Last summer Ford introduced the long-awaited racing version of the new Shelby GT350, dubbed the GT350R-C, handing a pair of the race cars over to partner Multimatic Motorsports to finish out the 2015 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season. 2016 is the first year that private teams can buy and compete with the few GT350R-C racers Ford makes available, and Compass360 Racing can lay claim to being the first racing team to field the new Shelby racer.

“We’re honored to have been selected by the folks at Ford to be the first team to run the new Mustang, and are looking forward to working closely with Multimatic in continuing to develop the platform,” said team principal Karl Thomson.

Compass360 Racing drivers Paul Holton and Pierre Kleinubing will both return in 2016 to drive the Shelby GT350R-C, though both drivers are trading in imports to drive the new track Mustang. Kleinubing took two podiums in his GS-class Subaru in 2014 before trading up to a GTD Audi R8 last year. Meanwhile Holton raced an Audi S3 in his rookie season, meaning both drivers will be forced to adapt new driving styles to the Shelby muscle car. Even so, technical director Ray Lee expects the Compass360 team to be competitive “right out of the box”, owing to the technical prowess the GT350R-C put on display at the end of the last IMSA season.

Once again, the Compass360 race cars will continue to support the Children’s Tumor foundation, wearing a unique livery painted by philanthropic artist Jeffrey Owen Hanson.

“The Foundation is so grateful to our partner teams in the IMSA paddock,” said CTF’s Racing4Research Program Director, Jill Beck. “Paul, Pierre and all the C360R drivers and crew are always so wonderful with the CTF kids, and we’re thankful to have the opportunity to extend our Art Car program with them for another year.”