2005 Ford Racing Mustang captured a one-two finish in the Grand Am Cup Series

Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 5, 2005 - Making its racing debut today at Daytona International Speedway, the 2005 Ford Racing Mustang captured a one-two finish in the Grand Am Cup Series season-opener with Blackforest Motorsports driver Tom Natassi taking the checkered flag followed by Multimatic Motorsports driver Scott Maxwell. The Ford Racing Mustang, developed by Ford Racing Technology and Multimatic, a Canadian-based engineering company, is a factory-engineered race vehicle built to Grand Am Cup specifications and available through Ford Racing Performance Parts.

TOM NATASSI-5-BLACKFOREST MOTORSPORTS FORD MUSTANG (FINISHED FIRST)
YOU GOT IN THE CAR FOR THE SECOND SHIFT AND TOOK THE CHECKERED FLAG IN MUSTANG'S FIRST OUTING, TALK ABOUT THE END OF THE RACE.
"I got in the car second and they decided not to change tires, and as a driver you're never happy about that, so we went out and it was really hard but the car was phenomenal and we made it. I ran out of gas right after the start-finish line. One more lap and that would have been it."

TALK MORE ABOUT THE FUEL MILEAGE SITUATION.
"We got the car two days ago and we didn't know where it would stumble, and we don't even know what the mileage is barely. We've had no time with this car. Multimatic prepped it; they thought the race was one more lap."

TALK ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NEW MUSTANG.
"It was awesome. For a car to be able to drive with tires that were three hours old is just unbelievable. It's a race car. This is not something somebody built in their garage. This is a thoroughbred race car. Ford did a phenomenal job. Dan Davis and Primo Goffi really put their minds to this project and tit's everything they said it would be. This car was out of the box two days ago. We have done almost nothing to it."

IAN JAMES-5-BLACKFOREST MOTORSPORTS FORD MUSTANG (FINISHED FIRST)
TALK ABOUT YOUR FIRST STINT IN THE CAR AND HOW SPECIAL IS IT TO WIN AT TRACK SO NEAR YOUR HOME BASE.
"Obviously, anytime you come to Daytona and win it's a rare opportunity, so it's great to come out here and win. But like Tom previously mentioned, we only got this car literally three days ago, these guys over here [Maxwell and Empringham] have been preparing these cars and working with them for the last year at Multimatic; and they really delivered a race-ready product. I think everybody has seen today how level of a playing field it is because we came out here and we've been able to run with these guys and do slightly better, so that just shows you how even these cars are. To come out here and win today and to be racing with Tom and Blackforest is great."

SCOTT MAXWELL-55-MULTIMATIC MOTORSPORTS FORD MUSTANG (FINISHED SECOND)
TALK ABOUT YOUR DRIVING SHIFT AND THE PROBLEM YOU ENCOUNTERED DURING THE RACE WITH THE HOOD.
"That happened just before David came in and that's probably what cost us the race at the end because when David lost the hood and we got the yellow right after we thought that would be a good time to pit to make sure everything was OK, but unfortunately for us, we had to make that second stop, which was obviously costly and we probably lost three seconds in the pits. Other than that it was uneventful, other than I was running on pretty old tires at the end, so the car was a handful. But credit to Blackforest and Multimatic for building great cars and a one-two for Mustang the first time out."

THE LAST TIME YOU WERE ON THE STAGE YOU WERE CELEBRATING A PROTOTYPE WIN IN THE 2003 ROLEX 24.
"We've had a lot of luck here, Dave and I have, and Daytona is one of our better circuits."

DAVID EMPRINGHAM-55-MULTIMATIC MOTORSPORTS FORD MUSTANG (FINISHED SECOND)
WHY DID THE HOOD COME OFF?
"I have no idea. We thought we had it latched down pretty well with four pins, but it shocked me. I'm just glad it didn't stay up. It had no affect on our race other than the fact we might have called in poor strategy."

DAN DAVIS, DIRECTOR, FORD RACING TECHNOLOGY
"When we started this program our goal was to build and sell identical Mustangs that people could win with and I think we proved that today. I'm thrilled that Blackforest Motorsports, one of our first customers, won the season-opening Grand Am Cup race in one of these cars. It just goes to show that these new Mustangs are very competitive and they give their owners a legitimate shot to win. It wasn't the fastest car on the track, but it won today, and this is a great way to kick off Speedweeks for Ford in Daytona."

LARRY HOLT, MULTIMATIC TECHNICAL DIRECTOR/VICE PRESIDENT OF ENGINEERING
"I don't think the weekend could've gone any better. The cars were quick, very reliable and our customers, like Blackforest Motorsports, did a terrific job. I think these Mustangs will spend a lot of time at the front because it's a great, great product."

ON THE FACT THAT BLACKFOREST MOTORSPORTS WON THE RACE AFTER TAKING DELIVERY OF ITS 2005 MUSTANG THIS WEEK.
"Well, I think that speaks volumes about the car. People can win with this thing off the trailer. That's a claim that a lot of people make, but you really can roll one of these new Mustangs off the trailer, go racing and win with it. After what happened today, I would think that maybe a few other people might want one of these Mustangs."