Ford Multimatic IMSA driver Mike Rockenfeller made his Goodwood Members’ Meeting debut in the Ken Miles Cup which celebrated 60 years of the iconic Ford Mustang muscle car.
The 81st Goodwood Members’ Meeting showcased a grid of 30 Ford Mustangs from 1965 and 1966, with several motorsport stars taking part in the invigorating racing event.
Rockenfeller, who also drives in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD Pro category, shared the #63 Mustang with teammate John Davison.
After the 45-minute race, Rockenfeller spoke fondly of his experience during his first Members’ Meeting, having driven the Le Mans-entered Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 up the famous Goodwood Hillclimb last year.
“[It’s] my very first time at this racetrack [and] I was at the Festival of Speed last year. That was already amazing,” Rockenfeller told Motorsport Week.
“To see the passion, to see the cars, to see how crazy the drivers are and how much they push those old cars to the limit on such an iconic track, it’s just amazing.
“I learned a lot,” he admitted with a P20 race finish after qualifying in P15 out of 30 Ford Mustangs.
“I was off the pace [and] I didn’t really push. I didn’t want to scratch the car.
“So I enjoyed it and yeah, I hope to come back more often to Goodwood.”
Since the IMSA season began in Daytona and Sebring, Rockenfeller has shared the #64 with Harry Tincknell and Endurance Cup driver Christopher Mies in the new-for-2024 Ford Mustang.
He drew a comparison between the contrasting eras of Ford’s iconic steed.
“You can see that there is some development in the auto industry and the race cars,” he said. “Obviously, the sound is amazing and the look.
“Our modern cars are a lot different for many reasons. The weight, the tyres, everything [has] developed further.
“So very difficult to compare. Hats off to the guys pushing those cars to the limit back in the day, and also nowadays. It’s really not easy to drive them.
“I said straight away that I want to do it [when asked to drive in the Ken Miles Cup] because I was in Goodwood last year, so I could imagine only how cool it would be.
“Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson, Tom Kristensen – all the guys – they all told me how cool it is and that’s why I didn’t want to miss that opportunity.”
