Photo: Khalil B.
When it comes to talking about the racing incarnation of the Ford GT, the Ford Performance's division keeps its lips sealed as if these were pressed together by all the downforce generated by the GT concept car we met in Detroit.
Nevertheless, the motorsport side of the equation has always been in the spotlights and now it seem the racecar has run its first tests on the track.
While earlier this month we spied a street-trim-looking Ford GT prototype on the road, Motorsport.com writes about the racing version also setting wheel on the racetrack around the same time.
It appears the prototype was put through its paces by Scott Maxwell on May 16, on the Calabogie Motorsports Park in Ontario. A second series of testing took place last Wednesday.
The same source talks about Ford revealing the GT racer at the Le Mans 24 Hours next month. Since the whole Ford GT40 story started out at the famous French venue five decades ago, this seems fitting.
First of all, it seems that the new-age endurance races will follow the path of its ancestor. While the original GT40 used Ford engines, the car was built in England and it seems the GT we should see next month is taking shape at Multimatic's design base in Cambridgeshire, UK.
At the center of the car, we'll find a Roush-Yates 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 EcoBoost, not far from the forced-fed V6 that Ford currently used for its Daytona prototypes. The unit will work with a Ricardo transmission.
It seems the Ford Performance program will by led by George-Howard Chappell, who used to be a team principal for Aston Martin Racing - it seems Ford and Aston Martin can't stay fully separated on the track either.
Julia Sole, the man who designed the former Lola Le Mans prototype, has also joined the team.
It seems Ford has learned from Nissan's endurance racing efforts and isn't rushing into a competitional debut, as they want to assure the mammoth task of building such a racecar is complete first.
Thus, the Ford GT racecar could make its debut on the track at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January 2017. To quench your petrol thirst for now, we've added a rendering showing the Ford GT in the original's 1965 livery.
While earlier this month we spied a street-trim-looking Ford GT prototype on the road, Motorsport.com writes about the racing version also setting wheel on the racetrack around the same time.
It appears the prototype was put through its paces by Scott Maxwell on May 16, on the Calabogie Motorsports Park in Ontario. A second series of testing took place last Wednesday.
The same source talks about Ford revealing the GT racer at the Le Mans 24 Hours next month. Since the whole Ford GT40 story started out at the famous French venue five decades ago, this seems fitting.
The details of the racing machine
The report comes to confirm a series of details that had been brought to our attention by the rumor mill.First of all, it seems that the new-age endurance races will follow the path of its ancestor. While the original GT40 used Ford engines, the car was built in England and it seems the GT we should see next month is taking shape at Multimatic's design base in Cambridgeshire, UK.
At the center of the car, we'll find a Roush-Yates 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 EcoBoost, not far from the forced-fed V6 that Ford currently used for its Daytona prototypes. The unit will work with a Ricardo transmission.
Ford Performance's racing program
As for the racing hostilities, Larry Holt, Multimatic technical director has pulled all the strings to make the GT project happen.It seems the Ford Performance program will by led by George-Howard Chappell, who used to be a team principal for Aston Martin Racing - it seems Ford and Aston Martin can't stay fully separated on the track either.
Julia Sole, the man who designed the former Lola Le Mans prototype, has also joined the team.
The schedule
Once the Ford GT makes the expected debut at Le Mans, the car will continue its testing session throughout the summer. Subsequently, it will be assessed at the FIA/ACO Ladoux test facility.It seems Ford has learned from Nissan's endurance racing efforts and isn't rushing into a competitional debut, as they want to assure the mammoth task of building such a racecar is complete first.
Thus, the Ford GT racecar could make its debut on the track at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January 2017. To quench your petrol thirst for now, we've added a rendering showing the Ford GT in the original's 1965 livery.
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