Seb Priaulx was locked in a late battle to decide the podium spots at the 63rd Rolex 24.
In the end the Ford Multimatic Motorsports No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 had to settle for third place while the sister No.65 car took a historic victory on a day which hints at how competitive this season will be in the GTD Pro class.
It was the new model’s first global victory.
Considered one of the world’s greatest endurance events, the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 lived up to its reputation with both Grand Touring classes of competition ultimately decided by less than two-seconds after 24 hours on the Daytona International Speedway’s 3.56-mile circuit.
There were 10 different race leaders in the GTD Pro class with the winning No. 65 Mustang taking the lead for good on a final restart with only 42 minutes remaining.
Alexander Sims drove the final stint for the runner up No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, having to fend off Priaulx which helped give the sister Ford car some breathing room at the front.
Priaulx was joined by Austin Cindric and Mike Rockenfeller and they ultimately crossed the line just under four seconds behind the winning Mustang driven by Dennis Olsen, Frederic Vervisch and Christopher Mies.