AUTONEWS

Ford Mustang returns to the 24 Hours of Le Mans between June 15th and 16th, 2024

Sixty years after being revealed to the world, the seventh generation Ford Mustang competes this weekend in the biggest endurance race in the world - the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 92nd edition of the race will be held between the 15th and 16th of June at the Circuit de la Sarthe, in France, with a sold out capacity.

Racing is part of the Mustang's DNA: just five months after its launch, it successfully debuted on the track in the 1964 Tour de France. Since then, it has collected victories in different categories, such as NASCAR, NHRA, IMSA, Australian Supercars and Formula Drift. .

“The Ford Mustang has been racing on global circuits for decades, and now it’s time to bring our iconic coupé to the world’s most important race,” said Jim Farley, Ford CEO. “Ford has a rich history at Le Mans dating back to the first race in 1923, and we are excited to return to the global stage in what promises to be one of the most exciting races of the modern era.”

Ford's biggest highlight at Le Mans is the Ford GT40, which at the end of the 1960s beat its previously unbeatable European competitors for four consecutive years. In 2016 - 50 years after its first victory - the new Ford GT returned to the top of the podium in the LMGTE Pro category.

Although it has already raced at Le Mans previously - once in 1967 and twice in 1997 - the Mustang is now making its first appearance with a specific focus on the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Multimatic Motorsports and M-Sport, long-time partners, are working on preparing the car and the team is headed by the successful Proton Competition, based in Germany.

The team will race three GT3 Mustangs in the LMGT3 category, which brings together more than 20 participants. The #77 car will be driven by Ryan Hardwick, Ben Baker and Zacharie Robichon, and the #88 will have Giorgio Roda, Dennis Olsen and Mikkel O. Pedersen in the cockpit. Car #44, announced last month, will be shared by Christopher Mies, John Hartshorne and Ben Tuck.

Ford is also taking advantage of the race to promote the European debut of the Mustang GTD - the street version of the Mustang GT3 -, which will be displayed at the racetrack along with various attractions for the public.

“While the Mustang GT3 is our crowning achievement in sports car racing around the world, it is part of a much larger strategy that includes the Mustang Challenge Series, Mustang GT4 and more,” says Mark Rushbrook, global director. from Ford Performance Motorsports. “We race to win and also to build our Ford Performance community. We hope that fans at Le Mans will have as much excitement on the track as they do in their off-track experiences. This is an exciting time to be a Mustang fan.”

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