• Ford Racing's competition program for the new 2005 Mustang GT delivers first race cars to compete in the Grand-Am Cup's GS Class.

• Ford Racing Mustang GT race cars will compete at the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.

• Ford Racing's 5.0-liter Cammer ‘R50’ V-8 powers the Mustang GT race car.

The Ford Mustang and sports car racing. The two have gone hand-in-hand since the car’s debut in 1964, and the latest version of Ford’s "pony car" will soon be returning to the track in the Grand-Am Cup Series.

Today, Ford Racing and the Grand American Road Racing Series announce that Ford Racing's 2005 Mustang GT race car has been homologated to compete in the GS Class of Grand-Am Cup. The Ford Racing Mustang GT race car is based off the all-new 2005 Mustang GT that recently hit showroom floors at Ford dealerships around the country.

"We're excited about expanding our road racing efforts in the Grand American Series with the addition of our race-prepared Mustang GT," said Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology. "The 2005 Mustang and our 5.0-liter Cammer ‘R50’ V-8 make the perfect combination to extend Ford's rich sports car racing heritage."

As announced at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association (SEMA) Show in November 2004, Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) has become the one-stop shop for all the racing needs of the Mustang enthusiast. FRPP will offer the race-prepared Mustang GT in Grand-Am Cup specification, as well as all the racing components necessary for race team support and for those enthusiasts interested in enhancing their own Mustangs.

FRPP also offers a 2005 Mustang "body-in-white" for those enthusiasts looking to build their own race cars. Using the FRPP catalog of performance equipment, the "do-it-yourself" builder has a choice of crate engines, from pushrod to modular V-8s, and driveline components to help build a car for a variety of racing series, including drag racing.

"Our goal with this competition program for the new Mustang is to capitalize on our performance parts program and the Mustang's successful history in road racing," continued Davis. "The 5.0-liter Cammer engine family represents the future of Ford Racing Performance Parts, and this program could help solidify the Cammer as the performance crate engine of choice. As well, this competition program will spur the development of performance parts for the new Mustang, and possibly more programs for competition in other racing series."

The ‘R50’, the race version of the Cammer V-8, as found in the Mustang GT racer, is an evolution of the all-aluminum Cammer ‘T50’ crate engine, which is currently available from Ford Racing Performance Parts. The ‘R50’ racing version features many enhancements for road racing highlighted by new cylinder heads, from the Ford GT supercar program, and a unique intake manifold. The Cammer V-8 is based on Ford's family of modular V-8 engines; including the 4.6L DOHC supercharged V-8 as found in the SVT Mustang Cobra.

"Ford Racing’s grassroots motorsports efforts have been extremely successful in providing opportunities to go racing at a good value," continued Davis. "We've worked closely with Grand-Am to ensure that the Mustang GT will not only be competitive, but will also offer racers a durable, reliable, and affordable package to go racing in Grand-Am Cup."

The debut race for the new Ford Racing Mustang GT race car will be the Grand-Am Cup Daytona 200 on Friday, February 4 at Daytona International Speedway.

Ford Racing currently supplies the 5.0-liter Cammer ‘DP’ V-8 engine, developed by Robert Yates Racing, to competitors in the Daytona Prototype class of the Grand American Rolex Series. Recently, Ford Racing announced an all-star NASCAR Nextel Cup driver line-up for the Crown Royal Ford Multimatic Daytona Prototype race car competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, including 2004 Nextel Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch, 2003 Nextel Cup Series Champion Matt Kenseth, and former NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck Series Champion Greg Biffle.

The race-prepared Mustang GT in full Grand-Am Cup-spec, as well as the ‘R50’ Cammer V8 and the 2005 Mustang "body-in-white", are available through Ford Racing Performance Parts. Teams interested in racing the Mustang GT in Grand-Am Cup competition should contact the Ford Racing Technical Hotline at: 586-468-1356.