The Blue Oval’s Mustang Challenge puts race car drivers and automotive enthusiasts from all corners of motorsport behind the wheel of the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R. Ford has lofty goals for its single-make racing series, planning to take it global – and that will start this weekend at the inaugural Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational.
A massive car count will take the green flag at Le Mans this weekend. On-track action kicked off on June 9th and the final race is scheduled for June 14th, 2025, preceding the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans set to start later that evening. Forty examples of the Mustang Dark Horse R will race in the Mustang Challenge at Circuit de la Sarthe, split among three divisions: Dark Horse, Dark Horse Legends, and Dark Horse Stars.
The Dark Horse Stars class is the star of the show, as its name implies. It’s unique to the Le Mans Invitational race, featuring talent from other motorsports, veteran sportscar operators, and more. Notable entries include Sir Chris Hoy and Chris Harris, along with Ford Formula Drift drivers Chelsea DeNofa and Tanner Foust, the latter of which is a 10-times X-Games medalist, three-time RallyCross champion, and two-time Formula Drift champion.
“This opportunity is huge, and that’s a big reason why I got involved in Mustang Challenge in the first place,” said DeNofa. “You don’t just become a race car driver and then shortly after, able to drive at Le Mans in a spec homologated chassis. Those are all words that are not really thrown around in motorsports nowadays.”
Franke Muniz, who played the titular character on popular sitcom Malcom In The Middle before transitioning to motorsports, will drive a Dark Horse R this weekend. It’ll be his first attempt on the storied asphalt at Le Mans. And never to be one left out of Blue Oval-powered action, Ford CEO Jim Farley will take up the reins of his own Mustang Challenge machine this weekend.
Comment
A big pony race!