I immediately fell in love with Australia for its love of speed, so it’s uncanny for a racecar driver to say that a special moment is a 2.5-hour cruise at just 40 kilometers per hour. Driving westbound from Sydney and through the Blue Mountains is the scenic gateway to compete at one of motorsport’s most revered circuits: Mount Panorama, Bathurst.
I get to revisit those feelings while making the drive. Since joining Ford Racing and the Mustang GT3 program in 2024, I have dreamed of representing America’s Race Team in the Bathurst 12 Hours. Now’s my chance, February 12-15, accompanied by Dennis Olsen and Broc Feeney. This is the Mustang GT3’s chance to take on its fifth continent in a race that challenges drivers and engineers in new ways.
Our mission is to continue to prove Mustang is a global contender in its Bathurst 12 Hour debut. Dennis and I are fortunate to have represented Ford Racing in major global endurance races — from the 24 Hours of Spa and Le Mans to the Rolex 24 At Daytona. We’ve also both won this race in our career, so we know what The Mountain demands.
While Broc has yet to hop into our Mustang GT3, he has competed in the Repco Supercars Championship Bathurst 1000 annually — even on his 18th birthday in 2020, when he became one of the youngest drivers to compete in “The Great Race.” Between Dennis and my understanding of the Mustang GT3, and Broc’s familiarity with Bathurst, we feel we have all the tools to combine for a strong run.
Operating under the HRT Ford Racing banner, Haupt Racing Team will also be making its Bathurst debut. It’s been incredible to see the success they had in their first season with the Mustang GT3. I drove during their first test last year, as well as took part in introducing the GT3 to the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. I rank them very high as a team, and we’ll undoubtedly bring our A game to this race.
Bathurst is a special place. The elevation changes, narrow circuit, and the climb to the top make it unique. Fourth gear… fifth… pushing the limits through drastic elevation changes and then blindly into Skyline. It takes a real daredevil to crest into that sector, not knowing where you’ll really end up. It reminds me of the Corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, but it is still very much its own.
From the Nürburgring Nordschleife to Mount Panorama, these circuits are the laboratory to develop better Mustangs for the road. The impact we have as drivers on the track gives us even greater motivation to deliver. It’s a proud moment to see what comes from the team and lands on the production Mustang.
“I’m looking forward to proving how capable the Mustang GT3 is under the most extreme racing conditions.”Christopher Mies, Ford Racing Factory Driver
I’m looking forward to not only proving how capable the Mustang GT3 is under the most extreme racing conditions, but also having the opportunity to demonstrate how far Mustang itself — an American icon — has come over the last 62 years. From a championship-level Supercars program to an increasing presence of Mustang GT4 and the Dark Horse R, this event is certainly an exclamation point that Ford Racing is in Australia with great purpose.
Christopher Mies is a Ford Racing factory driver.
