Ford Performance Updates Dark Horse R Ahead Of 2025 Season

In advance of the 2025 Mustang Challenge series, which kicks off in a matter of weeks at Sebring International Raceway, Ford Performance shared a few updates to the Dark Horse R spec racer that competes in the series. Those improvements focused on driveline durability, suspension adjustability, and lighter wheels.

“We’re here at Watson Racing getting ready for the 2025 Dark Horse R build and preparation for season two of Mustang Challenge and our inaugural season of Mustang Cup,” Dave Born, Motorsports Program Supervisor at Ford Performance, said in the video below.

Ford Performance enhanced the Dark Horse R for the 2025 Mustang Challenge season with several upgrades, including a move from a dual-mass flywheel a lighter single-mass flywheel.

In a nod toward improved driveline durability, the Dark Horse R moves from a factory dual-mass flywheel to a more traditional single-mass flywheel. The move also reduces weight, which is always a performance advantage.

“A couple of things we’ve got laid out before you on the bench here is our new clutch system that we’re going to for 2025 The dual-mass flywheels are a great system for production, really reduces vibrations, makes the operation super smooth, but when you get into the racing situation, you know, you maybe need a little bit different focus, so we’re going from this dual mass system to a more traditional flywheel that’s just a single mass system,” Born said. “This whole system comes out about six pounds lighter than the production system, so you’re gonna see just a little bit of performance…”

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Another move away from factory hardware to competition-friendly bits is the addition of new billet adjustable control arms. These will make race day suspension geometry adjustments easier and more reliable.

“…On the ’24 car, we just used a production control arm. The way that you adjust camber on those, it wasn’t real easy to be consistent,” Born explained. “These control arms that we’ve got here really solved that problem for the competitors. Now we’re fixed on this end, but over here, we’ve got a shim pack, and you can loosen these bolts, slide a shim out, tighten it back up, and each shim allows you to change the rear camber by a specific amount.”

The last move is a look at reducing unsprung weight with a move to a smaller wheel and tire package. Whereas the original Dark Horse R wore Ford Performance Parts R1 flow-formed wheels (19×10.5-inch front, 19×11-inch rear) shod with 295/30R19 racing slick tires, the new fitment includes new 18-inch wheels wrapped in 280/680R18 racing slicks.

They also swapped out the factory control arms for billet adjustable units and moved from the original 19-inch wheel and tire combo to a lighter 18-inch combo.

“Another item we’re excited about going into 2025 is our new wheel and tire package,” Born added. “The wheel is quite a bit lighter. That’s gonna translate into some performance for the customers…”

With improved performance and durability, the 2025 Dark Horse R is gearing up for an exciting season. For more information on the Mustang Challenge series, you can visit Ford Performance’s series official site, and if you are interested in buying a Dark Horse R and competing, you can sign up here to order one.