DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Belgian driver Frederic Vervisch, who competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the No. 65 Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class, is no stranger to going fast. He was part of Ford’s win at the 2025 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Vervisch just dropped a lap that will enter into North American car record books at the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, a relentless 12.9-mile ribbon of asphalt, twists, and elevation changes known affectionately as the “Green Hell.” It’s a place where legends are made, and limits are pushed.
With a lap of 6:15.977, Vervisch drove the Ford GT Mk IV around the Nordscheife to clock the fastest lap ever by an American OEM at the Nürburgring (main photo courtesy Ford Racing above).
The Ford GT Mk IV has set the record as the fastest American OEM around the Nürburgring, and the third fastest overall car to ever lap the Nordschleife. This 6:15.977 time also means that the GT Mk IV — as a track-only vehicle classified in the prototype category — is the fastest car currently available for purchase to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife. This time also means that the GT Mk IV is the fastest car that is exclusively powered by an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) car around the ‘Ring.
This incredible machine is one of only 67 examples scheduled for production, marking the culmination of the third generation of the Ford GT.
The most recent racing generation Ford GT raced in IMSA’s former GT Le Mans class for four seasons (2016-2019). Vervisch is in his second full-time season as an IMSA driver with the Mustang GTD PRO program.
“Driving the Ford GT Mk IV at the Nürburgring is an experience unlike any other,” Vervisch shared after his monumental laps. “The car is an absolute weapon, a true extension of your will. Every input is met with an immediate, precise response. Through the Kesselchen, over the Flugplatz, it just inspires confidence, allowing you to push harder and harder. You feel the history of the track, and you feel the immense capability of the Ford Racing engineers who poured their hearts into this machine. To set these records is a dream come true, a testament to what’s possible when passion meets precision.”
“The car is an absolute weapon, a true extension of your will.”
You can view Ford’s full release here, written by Scott Bartlett, global sports car marketing manager at Ford Racing, and a link to the on-board lap below.