Rushbrook Wants Mustang GT3s In “All Series” Globally

Photo: JEP/SRO

Ford Performance is aiming to have Mustang GT3s competing in “all series around the world” according to its global motorsports director Mark Rushbrook, who has revealed targets on both the Bathurst 12 Hour and Nürburgring 24.

Currently, the new-for-2024 Multimatic-built race car competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship and Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS.

A Proton Competition-entered Mustang GT3 is on the grid for this weekend’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa with the all-factory driver lineup of Christopher Mies, Fred Vervisch and Dennis Olsen.

The Detroit brand is coming off a LMGT3 podium finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Proton squad, while its factory Multimatic-run No. 64 car led the GTD Pro class during last weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.

“Le Mans was a high note for us for sure,” Rushbrook told Sportscar365.

“You always want to win but to have all three cars finish, to finish on the podium and in fourth place was a good uplift for the collective team: Ford, Multimatic, M-Sport, Proton. That was a good weekend.

“The cars ran well at Watkins Glen last weekend and really looking forward to seeing how this weekend plays out.”

Rushbrook wouldn’t be drawn to his expectations for Spa, given its single-car customer entry in the stacked 66-car GT3 field.

“It’s hard to say,” he said. “Any 24-hour race is a tough race; anything can happen.

“With so many competitors and so many good teams and good cars here, we’re just happy to be here at this point and looking at how well we can do.”

An expansion of the Mustang GT3 customer program is in the works for next year, with Rushbrook bullish on their prospects of spreading the car to all corners of the globe.

“For us, we did this program not just for the factory program in IMSA or the ability to go to Le Mans,” he said.

“We did this program because we want to race Mustangs around the world. We want to sell Mustangs around the world, not just the street cars but as customer race cars.

“With the convergence of GT3 and everything that’s happening with GT4, we’ve got the opportunity to do exactly what we want.

“That’s why we unveiled the GT4 at [Spa] last year, showing the GT3 alongside it. We want to be in this series and we want to be in this paddock.

“We want to be in all the series around the world. For sure, in GT3, this is a big one.”

While not being drawn to a specific series, Rushbrook acknowledged both the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour and Nürburgring 24, which are part of SRO’s Intercontinental GT Challenge, as races that are of high interest.

“We’d absolutely love to see GT3s racing at the Bathurst 12 Hour next year,” he said. “But it’s not just there — yes it’s important — but it’s all the series around the world.”

When asked directly about the N24, which is set to clash with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen next year, Rushbrook said there’s “continued significant interest” in the event from prospective customers.

“It’s just finding the right opportunity,” he said.

He added: “At this point we’re just limited on the number of cars we can build to get them out there [racing globally]. We’ve got a long list of interest and the cars will get out there, especially for 2025.”

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