Ford Mustang GT3 Claims First Global Win at 63rd Rolex 24

In a classic battle of iconic American car brands, Dennis Olsen drove the Ford Multimatic Motorsports No. 65 Ford Mustang GT3 to the model’s first global victory, besting Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class Sunday’s season-opening IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race.

Considered one of the world’s greatest endurance events, the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 absolutely lived up to its reputation with both Grand Touring classes of competition ultimately decided by less than two-seconds after 24 grueling, eventful hours on the Daytona International Speedway’s 3.56-mile, 12-turn combination of speedway high banks and traditional road course winds and turns.

While Ford celebrated in victory lane in the 15-car GTD PRO class, the Corvette was victorious in the 22-car GTD class with British driver Matthew Bell ultimately steering the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R to the win by 1.454 seconds over the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).

This “Detroit special” in the GTD PRO class – featuring Ford and Chevrolet in a dramatic trophy duel during the closing minutes of competition – was not only significant for Ford’s new GT3 brand but also a sentimental victory between these two longtime rivals.

While it marked the Mustang’s 20th victory in the race, it was the first for the new GT3 model introduced in 2024. The winning No. 65 Ford’s sister car – the pole-sitting No. 64 Mustang – completed the GTD PRO podium.

“I think it is quite historical,” said Belgian driver Frederic Vervisch, who shared the car with Norwegian Olsen and German Christopher Mies. “Yesterday we met (Ford CEO) Jim Farley and he said, ‘Whatever you do, you have to be in front of Chevrolet.’ He was joking, of course. They were extremely strong and so super proud to be ahead and perhaps out-strategize them.”

At no point was there an odds-on favorite to hoist the trophy in the end. There were 10 different race leaders in the GTD PRO class with the winning No. 65 Mustang taking the lead for good on a final restart with only 42 minutes remaining.

Olsen got a little breathing room in those last laps as the No. 3 Corvette driven by Sims had to fend off Englishman Sebastian Priaulx in the other Ford. Olsen conceded after the race that both the Corvettes and BMWs speed concerned them.

The fourth-place finishing No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW was also among the mix – leading nine times for 187 of the race’s 723 laps – ultimately being spun from a podium finish by the No. 4 Corvette and driver Nico Varrone with less than 12 minutes remaining.

Only an hour earlier, the No. 1 BMW’s sister team, the No. 48 was penalized for impeding the Corvettes move forward and their fight for the lead. Out of competition for the win since a multi-car accident late Saturday night, the No. 48 BMW was 55 laps off pace but raced the Corvette hard ultimately causing an “off” by the No. 4 Corvette that drew a penalty from IMSA.

Another all-star GTD PRO entry – fielded in part by NASCAR team owner Justin Marks – the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing by TF Sport Corvette featured NASCAR stars Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, IndyCar winner Scott McLaughlin and IMSA veteran Ben Keating. It finished ninth in class after a comeback drive to get near the podium with a little more than an hour remaining.

“It’s been so much fun bringing Trackhouse to IMSA and getting to run the Rolex 24 with this team,” said the 18-year-old Zilisch, who sought to defend his 2024 Rolex 24 win in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2).

“All my teammates were a blast to be teammates with and also to hang out with off the track. … I had a lot to learn and I’m very grateful I got to race with these guys and learn from them. Frustrated with how the race ended, but looking back on the last two weeks, I had so much fun."

AWA Holds On for GTD Win

In GTD, behind the class-winning No. 13 AWA Corvette were the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) and the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo. AWA, which also won the Rolex 24 in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) in 2023, added a fifth win for a Corvette Racing-affiliated team to the Rolex 24.

Corvette driver Bell was admittedly emotional with his first victory in the famous race. As with the GTD PRO class, the final laps and closing minutes were both dramatic and challenging.

“It means absolutely everything to me and this team,” said Bell, who co-drove with Orey Fidani, Lars Kern and Marvin Kirchhoefer. “The minute the checkered flag flew at Petit Le Mans (2024 season finale), it’s been 24-7 putting a car together to win the Rolex 24. The Porsches gave us quite a run and I give it to the competition for that.”

Asked about the race-winning move, taking the lead with 10 laps remaining, Bell joked with a smile, “I don’t remember a damn thing.’’

His co-driver, Kirchhoefer conceded it was a competitive field, but the team also insisted the GTD class kept things a little cleaner than the GTD PRO class.

“It was quite intense in every category especially the 30 minutes after a restart, we know restarts are crucial in IMSA race and what the fans love to see which can be nice or sometimes not nice,” Kirchhoefer said.

“The emotions were running very high, and you can tell how much it meant to the whole team. Everyone was super, super happy for the result. For the fans, for everyone I think it was kind of the best race finish you could ask for.”