24h Le Mans
On the heels of a promising debut in 2024, the Ford Mustang LMGT3 is gearing up for its second season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). Fielded by Proton Competition, the two American muscle cars are expected to rise higher in the LMGT3 ranks despite fierce competition. With a revamped team and intensive preparation throughout the winter, the Mustang GT3 will aim to hold its own among the very best in the category.
Unleashed into competition last year, the Ford Mustang LMGT3 quickly became a fan favourite, in no small part thanks to its 5.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine and street tough design. At the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, German team Proton Competition, having joined forces with Ford after a long collaboration with Porsche, clinched a podium finish with the #88 of Giorgio Roda/Mikkel Pedersen/Dennis Olsen. The #88 finished 13th and the #77 finished 17th in the 2024 FIA Endurance LMGT3 Teams Trophy classification.
Ford Performance and Multimatic made the most of the winter break to fine-tune the Mustang GT3. The team reached the top step on the GTD Pro podium at the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona, the season-opener of the North American endurance racing championship, the IMSA. Modifications made to the car are already bearing fruit and bode well for top notch performances in the upcoming FIA WEC. Proton Competition will capitalise on those improvements to take on Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren and Porsche.
Set to take the wheel of a Mustang LMGT3 for the 2025 season is a decidedly confident Dennis Olsen: "We have already seen, at Daytona, that we've made a lot of progress through the winter. I hope we can make the best of that for this championship. We have a new line-up with Proton Competition this year, along with the new liveries. The cars are looking great, and we're looking forward to getting back. We placed third at Le Mans last year, so I want to do two better. I want to win it. We'll go all in."
For the 2025 calendar, Proton Competition decided to retool its driver line-ups to maximise the Mustang GT3's potential. The #77 will be driven by Ben Tuck/Bernardo Sousa/Ben Barker. The latter is hoping to exploit the progress made during the 2024 season. Ben Barker: "I am really excited to continue the journey with Proton into the 2025 season of the WEC. It will be the second season with the Mustang GT3, and I think we have a great chance to convert all our learnings into great results." Tuck, after one participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the team last year, is seeking to stand out as a key member of the trio. Lastly, Portuguese former rally champion Sousa is aiming to kick off his career in the FIA WEC with gusto.
In the #88, Olsen will be joined by Italian driver and FIA WEC rookie (after competing in the IMSA) Giammarco Levorato, and Steffano Gattuso is realising his dream of hitting the track in the FIA WEC.
Thanks to technical advancements, better understanding of the car and overhauled driver line-ups, the Ford Mustang LMGT3s of Proton Competition are approaching 2025 with lofty ambitions. The goal is clear: become a major player in LMGT3 and fight to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Though the competition is high caliber, Ford proved at Daytona the Mustang GT3 has reached a new level. Now on to conquer the FIA WEC. Ford enthusiasts and 24 Hours of Le Mans fans will undoubtely be riveted by the two Mustangs with their distinctive roar and iconic colours.
