Factory Mustang GT3 Effort Satisfies Ford’s IMSA “Need”

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford

Ford’s factory Mustang GT3 EVO program in the GTD Pro class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, along with the presence of customers in both GT3, GT4 and it’s single-make Mustang Challenge series satisfies the brand’s “need” in IMSA competition according to Ford Racing global director Mark Rushbrook, who has ruled out a full-time GTP program in the near future.

The clarification comes amid Ford’s Hypercar program that will debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year, and with no current plans to take the ORECA-chassied LMDh-based prototype to the WeatherTech Championship.

Speaking with assembled reporters at last weekend’s WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Rushbrook provided the automaker’s current position on its sports car racing involvement.

“We always look at our five-year cycle plan, on where we’re going to be racing for the next five years and making those decisions,” he said. “The way we’ve approached Hypercar, if we look at our total sports car [involvement]:

“Mustang GT3 has been fantastic for us because we can race as a factory in IMSA, we can race with Proton as a customer team in [WEC] and in SRO and many other series around the world. That’s working great for us.

“Part of the reason we are doing Hypercar, it is for the overall win at Le Mans, given our history there, but it’s also to be able to race as a factory in WEC because we can’t do that with the Mustang.

“But we can do that in IMSA with the Mustang.

“That’s why the Hypercar program is here in WEC. When we look at IMSA, we’ve got so much presence there already.

“If you look two of the last race weekends, both Laguna and Sebring, we had Mustang GT3s, we had two factory cars, two customer cars. We had Mustang GT4s, I think seven or eight in the race, and we had Mustang Challenge both of those weekends with around 20 cars.

“We had 32 Mustangs racing in three different series and races through the weekend. I don’t know if we need more Ford presence there than that, and we’re able to do it as a factory there.

“As it stands right now, we love IMSA, it’s a wonderful series with great tracks, great competitors. But we don’t see as much need to go there with Hypercar as we need it here in WEC.”

When asked by Sportscar365 if there could be a chance that that yet-to-be-named LMDh car could contest some of the Michelin Endurance Cup races, such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and/or Motul Petit Le Mans in the future, Rushbrook said “maybe” but has ruled it out for next year.

“That is talked about,” he added. “We’re focused on finishing the development and homologation of the car, getting ready and racing in WEC in 2027.

“But is there an opportunity to go do the 24 Hours of Daytona in ’28 or ’29? Of course. [But] I’m not saying yes.”

With Acura ‘pausing’ its program at seasons’ end, and both Genesis and McLaren not appearing to enter the class in the near future, the health of the GTP class has been put into question by some, with the likelihood of only four manufacturers present next year in Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche.

That compares to at least nine OEMs that are set to compete in the WEC’s Hypercar class in 2027.

“I’m not overly concerned about it,” said Rushbrook on the health of the IMSA GP class. “I don’t know if John Doonan [IMSA President] is or not. Honestly, sports car racing, in total globally, is very strong.

“When you look at the number of manufacturers that are in it, in all different levels. When you look at the number of fans… I think IMSA set another record in Daytona.

“I guess I’m not worried about it. As a sport, everybody needs to be looking at it and saying, ‘Why are the numbers where they are and what can we do to make them stronger?’

“But I’m not worried about it.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John