Mustang GT3 Car No. 88 Places 3rd in Le Mans Debut

All three Mustang GT3’s finished the race with the No. 88 car crossing the finish line third in the LMGT3 category

Six decades after the Ford Mustang's initial victory in the renowned Tour de France, the Mustang GT3 achieved a third-place finish, with all three cars completing the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the grueling endurance sports car race of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Mustang GT3 faced the ultimate test and excelled in some of the most challenging conditions in recent history at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe.

“Today’s podium performance shows that Mustang can come and compete on the global stage against the best sports cars in the world,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “It is such a fantastic feeling to be able to do it in the first outing for Mustang at Le Mans. It’s a great testament to our company, our employees and all our fans who are celebrating Mustang’s 60th anniversary this year and all the great partners we have with Proton Competition, M-Sport and Multimatic Motorsports. We’re racing and winning all around the world, but to have a podium here at Le Mans is such a special moment.”

Despite early challenges, the No. 88 showed remarkable resilience throughout the race. Olsen's impressive surge of 13 positions in the first hour landed the team in fourth place, showcasing exceptional speed and race strategy. The team continued to compete within the top-10, taking advantage of a well-executed pit strategy to keep the Mustang GT3 in the top-five. A steady performance around Circuit de la Sarthe’s 13.626 km (8.467 mi) circuit ultimately earned them a spot on the podium.

“It’s always great to be on the podium and especially at Le Mans,” said Christian Ried, Proton Competition Team Principal. “But also, in the first year of a new car, and in the 60th Anniversary of Mustang, there are just so many things that came together to make today possible. It’s unbelievable. We saw that this was a good car at its debut in Daytona, and we’ve since taken all the steps in order to make this work in its first season. From Daytona, Sebring and Long Beach, to Qatar, Imola and Spa, we felt like we could bring a car here after those six months that could fight for the win. To finish on the podium in third is amazing. I’m proud of everyone."

“I’m over the moon with this result,” said Larry Holt, the Executive Vice President of Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations Group. “Le Mans is the biggest sportscar racing challenge in the world. I’ve had some great results here and I’ve also had some bad years here and I have to say that this is right up there with the greats. It wasn’t a win but a third-place podium, followed by a fourth place and total reliability gives us a lot to be happy about. We’ve engineered this car over the past 18 months and run it since Daytona. We’ve had ups and downs but when we ran at Le Mans last Sunday, I knew that it was going to be good.”