Since the current generation of Ford Mustang GT4 began competing in 2017 it has globally gone head-to-head with the world’s greatest sportscars and regularly come out on top. In 2024, an all-new, Dark Horse-inspired Ford Mustang GT4 will continue the fight, but before that happens the current car has made it clear that it was never going to go out with a whimper.
On October 22nd, British privateer race team, Academy Motorsport, competed with its pair of GT4 Mustangs in the final British GT Championship race of the season. With a string of good results already under its belt, the team had a mathematical chance of winning the GT4 Championship title. But so did five other crews.
It would all be concluded at the final two-hour race of the season, aptly named the Donington Decider.
The pair in contention, Matt Cowley and Erik Evans, had taken the #61 Mustang GT4 to victory at the previous round at Brands Hatch. That result gave them a good haul of points but also saddled them with a success penalty, which meant an extra-long pit-stop at Donington. There was also the rather daunting matter of a 16.5 point deficit to the leaders going into the final race.
The race turned out to be as action-packed as ever, littered with yellow flags and Safety Cars as the drivers wrestled with slippery track conditions. Considering the proverbial mountain that Cowley and Evans had to climb they remained unfazed and drove through the drama to take the GT4 victory and the GT4 drivers’ title.
Cowley, a former Donington winner and GT4 runner up, took the chequered flag after a quite astonishing run through the field as his American team-mate Evans cheered from the garage after completing his own stint. The team’s second Mustang GT4 also had a good run, taking a podium in its class to complete a perfect day for the team and the perfect send-off for the car.
The all-new Ford Mustang GT4 has been testing throughout 2023 and will debut in 2024.
