Ford Mustang Racing: Wins Championship!!!

When Ford Racing turned up the heat a few years ago and introduced factory spec Mustang race cars for Grand Am GS and Europe’s GT4, could we have hoped for such a season? Mustang has dominated venues around the world this year and brought home accolades.

Ford Racing Mustang dominance extends to Europe

Ford Racing Mustang dominance extends to Europe with second consecutive GT4 European Cup Championship. Eric de Doncker earned his second consecutive GT4 European Cup championship after placing third in the first two races of the weekend and fourth in the final race of the weekend in his No. 1 Mustang FR500GT4 at Nogaro, France. De Doncker tallied four wins on the season and finished on the podium in 14 of 17 events.

“This season has been very good, with tough competition, but we’ve achieved our goal once more,” said de Doncker. “I have to thank my team for all the hard work they did to get us here again… We’ve had an excellent car that was built to win.
“I’m happy for the team and for Ford as well.”

The weekend didn’t start well for the defending champion as the first qualifying session was held in the rain. He was unable to use the Mustang FR500GT4 to its potential in the slippery conditions and qualified ninth. But De Doncker fought hard all weekend and gained enough points in the first race to clinch the title.

De Doncker’s championship season follows his dominating performance in the series’ inaugural season in 2007, winning four of 10 races and appearing on the podium eight times.

Ford Racing Mustang FR500C Captures Grand-Am KONI Challenge Drivers’, Manufacturers’, and Team Championships

Two Ford Mustang FR500C teams led the standings heading into the Grand-Am KONI Challenge season finale at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., while Ford was seven points out of first in the manufacturers’ standings. By the end of the weekend, three Mustangs finished in the top five to clinch the manufacturers’ title, Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell won both the drivers’ and team title and Mike Canney, Matt Plumb and Hugh Plumb won the race.

Foster and Maxwell, drivers of the No. 55 Mustang FR500C, capped a terrific season with a fifth-place finish to clinch their first title. During the season, the duo combined for two wins, five top-fives and eight top-10s. They become the second Mustang FR500C drivers to win a KONI championship, with the first coming in 2005.

“Winning the championship was an amazing thing,” said Foster. “It’s something Hyper Sport hasn’t done before, and team owner Patrick Dempsey and Rick Skelton, the partners in the team haven’t either. I know Patrick, on the set of Grey’s Anatomy, was watching online all day. Personally, it’s the culmination of a lot of hard work by about 100 people sharing in this.”

When Canney, Hugh Plumb and Matt Plumb crossed the finish line in the No. 60 Mustang FR500C to win the race and finish the season tied for sixth in the team standings. Their Rehagen Racing teammates, Dean Martin, Jack Roush Jr. and Ryan Phinny, finished in second place, moving up to fifth place in the standings.

“This is my first win in this series, so it’s really exciting, especially to do it like we did today,” said Canney. “Our crew chief Quinn Conda had a great set-up on the Mustang and the car handled really well during my stint. I’m happy to get a 1-2 finish for Rehagen Racing. It’s an exciting way to finish this season off and it’s also a great way to get things going for next year.”

Bret Seafuse and James Gue, drivers of the No. 37 Mustang FR500C, entered the race just one point behind Foster and Maxwell, and fought the entire race for a chance at the championship. Right when it looked like they might be able to put together a strong run to catch Foster and Maxwell, they lost a cylinder near the end of the race and eventually finished 10th, clinching second place in the standings.[list][*]