The #64 Ford Mustang GT3 roared to glory on the streets of Detroit in the hands of Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx. The fourth round of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which took place in Ford’s hometown, delivered the second victory of the season so far for the Ford Multimatic Motorsports team.
It was Priaulx who started the race in the #64 Mustang and he made a great start from pole position, holding onto the lead and pushing hard to create a buffer to the pack behind him. He handed the Mustang over after 30 minutes to Rockenfeller who then delivered a masterclass in street racing, taking the chequered flag in first place, securing the first win for the #64 Mustang.
“To win in Detroit is a dream come true,” said Rockenfeller. “It was a perfect weekend, where we started strong and didn’t make any mistakes to the finish. Finally, we got this top spot. It was not an easy race because the competition is high here in IMSA. We had to be perfect in our driving, which makes this win especially rewarding. Thank you to Ford Performance, the Ford family and to Multimatic Motorsports for such a great day.”
A little bit of rubbing is always expected on a street circuit but this race had a brutal amount of contact. One of the victims of that was the #65 Mustang of Daytona winners Chris Mies and Fred Vervisch. Mies took a hit from both sides from the pair of BMWs early on in the race and was forced to pit very early for damage repair. Then, once Vervisch was installed behind the wheel, he took a huge hit from the #48 BMW, when its driver made a move under braking that was never going to stick. The #65 Mustang ultimately had to retire with just two laps to go.
“It was my first time here, and I really liked it,” said Vervisch. “We had two great cars, and we both did a great job starting one and two. Unfortunately, we had some contact from other drivers. But nevertheless, for this team to win in Ford territory is great. It’s a great season so far for Ford.”
This result means that Ford regains the lead in the GTD PRO manufacturer standings, the #64 crew move up to third in the driver’s standings with the #65 drivers in fifth place. Six races remain in the 2025 IMSA season.
