MUSCLING IN ON WEC AND IMSA
Name two famous American muscle cars… Chances are, the words you just said were ‘Mustang’ and ‘Corvette’. If so you’re in luck, because brand new racing versions of these legends are going to going head to head across the globe in 2024. Both the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA Sportscar Championship in North America will boast these V8-powered leviathans in their ranks this year, going up against Acura, Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mclaren, Mercedes and Porsche GT3 machinery.
In the blue (oval) corner, Ford’s Mustang GT3 started life on its Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant before Multimatic Motorsports took over to turn it into a thoroughbred. The 5.4-litre V8 is an enlarged version of the stock Mustang GT’S ‘Coyote’ powerplant developed by Ford Performance and M-sport, its long-time World Rally Championship partner. In the yellow corner, Chevrolet has built a Corvette Z06 GT3.R to the FIA’S GT3 regulations for the first time, built up from an aluminium chassis produced at Chevy’s Bowling Green factory in Kentucky, and developed by Pratt Miller Motorsports. It boasts a 5.5-litre flat plane crankshaft DOHC V8 – designated LT6 – which shares 70% of its components with the standard Z06 motor.
Some cracking driver line-ups have been assembled across each series, starring Earl Bamber, Nicky Catsburg, Charlie Eastwood, Antonio Garcia, Dani Juncadella, Tommy Milner, Alexander Sims and Nico Varrone in the ’Vettes. They’ll be up against Ben Barker,
Joey Hand, Christopher Mies, Dirk Muller, Andy Priaulx, Mike Rockenfeller, Harry Tincknell and Frederic Vervisch in the ’Stangs.
Not long to wait now until the Daytona 24 Hours, where the gloves come off and these two fierce rivals begin to duke it out. Can’t wait!