Ryan Hardwick

It’s hard to describe all the thoughts and emotions that I’ve had over the past 48 hours. From the nervousness in my stomach leading up to the start. To the joy I had while driving our car in the early stages of the race. To the heartbreak I felt when the car broke, watching it limp around the track and back to the garage. Then the pride I had while watching our mechanics working as quickly as possible to get the car repaired and back out on track so that we could finish the race. Then finally, sharing in all the excitement with the Ford family and executives as our teammates in the 88 car reached the podium at Le Mans, achieving the best race result to date for the new Mustang GT3. These massive swings in emotions are what makes Le Mans so special, and so difficult. As I reflect back on everything today, I am feeling a lot of gratitude and pride. I am so thankful to be in this position, to have the opportunity and ability to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. To have all the love and support from my family, friends and sponsors. To work alongside the amazing team of engineers, mechanics, and support personnel with @protoncompetition I know deep down that we did absolutely everything that we could have done. We were prepared with a car fast enough and capable of winning the race. Myself and my co-drivers showed class leading speed, and never made any mistakes on track. We had no issues during our pit stops, nor in our race strategy. We did literally every single thing to the best of our ability… BUT, even with all of that effort, one single broken part changed our fate. It just wasn’t meant to be for our car this year. We are leaving Le Mans with our heads held high, knowing that we’ve unlocked some real speed with the new Mustang GT3. Our day to stand on the top step of the podium is coming. “Eyes up, focus forward.” 💪🏼 @1stphorm @fordperformance @protoncompetition @multimaticmotorsports @mountainadventures_ 📸 : @drewgibsoncaptures & @paoladepalmas ___________________________________ #ford #mustang #gt3 #fordperformamce #v8 #fia #wec #lemans #24hourslemans #mustanggt3 #mustanggtd #american #power #speed #racing #1stphorm #iam1stphorm