Ever since ford unveiled to the new Ford GT back in January, the question has been, “will it hit the track?” The technology and the proposed performance were born from racing engineering, so the track is the natural habit for the new GT. Today, Bill Ford Jr. officially announced Ford is taking it to the races — “We’re back at Le Mans, and we’re back with a supercar.”
Starting in 2016, a factory backed two-car effort will run in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the GTE category as well as a two-car squad running in the Tudor United Sportscar Championship. The GT race cars will make their debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona next January and will then race at Le Mans on the anniversary of Ford’s famous 1-2-3 victory over Ferrari, 50 years to the day.
Ford approached Chip Ganassi Racing to run the team. “When Ford presented us that opportunity, a chance to compete here, well what race team wouldn’t want to be a part of that?” Ganassi said. The 24 Hours of Le Mans would be one of the few races that the Ganassi squad hasn’t entered, and given their track record, not only does Ferrari have to worry, but Corvette Racing, Porsche and Aston Martin all have a new serious threat to contend with.
