Ford Performance Press Release
Luca Mars and KohR Motorsports helped deliver the first victory of the all-new Ford Mustang GT4 Saturday, during the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge season opening race at Daytona International Speedway. Mars not only stood at the top of the GSX finishing results after climbing 19 class positions in 22 laps, but also recorded the fastest lap of the race of 1:53.740.
Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports:
“This win is a testament to all the hard work that has gone into the line-up of Mustang GT3, Mustang GT4 and the Dark Horse R across Ford Performance, Multimatic and all of our partners. To see Mustang GT4 come out here, in it’s first race with Luca Mars and KohR Motorsports, and bring home the win is a pretty special moment in time for our overall motorsports program.”
LUCA MARS, No. 59 KohR Motorsports Mustang GT4 – THIS IS A GREAT START FOR YOU AND THE NEW MUSTANG GT4. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
“I knew we were going to be fast in the long runs, as straightaways have always been where Mustangs are good. I was able to work it well into the corners, make passes and maintain the gap – while chasing down those in front of me. The car was just so dialed-in between the infield and banking. The car was really fast, and I was making passes whenever I needed to. I caught the leaders earlier than I thought. I had to sit back with the car to cool the tires, so I could be there in the end to make the moves to win.”
WAS THERE A DEFINING MOMENT WHEN YOU FELT CONFIDENT THAT YOU WERE IN THE RUNNING TO WIN TODAY’S RACE?
“I got kind of caught up with a P3 car, which dropped me back with two laps to go. I thought I might be out of it, but I was able to draft back up to Marc [Miller], and then I knew we had the car to pass Greg [Liefooghe] at the end. I got the perfect draft, made my move and got it done.”
TO HELP BRING THE NEW MUSTANG GT4 A WIN IN ITS RACING DEBUT, HOW SPECIAL IS THAT FOR YOU?
“It’s always a good feeling to win, especially the first race of the year. The KohR and Ford guys have worked so hard for this new car. It’s a great car, and I’m just really excited to be the guy who got the win for the first race of it.”
