MPC Open to Ford Mustang GT3 EVO Future Beyond Suzuka

Melbourne Performance Centre is open to expanding its relationship with Ford Racing into GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, but denied it has a deal in place already ahead of its debut with the Mustang GT3 EVO in the Suzuka 1000km.

Team co-owner Troy Russell made the remarks in the run-up to this weekend’s fourth round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, in which it is fielding a sole example of the Ford Mustang GT3 Evo in association with Miedecke Motorsport.

While its deal to operate the car is for this weekend only, it has led to inevitable suggestions that MPC could field Mustang machinery in Australia as early as next year, given its current partner Audi’s gradual winding down of its GT3 activities.

Despite disappearing from other GT3-based championships in other parts of the world, the R8 LMS GT3 Evo II continues to be a mainstay in GTWC Australia, with MPC running three examples of the car and Team BRM also campaigning it.

Addressing the possibility of fielding one or multiple Mustang GT3 EVOs on home turf next year, Russell made it clear MPC does not consider itself “Audi-only” pointing out its history of running machinery from other marques, including its current program in the Monochrome GT4 Australia series with a Mustang GT4.

“It hasn’t even been discussed yet,” Russell told Sportscar365. “If we do a good job, there will be further discussions. All we can do is try and do a good job. 

“Clearly we are open to expanding into other things. We already run the Mustang GT4, and we have been doing Porsche Carrera Cup for years. In the past we ran a Mercedes-AMG as well, so it’s not like we’re Audi-only. 

“We’d like to continue the discussions [with Ford Racing] and we are open to a relationship. It’s a good car, it has a lot of potential.”

He added: “We’re a customer racing team. We’ll do whatever someone asks us to do. That’s our business model.

“We’ll do what we can do here, hopefully do a good job, and see where it goes.”

When asked if the team could therefore potentially field multiple brands of car next season, Russell replied: “Yeah, the options are open.”

While admitting interest in fielding the Mustang, Russell believes that the R8 still has plenty of potential, with the car’s FIA homologation not set to expire until 2032.

Broc Feeney and Brad Schumacher won last year’s GTWC Australia title, and are also leading this year’s championship with two rounds remaining.

“It’s still competitive all around the world,” Russell said of the Audi. 

“We are leading the championship with it at the moment. We go straight from here to Sydney Motorsport Park to hopefully keep the lead of the championship. 

“Audi has been very good to us over the years in terms of the support they’ve given us and the results we’ve achieved with them. 

“There’s a lot of history there. But you also have to have your eyes forward.”

MPC’s involvement in Ford Racing’s IGTC program for this weekend’s Suzuka round came as the result of an offer from Miedecke, which serves as the Blue Oval’s official Australian parts agent and supplier for the GT3 and GT4-spec Mustangs.

Miedecke is currently renting workshop space at MPC’s facility on the outskirts of Melbourne, strengthening the ties between the two organizations.

Despite the newly-built No. 64 car shared by Christopher Mies, Frederic Vervisch and Dennis Olsen only turning a wheel for the first time in Friday’s paid test sessions, Russell is confident the team has everything it needs to fight for a top result.

“We’ll try to do the best we can,” he said. “Everyone comes here to try and get a result. 

“We have three of the best drivers from Ford here, two of them we have worked with for many years. Mies won the championship [in Australian GT] for us back in 2015.

“We have some Ford engineers here, two from Australia, two from America, so I feel like our staff are as good as anyone else in the paddock.”