Ford Names Five New Factory Drivers for Mustang GT3

Ford Performance has named an additional five factory drivers that will campaign its brand new Mustang GT3 in various championships worldwide next season.

The Blue Oval revealed that it has signed Christopher Mies, Frederic Vervisch, Ben Barker, Dennis Olsen and Andy Priaulx for its works IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro assault as well as customer programs in series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship.

They join the previously-announced Harry Tincknell, Joey Hand, Mike Rockenfeller and Dirk Mueller in what is now a nine-strong factory pool.

Mies and Vervisch complete the two-car Ford Multimatic Motorsports lineup for the WeatherTech Championship season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, and will gain mileage in the Mustang in a test a Daytona on Saturday ahead of next month’s Roar Before the 24.

German driver Mies joins Tincknell and Rockenfeller in the No. 64 car for the Florida enduro, while Belgian Vervisch teams up with Hand and Mueller in the No. 65.

Barker, meanwhile, is set to drive one of Proton Competition’s LMGT3 entries in the WEC, while exact programs for Olsen and Priaulx have not been confirmed, but could also include WEC action and/or Dinamic Motorsport’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS effort.

Ford Performance Motorsports global director Mark Rushbrook commented: “This is such an important and special year for Mustang – it will celebrate its 60th anniversary and we take Mustang racing globally.

“To take an icon like Mustang racing, we need a line-up of the best and most experienced GT racers, and our nine sports car factory drivers represent just that.

“Together with our partners at Multimatic Motorsports and our first customer teams Proton Competition and Dinamic GT, we are ready to take on the best in the world at the most iconic race circuits. I can’t wait to get started at Daytona in January.”

Mies and Vervisch both make the move to Ford from Audi, where they were mainstays of the German marque’s GT3 lineups. Both are two-time winners of the Nurburgring 24 Hours, while Mies is also a two-time Bathurst 12 Hour winner.

Barker and Olsen meanwhile come off lengthy stints representing Porsche, Barker mostly in the WEC with GR Racing (previously Gulf Racing) and Olsen in a variety of series including GT World Challenge Europe and the DTM.

Priaulx is well known to Ford, having been part of its previous factory program with the GT, prior to which he was a mainstay of touring car racing with three world titles to his name with BMW.