24 Hours of Daytona – A first prestigious victory for Ford and its Mustang GT3: “An important step”

Deliverance, finally, for Ford and its GT3 program. By winning the GTD Pro category on Sunday, at the finish of the 24 Hours of Daytona, Christopher Mies, Frédéric Vervisch and Dennis Olsen gave the Ford Mustang its first victory in competition, almost a year to the day after the official launch of the "Pony Car" in GT3. A first success achieved with panache thanks to the great resistance of Dennis Olsen in the final minutes of the race.

With 38 minutes to go, the Norwegian emerged with his imposing Mustang No. 65 to steal first place from the Corvette No. 4 before resisting the other Corvette, the No. 3 driven by Alexander Sims. "Yesterday (Saturday) we saw Jim Farley (Ford CEO. Ed.), who told us that whatever you do, you have to be in front of Chevrolet... jokingly of course", reported Frédéric Vervisch after the finish. Even if it was a joke, the mission of beating the local rival was well accomplished.

“This is a team victory for everyone at Ford, for our partners and for Mustang fans, Mark Rushbrook rejoiced., Director of Motorsport at Ford Performance, from Sportcars365. Moments like this make the long hours, hard work and previous disappointments worth it. Our first world victory with the Mustang GT3 and our 20th victory for Ford at the 24 Hours of Daytona is a huge milestone. I am proud of all the effort. Everyone gave it their all.”

Ford, 365 days to win

A source of pride but above all a relief for the American clan, one year after a difficult start in competition. Indeed, during its debut at the 24 2024 Hours of Daytona, the Ford Mustang had experienced many teething problems and lacked pace against its rivals (a retirement and a 6th place in the GTD Pro category, 7 laps behind the winner). A year later, thanks to the lessons learned in IMSA, a WEC and in GT World Challenge, the car developed in association with Multimatic managed to correct its problems and become a competitive car.

“When we came here exactly a year ago and we led the race at the time, it was fantastic for a new car but like everyone else we had problems, remembers Christopher Mies. We solved them over the course of the year. To come back [to win] a year later with Ford Performance and Multimatic Motorsports is incredible. I think the most obvious [issue] is that the rear bumper doesn't come off anymore. (…) But there's been work behind the scenes and also on the team side. I have to say that's probably the biggest evolution from last year. We feel like we've taken another step in terms of preparation. (…) There are definitely still things we need to improve for the future and people are working on that, but time will tell."

Next meeting for Ford: the WEC with the 1812 km of Qatar (February 28), where the American manufacturer will try to confirm and secure a first victory in the world championship with its Mustang GT3.

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