Ford will be represented in the DTM for the first time in over three decades, with the American marque inking a new partnership with long-time Mercedes customer HRT for 2025.
The outfit run by businessman and gentleman driver Hubert Haupt will field a pair of Ford Mustang GT3s in the DTM next year, run under the Ford Performance HRT banner.
It will be a part of a larger collaboration between Ford and HRT that will see the German squad enter the GT3 version of the popular muscle car in other European championships, including the NLS, GT Masters and GT World Challenge Europe.
The tie-up with HRT marks the next stage in the expansion of the Mustang GT3 programme after Ford introduced the car in limited capacity at the beginning of 2024.
Together with Multimatic, which co-developed the Mustang GT3, Ford entered the car on a factory-basis in the GTD Pro class of IMSA SportsCar Championship this year, while Proton secured additional customer entries in the pro-am GTD class and its LMGT3 equivalent in the World Endurance Championship.
Proton also entered the GTWCE Endurance Cup with an all-Pro entry after plans for Dinamic Motorsport to switch from Porsche fell through.
“Having a team like HRT join the Ford Performance global family is a significant moment for us,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.
“Haupt Racing Team’s proven success in DTM and other race series is a strong endorsement of the Mustang GT3, and we’re thrilled to see them take on the legendary ADAC RAVENOL Nurburgring 24 Hours as well as many of the other iconic circuits of Europe.
“This also means that along with our partners at Multimatic and Proton Competition, the Ford Mustang GT3 will now be competing at most of the iconic, 24-hour races at circuits such as Le Mans, Daytona and Spa.
“This collaboration strengthens our global position in GT3 racing and opens up new series and audiences for us around the world as we continue to grow the Mustang racing program in 2025.”
HRT had been a major customer of Mercedes since it was formed in 2020, but its contract with the German manufacturer was due to expire at the end of the year.
In the five years it has spent racing the Mercedes-AMG GT3, HRT won the DTM title at its first attempt with Maximilian Gotz when the championship switched to GT3 rules for 2021, plus the Silver Cup title in the Sprint leg of GTWCE with Jordan Love in 2023.
HRT managing director Ulrich Fritz said: “HRT has continuously developed and improved over the past few years.
“We have built up a high level of expertise in the use and development of race cars. We are therefore very excited about this new project.
“The fact that Ford has chosen HRT as its spearhead in Europe is a great honour. Ford is a real power brand with a great motorsport tradition and high motivation.
“The Ford Mustang GT3 is a latest-generation race car that we will certainly be able to take to the next level together.
“We will be well prepared for the upcoming season and are very much looking forward to working with Ford.”
Ford has a history of competing in the original iteration of the DTM. A previous version of the Mustang GT had a cult following in the series, with Gerd Ruch last racing the car in 1994.
Moreover, Le Mans 24 Hours legend Klaus Ludwig clinched his first DTM title while driving a Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth in 1988, the only championship success for Ford in the series to date.
Ludwig went on to score two more titles with Mercedes in 1992 and 1994.
