A FORD Mustang Supercar is set to head to the Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of the 2021 event’s theme of ‘The Maestros – Motorsport’s Great All-Rounders’.
Roger Penske is one of the all-rounders being celebrated, with ‘The Captain’s attendance at the event marking his first visit to the British circuit since he raced a Ferrari 250GTO there in 1963 against the likes of Jim Clark in the RAC Tourist Trophy.
“I have wonderful memories of racing at Goodwood in 1963 and am honoured to be invited to return this summer,” Penske said.
PODCAST: Groundbreaking season nearly led Leanne Tander to quit sport
NEW OWNER: 2010 Bathurst pole-winning Falcon sold overseas
MIGHTY MONZA: Zak Brown adds Allan Moffat car to collection
“I am very much looking forward to sharing in the celebrations with Goodwood’s passionate fans as they return for the 2021 Festival of Speed.”
Ford global CEO Jim Farley is slated to drive the Supercar at the event, one of a host of machines heading to the iconic historic motorsport event in honour of ‘the Captain’s career in the sport.
The chassis in question is DJR FG19, a Supercar that remained in the United States following Team Penske’s exit from Dick Johnson Racing and the championship at the end of last season.
The car was originally a Ford Falcon that DJR Team Penske shipped to the US in 2015 with Supercars’ approval as part of a pilot plan to build chassis off-shore, although the move was soon scuppered by a rule change for 2016 preventing cars from being built outside of Australia.
After being put into storage at Team Penske’s facility in North Carolina, the car emerged at the start of 2019 having been converted to the new Ford Mustang GT body style to serve as a US-based show car – albeit with several modifications to prevent it being used for testing purposes.
At the heart of the Team Penske car display are several of the team’s Indianapolis 500-winning cars, including the chassis Will Power drove to victory in the 2018 event and the Penske PC23 ‘Beast’ that Al Unser Jr. used to claim the win in 1994.
Penske himself will drive the Porsche RS Spyder which won the 2008 Sebring 12 Hours.
“We are incredibly excited that Roger is able to join us at the Festival of Speed this year as we celebrate Motorsport’s Great All-Rounders, among whom he undoubtedly numbers,” the Duke of Richmond, owner of the Goodwood estate, said.
“We are very much looking forward to seeing both the hugely successful cars which have been assembled, as well as Roger himself take to the Hill over the course of the weekend.”
