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Ford GT Le Mans Racecar Confirmed to Debut at 2016 Daytona 24 Hours

A secret location near the Circuit de la Sarthe saw Ford Performance confirm the Ford GT LM GTE Pro racecar. The Blue Oval will return to Le Mans in 2016, when the Ford GT production car will arrive at dealers around the world. Next year’s endurance race marks half a century after the Ford GT40 secured a 1-2-3 finish at the legendary 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ford GT Le Mans 23 photos
Photo: Ford
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To compete in the Le Mans GTE Pro class, the Ford GT racecar will run the full 2016 schedule of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship. Furthermore, it is our pleasure to announce that the motorsport brute will run the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship as well. Two motorsport outfits will race the Ford GT, operated by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

Partners of the project include Roush Yates Engines, Multimatic Motorsports, Brembo, Sparco, Michelin, Forza Motorsport, and Castrol. In January 2016, at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Ford GT racecar will make its racing debut. Truth be told, we’re excited about the prospects of a win in the Le Mans GT Endurance class at next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Four cars will be run at Le Mans, with the drivers to be announced at a later date. Unfortunately, some elements developed specifically for the road-going 2017 Ford GT won’t arrive on the 2016 Ford GT Le Mans racecar. “As we developed the Ford GT, from the outset, we wanted to ensure we had a car that has what it takes to return Ford to the world of GT racing,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice prez of Global Product Development.

Nair concluded: “We believe the Ford GT’s advances in aerodynamics, light-weighting and EcoBoost power will make for a compelling race car that can once again compete on a global stage.” The 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine will be different from the one used in the 2017 Ford GT. Rush Yates provides development know-how for the Le Mans-rated race engine. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost powered racers that won the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona in 2014 are a tell-tale sign about what the future holds for the GT.

“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.”

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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