MPC Prepping for Possible Suzuka Entry With Mustang GT3

Photo: Gruppe C Photography/SRO

Melbourne Performance Centre could be Ford Racing’s newest customer GT3 team, with the Australian squad believed to be preparing for a Suzuka 1000km effort next month.

Multiple industry sources have indicated to Sportscar365 that the longtime Audi entrant is poised to make the switch to Mustang GT3 EVOs, with its debut race potentially coming in the penultimate round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge season on Sept. 11-13.

The Troy Russell-led operation, which currently leads the GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS championship with Ford Supercars star Broc Feeney and FIA Bronze-rated driver Brad Schumacher in an Audi R8 LMS Evo II, is understood to be eying up a partnership with Miedecke Motorsport, the official Australian parts agent and supplier for the GT3 and GT4-spec Mustangs.

Ford Racing’s global sports car motorsports manager Alex Allmandinger confirmed that Ford Racing would have a current partner involved in the Suzuka program but was unable to specify who at this time.

Sportscar365 understands that Triple Eight Race Engineering, which switched to the Blue Oval in the Repco Supercars Championship this year, was initially looking to take on Suzuka but faces a clash with the Supercars round at The Bend Motorsport Park that weekend.

Ford recently clinched the 2026 Supercars’ manufacturers’ championship with 14 races still remaining on the schedule.

Should the deal materialize, the addition of MPC to Ford’s GT3 customer roster would also come as a significant boost to the manufacturer’s desire for an increased presence at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, where HRT Ford Racing gave the Mustang GT3 its Mount Panorama debut this year.

MPC regularly fields multiple entries in Australia’s international enduro, as well as in GTWC Australia.

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