Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational: delivering the horse power

Ford’s Mustang Challenge goes global this week in France, with the Le Mans Invitational welcoming a huge field of 39 Dark Horse Rs for a pair of sprint races in front of a sellout crowd at the Circuit de la Sarthe in support of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

It’s taken months of planning to make the logistics work for what Ford claims is the largest-ever shipment to Le Mans for an American manufacturer. The fleet of ’Stangs from the USA were corralled and sent to France via a combination of airfreight (from Spartanburg Airport, S.C., aboard a Boeing 747 freighter) and seafreight (via Belgium), then cleared customs, before being safely delivered to the Circuit de la Sarthe ahead of Wednesday’s first practice session.

The late nights and mountains of paperwork were worth it, though, as the Coyote V8-powered racers were set up in the support paddock and made for an impressive sight when they were placed on the start-finish line on Monday (above) for an all-Ford group shot with the pair of LMGT3-spec machines racing in the 24 Hours.

Back in the U.S., the Mustang Challenge series visits several challenging tracks, including Sebring, Road America, VIR, and COTA, but none of those are quite like the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans. Combining stretches of permanent circuit and public roads, it’s an 8.467-mile behemoth, and the site of Ford’s quartet of overall triumphs with the iconic GT40 in the 1960s. For the drivers making the pilgrimage to the event, the scale of the challenge the track presents is a huge part of the appeal.

And it’s attracted talent from all over. Mustang Challenge regulars Robert Noaker (2024 Dark Horse class champion) and Alex Bachoura (2024 Dark Horse Legends class champion) feature on the list, as well as all six Ford Performance Junior Team drivers. 

The group of celebrity “Dark Horse Stars” assembled is set to dazzle too, with actor Frankie Muniz, drifting and off-road ace Tanner Foust, automotive journalist Chris Harris and decorated Olympian Sir Chris Hoy all taking up the opportunity, alongside none other than Ford Motor Company president and CEO Jim Farley.

From Ford’s side, there has been so much to take into consideration to make sure the racing is both exciting and safe. Sensibly, the organizers have made sure not to overfill the grid and increase the chances of two incident-packed races, littered with cautions. All registered drivers have also been given free, open access to the Ford Performance Tech Center driver-in-the-loop simulator this year, allowing them to tune their racecraft and prepare for the Invitational.

The Mustang Challenge grid’s journey to France included many of the racecars being airfreighted from Spartanburg, S.C.

Ford has a reputation for doing nothing by half measure, and it’s for that reason that the Dark Horse R program has gotten off to such a roaring start. In reaction to healthy demand, more than 70 Dark Horse R race cars have been built ahead of the Mustang Challenge sprints at Le Mans. They can’t produce them fast enough, with Ford expecting that figure to grow as the Mustang Cup and Challenge series mature and the initiative heads further afield.

This week’s pair of sprint races, scheduled for Friday and Saturday mornings, mark the next major milestone for Ford and its Dark Horse R platform. And the sky, it seems, is the limit.

“We were particularly excited to recently showcase the Dark Horse R at various events in and around Melbourne, Australia, to coincide with Ford Motor Company’s celebration of its centenary in market,” Ford Performance global one-make series manager Chris Ward tells RACER.

“The car received an extremely warm reception at the Phillip Island circuit during a few demonstration laps and gives us great optimism for that and additional regional markets as we evaluate the possible expansion of our Mustang one-make series globally.

“It’s been such an exciting start to the 2025 racing season with the Dark Horse R. Since I joined Ford Performance only this past February, I have been able to experience the enthusiasm first hand for this tremendous platform. We are so excited to witness our stable of Mustangs make their way down the Mulsanne straight!”

Stream both Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational races live on RACER.com.

Race 1, Friday, June 13, 5:00am ET

Race 2, Saturday, June 14, 2:45am ET