025 season already well underway, Ford’s debut will be here before we know it.
Still, Rushbrook is confident that the timing of Ford’s confirmation is perfect and makes sense when looking at the current status of the American brand’s wider sporting commitments.
“As our motorsport strategy developed, as the Ford GT programme ended and we looked at where we wanted to race, prototypes at that point in time were discussing convergence and whether it would happen,” Rushbrook said when asked about the journey to this point.
“As we needed to make key decisions, it didn’t seem right for us, but what became clear in the strategy was to focus on the four pillars: racing Mustang globally, off-road racing, electric demonstrators and Formula 1.
“So we focused on racing Mustangs, with the seventh generation rolling out as a road car. It’s an icon. It took a lot of effort alongside doing a Raptor for Dakar, and demonstrators for Pikes Peak. So in sportscars, we were on the design and development of three brand new race car designs for Mustangs.
“I guess you could say that’s now behind us – it’s not! We’ve got a lot of work to do racing them, with more than 20 GT3s out there now, over 20 GT4s, we have a second batch of Dark Horse Rs in build. But it felt right to join prototypes now.
“With the regulations being extended through 2029, taking the decision now or at the end of last year, is right in terms of workload management and getting us on the racetrack.”
At this stage, there are still plenty of key decisions to come and finer details to be worked on, though some of the most critical choices have already been made concerning the car.
LMDh was chosen over LMH, though Rushbrook confirmed that both pathways were looked at. “We did our due diligence. We looked at LMH, but we believe we can win with LMDh, we believe we can get the tech transfer and learning right.”
A chassis partner therefore needed to be selected quickly in order for design concepts to be worked up. Ford isn’t quite ready to reveal which manufacturer it is, though Rushbrook noted that the decision has been made internally.
We did our due diligence. We looked at LMH
Multimatic and ORECA have been rumoured, and DSC believes that after coming close to selecting the former – which operates its factory effort in GTD Pro – the latter was eventually the desired option. Though we await confirmation that the French manufacturer is indeed teaming up with Ford for this project.
Engine platform is another significant area that Ford will need to decide on. Rushbrook confirmed that the car will be powered by a V8, though whether or not it’s going to be naturally aspirated or boosted, is still being looked at.
2025 will be a year of working “virtually” on the design of the car, before track testing begins in 2026. On the subject of styling, a platform to base the cues on has not been chosen, for instance. “It’s still up in the air, we just want to be seen as Ford,” Rushbrook added. The inference, therefore, is that it will not necessarily be badged a Mustang.
However, when it does hit the track, we now know that Ford will utilise a service provider rather than set up a race team in-house.
A “modest-sized list” of teams has been drawn up as Ford looks to find a “like-minded” partner to sign up later this year. Rushbrook wouldn’t be drawn into specifics, though he did note that it would make the most sense for the programme to be based in Europe over North America as the car will be first seen in the FIA WEC.
And it’s that element that has certainly generated its fair share of headlines. When the programme was teased in North Carolina last month, only WEC was spoken about; there was no mention of an IMSA GTP component.
The allure of racing in a world championship and specifically Le Mans is a huge draw, Rushbrook told DSC, when asked why Hypercar is the priority over GTP at this stage.
It may become a global programme for IMSA, and we need to be prepared
“In IMSA we are already able to compete as a factory, with Multimatic Motorsports as the team,” he continued. “In the WEC we are not. Proton Competition is a great partner but with the way LMGT3 races in WEC, we can’t do it as a full factory. That’s another reason.”
This doesn’t mean we will not see the car for a full programme in North America, though it is an “if” not “when” prospect. The higher-ups at IMSA, who DSC understands attended the programme launch, will certainly hope it’s the latter.
“It may become a global programme for IMSA, and we need to be prepared. If we do, we would only want one race team to cover both series as a factory, not two teams doing two different series. All we are saying is that it (IMSA) could be a potential programme,” Rushbrook explained.
One crucial element though, Rushbrook was keen to stress, is that Ford Performance is in this for the long term, and the door remains open for IMSA. The WEC programme will run through the end of the regulation cycle in 2029, and should the ruleset be extended we may see Ford take this project further.
The LMDh programme will also not impact the GTD Pro factory effort with the Mustang GT3. “Nobody should expect any changes to what we are doing in GT3,” he clarified.
It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the ‘Blue Oval’ in sportscar racing. The Mustang GT3, GT4 and Dark Horse R are selling well, customer interest is strong, results are coming, and in the near future, we will see it return to Le Mans and fight for its fifth overall win.
“This (racing at Le Mans against major manufacturers and a rival like Ferrari) means so much to us as a company,” Rushbrook concluded, “with the Ford vs Ferrari movie a few years ago bringing it all back into the eyes of the public. It’s a massive story from the ’60s and since then on and off.
“We look forward to the competition. We want Ford vs Ferrari but even more important is the number of manufacturers in LMDh and LMH. It’s top-level competition and we want to be there.”
Image credits, Ford, IMSA & Jack Webster
