RUSHBROOK: Driving Success Forward

By: Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports

Motorsport demands passion, dedication and relentless determination to create success. That success isn’t simply earned – it’s created and delivered by a team of passionate engineers, designers, team members and of course, drivers.

Race drivers are the key differentiator in the battle for success on the track. At Ford, our drivers are more than competitors; they’re family. This sense of camaraderie makes decisions about our roster challenging and deeply personal.

After closing out our debut IMSA season with the Mustang GT3 a month ago, the Ford Multimatic Motorsports team is focused on the 2025 season. This week we will be running at the traditional Daytona Test ahead of the first big race of 2025 and introducing our driver lineup – a blend of experience, youth, and exceptional talent.

For the full IMSA season, the No. 64 Mustang will be driven by the experienced and super-fast German driver, Mike Rockenfeller. He’s joined by 23-year-old Sebastian Priaulx, who is already a Champion and an IMSA race winner which makes him an exciting prospect for us.

In the No. 65 Mustang, we’ll pair Christopher Mies and Frédéric Vervisch, who proved their determination during this past season’s endurance races at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. Their outstanding performances at these events earned them well-deserved full-season spots on our team. When it comes to racing, the stopwatch doesn’t lie.

Ben Barker and Dennis Olsen will join the team at the endurance events in 2025, with Ben in the No. 64 and Dennis in the No. 65 Mustang. Both drivers demonstrated their speed and endurance abilities throughout 2024 but especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Race teams are always evolving in order to drive success forward and this infusion of fresh talent will accelerate the performance of Mustang GT3. With these driver lineup changes, I wanted to talk about this year’s drivers: Joey Hand, Dirk Müller, and Harry Tincknell.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Joey, Dirk, and Harry for their invaluable contribution to the Mustang GT3’s journey.

Their unrivaled expertise has been essential to the development of the Mustang GT3 and the hours they put in, pounding around race tracks across the U.S. laid the groundwork for this race program.

Joey and Dirk will always be special to Ford as they won Le Mans for us in 2016, and while they may not be in our IMSA squad this season, you certainly haven’t seen the last of them. In fact, you’ll soon hear more about Dirk’s latest endeavors.

I’m excited about this driver lineup. It is a fast lineup that will allow us to build on our performance in 2024, and I look forward to seeing what this team will accomplish in the coming season.

Now it’s time to get back on the track and take those next steps toward turning the Mustang GT3 into a consistent race winner!