The challenges the team overcame to complete a sub-7 minute lap at the Nürburgring are captured in The Road to the Ring, a 13-minute documentary now streaming on Ford.com, YouTube, Facebook and more social media channels
Germany’s iconic Nürburgring Nordschleife is a benchmark in the evolution of sports cars. And now, the new Ford Mustang GTD is the first car of an American brand to complete a lap in it in less than 7 minutes.
With Multimatic Motorsports driver Dirk Müller behind the wheel, the 815bhp Mustang GTD completed a lap of the famous ‘Green Hell’ with an official time of 6:57:685. It is the fifth fastest among production sports cars according to the official Nürburgring record files. Also, the new Mustang GTD is only the sixth vehicle in this class to break the 7-minute barrier.
This time fulfills the goal set by Ford CEO Jim Farley when he unveiled the new Mustang GTD in August 2023.
“The team that developed the Mustang GTD took decades of track experience to create a Mustang that can compete with the world’s top supercars,” said Jim Farley, Ford President and CEO. “We are proud to be the first American automaker to have a car capable of completing a lap of the Nürburgring in less than 7 minutes. But we are not resting. We know there’s still room for improvement with the Mustang GTD. We will be back.”
The success of the Mustang GTD at the Nürburgring is the result of the work of a small but dedicated team of engineers and designers, who worked tirelessly for two years, transforming the racing Mustang GT3 into the first Mustang supercar. To mark the occasion, Ford documented their efforts in the run-up to the Nürburgring time trial by creating a 13-minute documentary entitled The Road To The Ring, which captures the challenge, passion and excitement behind the development of the new Mustang GTD.
The documentary, which can be watched on Ford.com, the company’s YouTube channel, and Facebook, offers an interesting behind-the-scenes look at Mustang GTD testing – from iconic American tracks like Sebring to its evolution at the Nürburgring. It features, among others, Farley and Muller, Multimatic Technical Director Larry Holt, Mustang GTD Program Chief Engineer Greg Goodall, Mustang GTD Design Director Anthony Collard, as well as other members of the Ford and Multimatic.
The Mustang GTD is the top performance version of the Ford Mustang, leveraging the knowledge gained from the Ford Performance Motorsports and Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 racing programs, particularly in terms of aerodynamics and set-up for tracks such as the Nürburgring. . However, the Mustang GTD is not subject to the regulations governing GT3 racing, which do not allow the use of many technologies that enable the car to complete a lap of the Nürburgring in under 7 minutes.
Included in this technology package are ceramic brakes, active aerodynamics, turbocharging and semi-active suspension. The carbon fiber bodywork is familiar from GT3 racing, and despite the fact that the Mustang GTD that lapped the Nürburgring in under 7 minutes was completely factory, it featured the necessary motorsport-derived safety equipment that is mandatory in track-specific, including racing seat with five-point harness and roll cage.
Source: Skai
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