Gradient Racing has announced the acquisition of the new Ford Mustang GT3 for next year as part of a "long-term commitment" to compete in the GTD class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The move to "expand their relationship with Ford Performance" also puts an end to a six-year run with the Acura NSX GT3 for the squad based in Austin, Texas.
Andris Laivins, team owner of Gradient Racing, credited Multimatic for building and improving upon the design, endurance and performance of the GT3.
"We are incredibly excited to join the Ford Performance family with the new Mustang GT3 for the 2025 season and beyond," said Laivins.
"Our good friends at Multimatic have done an incredible job with this car. It represents the pinnacle of GT3 engineering, and we can't wait to put some serious miles on it and learn more.
"The factory team has done a massive job developing the new platform, and as a customer program we will benefit a lot from their experience."
Ford Performance Motorsports Global Director Mark Rushbrook provided his thoughts on adding Gradient Racing to the stable.
"We are pleased to welcome Gradient Racing to the Ford Performance family, as they prepare their newly acquired Ford Mustang GT3 for an upcoming IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program in 2025," said Rushbrook.
"We are excited to support them in this new chapter of their IMSA program. It is our continued mission to offer the beating heart of Mustang to customer teams worldwide — from Mustang Dark Horse R and Mustang GT4, to our ultimate expression of Mustang in our sports car racing line-up, Mustang GT3."
A testing plan through summer and fall has already been put in place for Gradient Racing as Laivins admitted: "We have a lot to learn. As we dig into the technical side at the shop, we're engaging with drivers and partners who will be a good fit as the program takes shape, and plan to offer testing opportunities very soon."
Gradient Racing also revealed the new Mustang GT3 is set to be on display at the upcoming Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca from 14-17 August, alongside the Mustang GTD.
Laivins also took a moment to reflect on the long relationship with Acura and Honda Racing Corporation that is coming to an end at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
"Without HRC, Gradient would likely not be racing at this level," said Laivins. "I feel a lot of pride for our time with the Acura brand. We're going to finish this season strong, and head into 2025 with fond memories and hopefully another trophy or two."
