A two-year wait for Ford to deploy its Mustang GT3 model into Australia’s international enduro yielded a single-car entry via German squad Haupt Racing Team.
Ford put a significant engineering and marketing effort behind the campaign, with the latter including a dedicated ‘Mustang Corral’ located at The Chase.
However, the Mustang’s race lasted less than 20 minutes before the Chris Mies-driven machine struck a kangaroo on Conrod Straight.
In a recent blog post celebrating Ford’s global motorsport involvement, newly installed Ford Australia President and CEO Fadi Mawal declared the Blue Oval will return.
“The Mustang GT3 made its Australian racing debut at the Bathurst 12 Hour,” he noted.
“This was GT3 endurance racing at its finest and hearing that 5.4-litre Coyote V8 echo across Mount Panorama was unforgettable.
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“While it didn’t end the way we hoped, we will be back to conquer that race.”
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A 2027 campaign is likely to involve a two-car effort and could include Ford’s newly minted Supercars homologation team Triple Eight.
The squad this year knocked back an opportunity to run a two-car Mustang 12 Hour effort due to the workload of its Supercars switch from GM to Ford.
Triple Eight co-owner Tony Quinn had his unraced Mustang GT3 at the circuit, but revealed an intention to sell the car rather than race it himself.
Ford Racing boss Mark Rushbrook attended Bathurst and the following weekend’s Supercars season-opener at Sydney Motorsport Park
Triple Eight marked its new Ford union with two victories, while Rushbrook declared it a “very promising weekend” for all Blue Oval teams.
Mustangs from Triple Eight, Grove Racing, Tickford Racing, the Blanchard Racing Team and Dick Johnson Racing sat in the top five places at the start of the final lap on Sunday.
While Brodie Kostecki’s last-lap punt on BRT’s Aaron Cameron scuppered a top five whitewash, it didn’t take the shine off the podium sweep.
“Great to see Broc Feeney and Triple Eight open the year with two wins as our new homologation team, and excellent for the Blanchard family to have a strong performance with Aaron and James [Golding],” said Rushbrook.
“It was fantastic to be trackside with our teams this weekend, I look forward to seeing them again in Melbourne.”
Mawal is also set to attend the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, where the Red Bull F1 team will debut the powertrain it developed in conjunction with Ford.
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