Ford will return to the scene of the famous 1966 Le Mans victory with an
all-new Ford GT race car next year to compete in LM GTE Pro class.
The new race car is based on the all-new Ford GT supercar
unveiled in January. Both the production car and race car will arrive in
2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966
24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford went on to repeat its victory at Le Mans in 1967, 1968
and 1969.
"When the GT40 competed at Le Mans in the 1960s, Henry Ford II sought to prove
Ford could beat endurance racing's most legendary manufacturers," said Bill
Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. "We are still extremely proud of
having won this iconic race four times in a row, and that same spirit that drove
the innovation behind the first Ford GT still drives us today."
The new Ford GT race car will run the full 2016 schedules of the FIA World
Endurance Championship and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, making its
competition debut in January 2016 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Florida. The two
Ford teams will be operated by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS).
Both series teams intend to compete with a four-car effort at Le Mans. Drivers
will be announced later.
Joining Ford in this project are Multimatic Motorsports, Roush Yates Engines,
Castrol, Michelin, Forza Motorsport, Sparco, Brembo and CGRFS. The race car has
undergone extensive design and testing within Ford and Multimatic, with CGRFS
providing input into the development. Roush Yates is supporting development of
the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6.
The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine debuted in the TUDOR United SportsCar
Championship in 2014. Since then, Ford, with CGRFS, has captured significant
overall wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Rolex 24 At Daytona. Besides great
success in sports cars, Ganassi race teams achieved major victories in the
Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Indianapolis 500.
"We've won races and championships, but we've never run Le Mans," said team
owner Chip Ganassi. "When presented the opportunity to compete with the all-new
Ford GT on the world's biggest sports car stage, and on the 50th anniversary of
one of the most storied victories in racing history, how could any race team not
want to be part of that? Will it be a challenge? Absolutely, but we couldn't be
with a better partner than Ford."
