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FORD has a new hero to capture a new audience after a racetrack win on July 28 that gives the company – and one of its top-selling models, the Mustang – an unassailable lead in the 2019 Supercars Manufacturers’ Title, despite 12 races remaining.

It marks a resurgence in the presence of the Ford name on Australian circuits after the closure of local manufacturing and the retirement of the Falcon nameplate.

Falcon, which was a weekend staple from the 1960s through to the model end in 2017, left Ford with no successor to its rich racetrack history.

Homologated as the Ford Performance Mustang Supercar for the 2019 season, the Mustang is the first two-door model to compete in Supercars since the series inception in 1993. The previous year’s championship was won in its swansong by the two-door Nissan GT-R.

In addition to Supercars, the global Ford Performance team competes in several racing categories including IMSA, the World Endurance Championship and World Rally Championship.

Ford Performance global director of motorsports Mark Rushbrook said the win would not have been made without partners Shell V-Power Racing and Tickford Racing.

“They were key to helping us bring the new Mustang to the series, and their preparation and race craft during these race weekends has been outstanding,” he said.

“We could not be prouder to have such great partners and we are thrilled for the Ford fans of Supercars who have been behind us all the way.”

Ford Australia and New Zealand president and CEO Kay Hart said: “We cannot thank the teams (enough) for their day-in, day-out hard work and dedication in bringing Ford the Supercars Manufacturers’ Title.

“We’re so proud of the partnership we’ve built between Ford, Ford Performance, Shell V-Power Racing and Tickford Racing, and we know how fortunate we are to have such talented and determined people behind Mustang.

“There are many people behind this result who have all worked tirelessly to contribute to a fantastic group effort.”

Tickford Racing team manager Tim Edwards added: “For the investment that Ford has made in coming back into the sport, there’s no better way to reward everybody in the US and Australia than to win the manufacturers’ championship.”

The team took the manufacturers’ title after winning round 20 of the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship at the Century Batteries Ipswich SuperSprint. The Mustang was driven by series leader Scott McLaughlin, who was subsequently hit with a $10,000 fine for taking a promotional poster reading ‘Mustang wins title’ onto the podium.

The Supercars Manufacturers’ Title is based on the number of victories in a championship season. With six Mustangs in the 2019 field, the Number 17 Mustang fittingly sealed the title by posting Mustang’s 17th race victory.

Winning Mustang drivers in this season’s Supercars championship include Tickford Racing’s Chaz Mostert, who won at the Melbourne 400, and Shell V-Power’s Fabian Coulthard, who was first home at Symmons Plains, Tasmania, and at the following Phillip Island round.

Coulthard also secured the Mustang Supercar’s first-ever Armor All Pole Position at the season-opening Superloop Adelaide 500. Other pole positions in 2019 have been secured by McLaughlin, Mostert and Cameron Waters, who drives the Monster Energy Tickford Racing Mustang.

By Neil Dowling

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