You have to admit, it’s a special time to be a Ford Racing fan. Its factory effort in GTD Pro is fresh off a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the FIA WEC Hypercar test programme is in full swing.
All as it celebrates the 125th anniversary of the first-ever Ford race car, ‘Sweepstakes’, and its victory in a 10-mile race in Michigan on 10 October 1901, with founder Henry Ford at the controls.
As part of its year of reflection, Ford’s two factory GTD Pro Mustang GT3s will carry a special livery for IMSA’s Motul Petit Le Mans this weekend, resembling the original Sweepstakes racer.
But Ford being Ford, putting together a basic tribute livery wasn’t enough. It glows in the dark with ‘Glow Pony 2.0’, features intricate historical details and will be paired with special driver suits that resemble Henry Ford’s original racing attire.
The racing department also got in touch with the Heritage division and organised a rare outing for ‘Sweepstakes’ from the museum, for a photo call and road run with a Mustang GT3 in the build-up to this weekend’s race.
“For us, it’s such a big moment in history,” says Scott Bartlett, Ford Racing’s manager of on-road racing and product marketing, who took the idea and made it a reality. “We’ve been trying to beat the drum over the past year for 125. We’ve been trying to figure out what we can do that’s shocking, that’s a single statement to portray our history.
“The reason why Henry raced in 1901 is to prove his technology and showcase what he was made of, and he knew motorsports was the best platform to do that.”
The light bulb moment came last year. “It was when we were delivering the Myers Riley car at the (Henry Ford) museum, opposite the Sweepstakes exhibit,” Bartlett explains. “And I kept looking over at the Sweepstakes exhibit as I was pulling the covers off, I felt it could be the next crazy idea to really help everyone understand 125 years of Ford Racing. This is the easiest way to visualise that.
“It took a bit of convincing to Ford leadership to get that livery on the car,” he admits. “They wondered how I would get black, gold and red onto a Ford Racing car that’s supposed to be all-blue, as visually, it’s a departure from how we normally show up.”
Applied to the Mustang GT3, it really works and will almost certainly attract plenty of attention amongst fans on-site at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and around the world during one of sports car racing’s blue-riband events.
“We worked with our design team and basically looked at what the key elements and attributes of Sweepstakes were that we could bring over,” Bartlett says of the livery design process.
“The biggest challenge was the red wheels and white tyres. The white tyres are missing, but we wanted to bring the red accent into the car. The gold trim is also there; it represents the gold piping across the car. We went through five or six design iterations, but we had internal forums to review them.
“After a few revisions, it worked. And we even added ‘H. Ford’ as a driver name on the B Pillar, and used one of the first Ford Motor Company logos on the hood and deck lid.
“Then there’s the ‘Glow Pony’ (which illuminates at night), which has been transformed. It’s always been a pony outline; now it’s set up with the American flag, as it’s 125 with Ford Racing and 250 for America. With Ford being voted the most iconic American brand by Time Magazine, it’s something we’re very proud of, and we want to highlight that connection with America’s race team.
“It was a huge group effort. Everyone got inspired.”
The road run at Grosse Pointe, a mile or two from the race track where Henry Ford’s race in Sweepstakes took place to launch the livery, was another inspired decision from Ford Racing. It showcased the technological progress the company had helped drive.
“I wrote to Edsel Ford (II) to explain that in 30 years of doing this I’ve never done something so exciting,” says Ted Ryan, Ford Motor Company archives and heritage brand manager.
“Sweepstakes was so critical to what became Ford Motor Company two years later. It was the one time he raced, and having ridden on Sweepstakes now, I know why he only did it once!”
This weekend is not only an occasion for Ford to celebrate its glittering past, but also a chance to win a championship or two.
The #65 Mustang of Christopher Mies and Frédéric Vervisch, joined by Ford Hypercar driver Sebastian Priaulx this weekend, sits fourth in GTD Pro, 124 points off the leaders at Corvette Racing, with a mathematical chance of the title. Ford also ranks second in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Manufacturers’ standings, just 68 points back from eternal rival Chevrolet.
“What an incredible story it would be to bookend 125,” Bartlett muses. “We started the 125 with a win, and to bookend it with a championship… I don’t want to jinx it; I know it’s a tight race and there’s a lot of opportunity for others, but for us it would be a Cinderella story.”
Images © Ford, Jack Webster / dailysportscar.com
