More than 130 competitors and 280,000 attendees gathered for one of GT racing’s most daunting 24-hour endurance races, the 53rd edition of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring. The No. 65 HRT Ford Performance Mustang GT3 overcame the challenges of the “Green Hell” to score an SP 9 Pro-Am class victory.
“This is a testament to having great people and partners who share the same determination to win,” said Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook. “Nürburgring is a battle and to come out on top in our class is a significant accomplishment for everyone involved in this Mustang program. We’re proud of the team’s relentlessness and look forward to going to Spa next week for our third 24-hour race in three weeks.”
The No. 65 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3, driven by the German racing talents of David Schumacher, Dennis Fetzer, Salman Owega and Jusuf Owega, advanced to the Top Qualifying round and to a 25th position start in the overall grid. The team battled the unforgiving nature of the 15.770 miles (25.378 km) Nürburgring Nordschleife – also known as the “Green Hell” – through the night, giving Mustang consistent representation in the top five. The No. 65 finished the race fourth overall and as the only Pro-Am competitor in an all-Pro top 10.
“This weekend was bittersweet because we lost two overnight, but winning the Pro-Am class and placing fourth overall is really more than we expected,” said Ulrich Fritz, Haupt Racing Team GmbH managing director. “It’s the first major Mustang GT3 win in Europe. It was a great team effort, and the drivers did not receive any penalties. We’re very happy. Thank you to everyone involved.”
The HRT Ford Performance 24h Nürburgring program included two additional Mustang GT3’s, both which demonstrated grit but fell victim to early retirements. The No. 63, driven by Germans Dirk Müller, Patrick Assenheimer, Vincent Kolb and Hubert Haupt, competed in the SP 9 Pro-Am class. The all-Pro No. 64, driven by Arjun Maini (IND), Dennis Olsen (NOR), Jusuf Owega (GER) and Frank Stippler (GER) completed the full line-up.
HRT Ford Performance, a first-year collaborative program with Haupt Racing Team, features 10 Mustang entries across Europe’s major GT racing series, which includes DTM and SRO-sanctioned GT World Challenge Europe. The team prepared for the 24-hour through its two-car effort in the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, where it posted a second-place Pro-Am performance in its second series appearance.
The month of June has featured three major 24-hour endurance races, which include Le Mans, Nürburgring and next week’s Spa-Francorchamps. The class victory at Nürburgring however extends the endurance racing success of Mustang GT3 beyond the three-week span, as the factory Ford Multimatic Motorsports team won the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD PRO class in the Rolex 24 at Daytona earlier this year. So far, Mustang GT3 has captured two victories in its last three 24-hour endurance races.
“A Pro-Am class win for the Mustang GT3 at its first 24h Nürburgring is a huge accomplishment,” said Alex Allmandinger, Ford Performance global sports car manager. “It is a very challenging race, but the No. 65 was able to stay in the fight and keep competing.”
Driver Quotes:
Jusuf Owega, No. 65 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3 – “Making it through the 24-hour is an accomplishment in itself. To also get an overall fourth place result with our Mustang GT3 is a performance that we can all be proud of.”
David Schumacher, No. 65 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3 – “We had a good race, and we fought to the finish in our HRT Ford Performance Mustang GT3. The pace was great all week long. I’m happy we survived all of it, especially through the night where our pace created the gaps we needed. This is the first major win for Mustang GT3 in Europe, so we’re very proud of it.”
Salman Owega, No. 65 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3 – “We battled through the start of the week, and today’s result is a pleasant surprise. It’s just the beginning with Ford and Mustang GT3. We can be quite happy with this result.”
Dennis Fetzer, No. 65 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3 – “The beginning of the weekend was tough, but we worked to improve to the start of the race. We are very happy to have finished the race, as we fought hard in the final hours with our Mustang GT3. It’s a great start to this HRT Ford Performance project.”
