Tough Le Mans Tests Ford Mustangs
Challenging 24 Hour Thwarts Great Ford Mustang Expectations
Ford’s Mustang project arrived at Le Mans with a spring in its step leading up to the 24 Hour. The Proton Competition Team however found the going to be a little tougher than its great expectations suggested.
After 24 hours of racing Ben Tuck, Ben Barker and Bernardo Sousa ended up ninth overall in the LMGT3 class. The second Stefano Gattuso, Giammarco Levorato and Dennis Olsen Mustang however retired after a heavy crash following a wheel nut failure.
The team arrived at Le Mans off a strong showing with second and third in the previous Spa Francorchamps 6 Hour. The Pony Cars waged a classic Ford Versus Ferrari battle with the 296 GT3 that eventually won that race.
Strong Results Brought High 24 Hour Expectations
Qualifying at Le Mans went well too. Gattuso set the sixth-fastest time in qualifying to secure a place in the Hyperpole shootout for the fourth consecutive race. Levorato then put the number 77 Mustang tenth on the LMGT3 grid, while the sister 88 car lined up thirteenth.
A clean start saw both Ford Mustangs work their way through the field after the lights went green on Saturday afternoon. The early stages saw then battling among the top five, but Levorato, Olsen, and Gattuso’s hopes of a strong finish were dashed early on.
A fourth hour nut failure caused a wheel to come loose and launch the car into a barrier at high speed. The impact severely damaged the rear end to eliminate the 77 Mustang from the race. Giammarco Levorato fortunately walked away from the heavy accident.
The 88 Mustang Came Home Ninth Overall
Barker, Tuck and Sousa however firmly established themselves in the top ten to ultimately take the chequered flag in ninth position. “Both Ford Mustang crews gave it their all at Le Mans,” Proton Competition team principal Christian Ried concluded.
“The 77 car was sadly eliminated after only four hours, but the 88 soldiered on to a fine top ten finish. The result may not have met some of our expectations, but we certainly learned as a team throughout this epic Le Mans experience.
“We’ll be back better than ever next time as the team and cars improve at every outing.”
Images: Proton Competition
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