This name change symbolically heralds a new era.
For decades now, Ford has not only been one of the most important names in the entire automotive industry, but also one of the most prominent names in American performance, with the Mustang that would define the pony car genre, and racing legends like the GT40 and the legacy of supercars it gave way to, as well as other performance heroes like the Raptor lineup, the F-150 SVT Lightning, and many others.
However, Ford’s array of performance cars and racing efforts has in recent years become more ambitious than it has been in a very long time, and that includes introducing the Bronco Raptor and Ranger Raptor alongside the F-150 Raptor, setting one of the world’s fastest Nürburgring lap times with a Transit van, revolutionizing the Mustang lineup in the latest generation with variants like the high-performance Dark Horse and the racing-ready GTD, and even returning to the world-renowned and prestigious F1 racing grid.
In light of all of this, Ford has decided to rebrand its performance division, previously known as Ford Performance, to Ford Racing, reviving the hallowed moniker. Ford’s racing legacy began in 1901 with Henry Ford himself, and now, his great-great-grandson, Will Ford, is set to take the helm of the newly minted Ford Racing as its general manager. Ford Racing’s efforts will include on and off-road racing, Formula 1, endurance racing, the Dakar Rally, and other efforts like racing schools and more.
Meanwhile, the rebrand to Ford Racing means that there will be a stronger connection between race cars and road-going performance cars, promising that technology used in the Baja 1000 will be seen in the next generation of the F-150 Raptor, and aerodynamic innovations seen at Daytona and Le Mans will inform the next Mustang, for example. With a reinvigorated ambition for motorsport as a brand, Ford Performance becoming Ford Racing is exciting news for fans of Ford’s motorsports efforts and performance models alike.
Image Source: Ford
