The Blue Oval is well represented in Australia through Supercars and the Bathurst 1000 but has not contested the GT-based Bathurst 12 Hour.
That’s despite the car’s debut in 2024 and it becoming eligible for the 2025 edition of the January 31-February 2 event.
Fans held out hope that Ford would be on the grid this year but were left disappointed when the 23-car entry list was revealed.
The new Corvette Z06 GT3.R was another car that could have made its Bathurst debut but supply issues scuppered Triple Eight Race Engineering’s plans.
Speaking at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Ford Performance global director explained the brand’s position.
“It was pretty close this year,” he told IMSA Radio.
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“We want to be racing Mustang GT3s around the world. Australia is an important market for us as a company, but Bathurst is such a special track.
“We love our Supercars race there but we absolutely want a Mustang GT3 racing there.
“[We’re] disappointed that it couldn’t happen for this year but we’re certainly committed to finding the right partner and doing it the right way and being part of that race.”
The Ford Mustang GT3 has raced almost exclusively in North America and Europe in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship, and GT World Challenge Europe.
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At the same time Ford looks to grow the global profile of its Mustang, the brand is also said to be evaluating a future in sports car racing.
The convergence of IMSA and WEC has made the prospect of competing in global sports car racing a much more enticing prospect for Ford.
The establishment of the LMDh and LMh regulations have made competing across the top two sports car series a reality.
BMW, Cadillac, and Porsche currently compete in IMSA and WEC and until this year Lamborghini did too. Acura has also flagged an interest in expanding its IMSA program to WEC.
Ford last entered WEC with a GTLM entry from 2016 to 2019, winning its class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans upon returning.
Asked about the chance of Ford entering under the LMDh or LMh regulations, Rushbrook said he saw the appeal but stopped short of a commitment.
“It’s absolutely a great question and I would share in your answer – why wouldn’t any manufacturer be looking at GTP? Honestly,” he said.
“Motorsports is very strong across all the series. I think sports car racing especially with what Jim France and John Noonan have created here with IMSA, their partnership with the ACO and the FIA and WEC and convergence of the GT classes and convergence or the ability to have an LMDh or LMh competing in either IMSA or WEC.
“This is an incredible time for sports car racing. The number of manufacturers, there are 18 manufacturer in total here in IMSA for the weekend across the different series.
“At that top level, the ability to go from overall win at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans – it’s a pretty special time right now with the success of the LMDh and LMh formulas.”
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