Ford Drivers Complete Campus Tour Ahead of Detroit Race

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford

Ford Performance drivers Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller, Harry Tincknell and Mike Rockenfeller completed a ‘Ford Campus’ tour on Wednesday that included a visit to Ford’s world headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. and a behind-the-scenes look at the Flat Rock assembly plant, ahead of this weekend’s Detroit Sports Car Challenge.

The four factory drivers of the Multimatic Motorports-run Ford Mustang GT3s in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro class were joined by a Mustang GT3 in the ‘Champion Spirit’ special livery for the day-long event, as part of Mustang’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

It included a driving lap around the campus, driver meet-and-greets, autograph sessions and other activities.

“It’s been an exciting day,” said Hand. “We took Mustang GT3 sort of back to where it all started by driving it through the Flat Rock Assembly Plant.

“The thing about GT3 racing is that we have to start with a tub off the assembly line, so it was one of those cars that we made into a race car.

“I’m a big fan of sharing conversations with people and getting to know them — like what are your hobbies? Is it fishing, or is it golf? I’m the same way with my crew.

“I like to see where everything starts as well, and I’ve never really watched an assembly line like that.

“It was just Mustang after Mustang, and the line never stops. The employees there were really excited and in awe over this race car — and they work on cool cars all day.

“It seemed like everyone was excited to see the racing version.”

Additionally, the drivers took part in a raffle with Ford employees to win tickets to Saturday’s 100-minute WeatherTech Championship race.

“This is why we go racing,” Hand added. “For me, It’s why I do it. As a race car driver, we get the fame by driving the car. But, there’s a lot that comes before that.

“There were people at the assembly plant and even before that, the designers. There’s so much more in front of me jumping into the car for races.”

Tincknell added: “It was an amazing experience. Especially when considering Henry Ford I designed the rolling production line. Ford was the pioneer. So to actually come to Ford in the modern day and see Mustangs rolling out every few minutes is incredible.

“I always find it great when you can meet the employees of the company, because we get all these messages of support on social media and online.

“Sometimes, employees will even come to the track. To bring the car to the factory and get that overwhelming response like how good the car sounds, or the awe over our car leading its class in Daytona… It really makes you proud to have the company behind us.

“It makes you feel proud to be representing Ford, which will drive us forward to even more success.

“Some of them have been working at Ford longer than I’ve been alive, which is incredible and it shows loyalty to the brand. Ford is a family company from the top, down.

“It is certainly a great way to start the week. You start the week with such a positive vibe — uplifting.

“Being a Brit, there’s no home race in IMSA. But as a part of Ford’s home race, you do feel that extra support. It does give you more motivation.”

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford

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