Ford Mustang GT3 Scores Class Win at Nurburgring Despite Last Lap Incident

Overcoming a poor qualifying spot and fierce competition, the Ford Mustang GT3 scored its first major European race win at Nurburgring.

The Ford Mustang GT3 is one of a handful of new race cars based on the S650-generation pony car that haven’t been around that long, and yet, have already enjoyed their fair share of success. That streak continued at 53rd installment of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring as well, which just so happens to be the one of the more grueling 24-hour races on the GT3 calendar. This time around, 280,000 spectators showed up at the iconic track to watch 130 competitors attempt to tackle it, and one Ford Mustang GT3 wound up doing precisely that.

The No. 65 HRT Ford Mustang GT3 – driven by David Schumacher, Dennis Fetzer, Salman Owega, and Jusuf Owega – took home an SP 9 Pro-Am class win at the “Green Hell,” overcoming a 25th place start in the overall grid and one heck of a battle with the No. 28 Lamborghini driven by Marco Mapelli. In fact, the two wound up making contact on the very last lap, resulting in a 32-second penalty for the Lambo and securing the Mustang’s spot on the grid. The GT3-driving crew managed to hang around the top five throughout the course of the night, and wound up finishing fourth overall along its class win. Impressively, the pony car was the only Pro-Am competitor in an all-Pro top 10, to boot.

Unfortunately, the other two Ford Mustang GT3 racers at the Nurburgring both wound up retiring early – the No. 63, driven by Dirk Müller, Patrick Assenheimer, Vincent Kolb, and Hubert Haupt, competing in the SP 9 Pro-Am class, and the all-Pro No. 64, driven by Arjun Maini, Dennis Olsen, Jusuf Owega, and Frank Stippler. 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.

“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.”

“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.”

Photos: Ford

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.