Click on Mustang for more.
In an unusual Saturday release, Ford Performance (NYSE: F) said today it is expanding its sports car factory driver lineup to nine for its global GT3 race programs. Ben Barker, Chris Mies, Dennis Olsen, Andy Priaulx and Frédéric Vervisch join previously announced drivers Joey Hand, Dirk Müller, Harry Tincknell and Mike Rockenfeller on the Ford Performance Mustang GT3 team in 2024. Daytona in January is the sports car racing debut for the new Ford Mustang GT3. The Mustang will compete on six of seven continents of the world at tracks such as Le Mans and Interlagos. In AutoInformed’s view this is a crafty way of helping customer teams with proven drivers that can be employed when needed.*
“To take an icon like Mustang racing, we need a line-up of the best and most experienced GT racers, and our nine sports car factory drivers represent just that,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports. (See the surprisingly good: New Ford Mustang GT3 Racing Documentary Starts Next Week)
Mies and Vervisch will drive the new race car at Daytona International Speedway today, in preparation for next month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona where they will complete the lineup for the Ford Multimatic Motorsports team, with Mies joining Tincknell and Rockenfeller in the #64 Mustang and Vervisch driving the #65 with Hand and Müller.
*Ford’s nine sports car factory drivers will bring their endurance racing experience and knowledge to the various Mustang GT3 programs around the world. With teams slated to go racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA), GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE), the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). There are also said to be plans for more race series later in 2024. The sports car factory drivers are available to all of Ford’s customer teams, which so far include Proton Competition and Dinamic GT, subject to scheduling. The full driver lineups for these programs will be announced by the customer teams next year.
Driver Notes
British driver, Ben Barker offers endurance racing experience to Ford Performance and its customer programs worldwide, competing regularly in WEC and GTWCE and notably taking four class wins at the Bathurst 12 Hours.
German racer, Christopher Mies is a double ADAC GT Masters Champion, a double winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour and also has two victories in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Norwegian Dennis Olsen was a championship-winning karter as a child, before moving into single-seater racing then GT competition. He spent the past two years in DTM. He also has an Intercontinental GT Challenge Championship victory.
British Andy Priaulx is best known for his three FIA World Touring Car Championships, but he has also been part of the Ford and Multimatic Motorsports family since 2016 when he signed up to race alongside Tincknell in the Ford GT in WEC. Since the GT program concluded in 2019, he has been immersed with Multimatic, working on a number of special projects. He will act as a “super sub” and will be a pillar of knowledge in this factory squad, sharing his vast experience with the younger drivers.
Belgian driver, Frédéric Vervisch is a two-time Nürburgring 24 Hours winner and a multi-championship winner in his Formula 3 career.
AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Ford Announces Global Mustang GT3 Factory Drivers
Click on Mustang for more.
In an unusual Saturday release, Ford Performance (NYSE: F) said today it is expanding its sports car factory driver lineup to nine for its global GT3 race programs. Ben Barker, Chris Mies, Dennis Olsen, Andy Priaulx and Frédéric Vervisch join previously announced drivers Joey Hand, Dirk Müller, Harry Tincknell and Mike Rockenfeller on the Ford Performance Mustang GT3 team in 2024. Daytona in January is the sports car racing debut for the new Ford Mustang GT3. The Mustang will compete on six of seven continents of the world at tracks such as Le Mans and Interlagos. In AutoInformed’s view this is a crafty way of helping customer teams with proven drivers that can be employed when needed.*
“To take an icon like Mustang racing, we need a line-up of the best and most experienced GT racers, and our nine sports car factory drivers represent just that,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports. (See the surprisingly good: New Ford Mustang GT3 Racing Documentary Starts Next Week)
Mies and Vervisch will drive the new race car at Daytona International Speedway today, in preparation for next month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona where they will complete the lineup for the Ford Multimatic Motorsports team, with Mies joining Tincknell and Rockenfeller in the #64 Mustang and Vervisch driving the #65 with Hand and Müller.
*Ford’s nine sports car factory drivers will bring their endurance racing experience and knowledge to the various Mustang GT3 programs around the world. With teams slated to go racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA), GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE), the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). There are also said to be plans for more race series later in 2024. The sports car factory drivers are available to all of Ford’s customer teams, which so far include Proton Competition and Dinamic GT, subject to scheduling. The full driver lineups for these programs will be announced by the customer teams next year.
Driver Notes
British driver, Ben Barker offers endurance racing experience to Ford Performance and its customer programs worldwide, competing regularly in WEC and GTWCE and notably taking four class wins at the Bathurst 12 Hours.
German racer, Christopher Mies is a double ADAC GT Masters Champion, a double winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour and also has two victories in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Norwegian Dennis Olsen was a championship-winning karter as a child, before moving into single-seater racing then GT competition. He spent the past two years in DTM. He also has an Intercontinental GT Challenge Championship victory.
British Andy Priaulx is best known for his three FIA World Touring Car Championships, but he has also been part of the Ford and Multimatic Motorsports family since 2016 when he signed up to race alongside Tincknell in the Ford GT in WEC. Since the GT program concluded in 2019, he has been immersed with Multimatic, working on a number of special projects. He will act as a “super sub” and will be a pillar of knowledge in this factory squad, sharing his vast experience with the younger drivers.
Belgian driver, Frédéric Vervisch is a two-time Nürburgring 24 Hours winner and a multi-championship winner in his Formula 3 career.
AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.