| Category | One-make racing by Ford |
|---|---|
| Country | North America |
| Inaugural season | 2024 |
| Constructors | Ford |
| Tyre suppliers | Michelin |
| Official website | Mustang Challenge |
 Current season | |
The IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge is a one-make racing series that takes place in North America featuring Ford Mustang Dark Horse R race cars. The series is sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association.
The unveiling of the seventh-generation Ford Mustang brought with it a slew of special editions and motorsport activations, including the introduction of the Dark Horse R track edition in July 2023. [1] The car resembles the track day-focused Dark Horse S, but features unique wheels and a racing fuel cell on top of the FIA roll cage, tow hooks, upgraded brakes, rear wing, and re-designed exhaust system featured on the Dark Horse S. [2] The Dark Horse R additionally features a six-speed manual gearbox and an anti-lock braking system, with a base price of approximately $150,000. [3]
Alongside the car's announcement came the launch of a new spec racing series, dubbed the Mustang Challenge, which was initially set to support six IMSA race weekends in 2024. The series would be managed by the Ford Performance Racing School and officially sanctioned by IMSA. [4] Entries would additionally race on bespoke Michelin tires, and top finishers would receive contingency payouts at each race event as well as at the conclusion of the season. [5] The champion, for instance, received a cash prize of $40,000 or a $100,000 scholarship towards a seat in a Ford Mustang GT3 or GT4 entry. [6] This allowed the series to operate as the first step of an internal ladder for Ford Performance's GT-racing efforts, in which drivers could begin competing in Mustang Challenge races before progressing to a GT3 seat through exceptional performance. [7]
The 2024 calendar was officially announced in October 2023, featuring five race weekends totaling ten race events. The season began at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in June, before visiting Watkins Glen International and Road America in support of the IMSA SportsCar Championship later in the summer. The Mustang Challenge then joined the FIA World Endurance Championship at Circuit of the Americas and the Intercontinental GT Challenge at Indianapolis to conclude its inaugural season. [6] The class structure was also finalized, featuring an at-large Dark Horse class alongside an optional Dark Horse Legends class for Bronze-rated drivers over the age of 45. [8] The series' inaugural event at Mid-Ohio welcomed 26 entries, including Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley, who piloted the #17 entry for MDK Motorsports. [9] Tyler Maxson scored the series' first ever pole position, [10] while Robert Noaker won the series' inaugural race. [11]
Following the series' inaugural round, an invitational round supporting the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans was announced. [12]
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2024)
Watkins Glen International (2024)
Road America (2024)
Circuit of the Americas (2024)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2024)The 2014 United SportsCar Championship was the inaugural season of the International Motor Sports Association's new series created out of a merger of the Rolex Sports Car Series and the American Le Mans Series and the first to be held under the name as the United SportsCar Championship. It began with the 24 Hours of Daytona, the first time since the 1997 IMSA GT Championship season that IMSA sanctioned an event at Daytona International Speedway on 25 January and ended on 4 October at Petit Le Mans. It was the 44th overall season of IMSA GT championship racing tracing its lineage to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship.
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The 2019 Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on May 5, 2019. It was the fourth round of the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the first round of the 2019 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
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The 2021 SportsCar Challenge at Mid-Ohio, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2021 Acura SportsCar Challenge, was a sports car race held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, Ohio on May 16, 2021. The race is the third round of the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the first round of the 2021 WeatherTech GT Daytona Sprint Cup.
The 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 52nd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. This was also the ninth season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the seventh under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. The series began on January 27 for the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on October 1 with the Petit Le Mans after 12 races.
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The 2022 Michelin Pilot Challenge was the twenty-third season of the IMSA SportsCar Challenge and the ninth season organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The season began on January 27 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded on October 1 at Road Atlanta. This season also saw the return of former IndyCar driver Robert Wickens after his horrific accident at the 2018 ABC Supply 500 left him as a paraplegic.
Harry Gottsacker is an American racing driver who currently competes for Bryan Herta Autosport in the TCR class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge.
The 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 53rd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association, which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. It was also the tenth season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the eighth under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. The 2023 season marked an overhaul season for the championship, with a change in class structure and a new race on the season calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The championship began with the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 28 and concluded with the Petit Le Mans on October 14 after 11 races.
The 2022 Petit Le Mans was the 25th running of the Petit Le Mans, and was held on October 1, 2022. It was the 12th and final race in the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the 4th race of the 2022 Michelin Endurance Cup. The race was held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. The event was the last ever race for the DPi Class.
The 2023 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge was the inaugural season of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. The season began on January 20 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded on October 14 at Road Atlanta.
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The 2018 Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio on May 6, 2018. The race was the fourth of the 2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
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The field... will be split into two classes – Dark Horse and Dark Horse Legends... an optional classification eligible to bronze-level drivers 45 years old and over.