Ford Performance announces global Mustang GT3 factory driver squad

• Ford Performance expands its sports car factory driver lineup to nine drivers for its global GT3 race programs

•Ben Barker, Chris Mies, Dennis Olsen, Andy Priaulx and Frédéric Vervisch join Joey Hand, Dirk Müller, Harry Tincknell and Mike Rockenfeller

Ben Barker, Chris Mies, Dennis Olsen, Andy Priaulx and Frédéric Vervisch join previously announced drivers Joey Hand, Dirk Müller, Harry Tincknell and Mike Rockenfeller on the Ford Performance Mustang GT3 team in 2024.

Mies and Vervisch will drive the new race car at Daytona International Speedway today, in preparation for next month's Rolex 24 at Daytona where they will complete the lineup for the Ford Multimatic Motorsports team, with Mies joining Tincknell and Rockenfeller in the #64 Mustang and Vervisch stepping into the #65 with Hand and Müller.

Daytona will mark the official sports car racing debut for the new Ford Mustang GT3, which takes centerstage as the iconic Mustang enters its 60th anniversary year. Starting in Daytona, the Mustang will compete on six of seven continents of the world at legendary tracks such as Le Mans and Interlagos.

'This is such an important and special year for Mustang – it will celebrate its 60th anniversary and we take Mustang racing globally,' said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports. '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.'

Ford's group of nine sports car factory drivers will bring their endurance racing experience and knowledge to the various Mustang GT3 programs around the world. With teams slated to go racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA), GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE), the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and plans for more race series later in 2024, the sports car factory drivers are available to all of Ford's customer teams, which so far include Proton Competition and Dinamic GT, subject to scheduling. The full driver lineups for these programs will be announced by the customer teams next year.

British driver, Ben Barker offers well-rounded endurance racing experience to Ford Performance and its customer programs worldwide, competing regularly in WEC and GTWCE and notably taking four class wins at the Bathurst 12 Hours.

German racer, Christopher Mies is a double ADAC GT Masters Champion, a double winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour and also boasts two victories in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Dennis Olsen, who hails from Norway, was a championship-winning karter as a child, before moving into single-seater racing then GT competition. He has a wide-range of experience and spent the past two years in DTM. He also has an Intercontinental GT Challenge Championship victory under his belt.

Andy Priaulx is best known for his three FIA World Touring Car Championships, but he has also been part of the Ford and Multimatic Motorsports family since 2016 when he signed up to race alongside Tincknell in the Ford GT in WEC. Since the GT program concluded in 2019, he has been immersed with Multimatic, working on a number of special projects. He will act as a 'super sub' and will be a pillar of knowledge in this factory squad, sharing his vast experience with the younger drivers.

Belgian driver, Frédéric Vervisch, has been winning since the start of his career. He is also a two-time Nürburgring 24 Hours winner and a multi-championship winner in his Formula 3 career.

Photo credit: Ford
posted on conceptcarz.com

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