Ford Performance has unveiled its driver lineup for the two-car Mustang GT3 team that will make its GTD Pro debut next season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Joey Hand and Dirk Müller will be reunited in one entry for the Ford Multmatic Motorsports work team, and the other Mustang will be shared by Harry Tincknell and Mike Rockenfeller.
“We’re thrilled to embark on this exciting endeavor and to put our 58 years of global Mustang racing heritage and performance to the test against some of the world’s greatest manufacturers,” Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, said in a release. “We want to welcome Joey and Dirk back to the Ford family after a great few years with the GT program. Combined with Harry’s four wins during the Ford GT program and Mike’s impressive racecraft and résumé, this puts us in a strong starting position in the Mustang GT3’s debut season.”
Hand was part of Ford’s GT victory in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans (on the 50-year anniversary of the manufacturer’s first Le Mans win). He had been instrumental in the developmental testing of the new GT3.
“I’m super excited to finally announce this program and get going with it,” Hand said in a release. “It’s been a long time coming. Been working on this thing for over a year. I’m super thankful and proud to be involved in the early stages of testing the car. We’ve had it on track a lot. I tell you, the first time I drove it, I really liked it. It’s one of those cars, for me, it just fits my style. I knew it right away. I think there are going to be a lot of great years of racing this car.”
Hand and Müller co-drove the No. 66 Ford GT in IMSA from 2016-19, compiling five victories (including the 2017 Rolex 24), 14 podiums and seven pole positions.
“I’m happy, honoured and grateful to be part of this fantastic Mustang GT3 program with Ford Performance and Multimatic,” Müller said. “We’ve been working on the new car for a while now and I can’t wait to get out there and start racing. I’m really happy to be back with my buddy Joey. We are already great friends and we’ve enjoyed a lot of success together.”
Tincknell also raced a Ford GT in 2017 before moving onto the Mazda DPi program (where he won the premier prototype category at the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring).
“I’m very excited to be back with Ford where the family feeling runs right through the organization,” Tincknell said. “I am working with my race engineer from the Ford GT days and many of the crew are old friends from that time and subsequent Multimatic race programs.”
Rockenfeller is a former 24 Hours of Le Mans and Rolex 24 at Daytona overall winner who has made five NASCAR Cup starts since last year while also co-piloting NASCAR’s Garage 56 program.
“To have the opportunity to join Ford at this point in my career is fantastic and I’m excited to be part of a new program with a new car,” Rockenfeller said. “I drove the Mustang GT3 at Sebring a couple of months ago and I have raced against the Ford GT many times so I know I am joining a very strong organization.”
Ford has yet to name endurance drivers for its Mustangs next season, but it’s expected that some of Ford’s World Endurance Championship-affiliated drivers also will race in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events.
It also seems likely there could be some NASCAR crossovers.
Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric (the only Cup driver in the Rolex 24 the past two years) has said he wants to race the new Mustang in IMSA, and Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook has said the GT3 Mustang will provide more opportunities to bring in NASCAR stars for races such as the Rolex 24.
