Ford commits to Le Mans return for outright victory with LMDh bid

Ford will return to the Le Mans 24 Hours to struggle for general victory as part of a World Endurance Championship marketing campaign with an LMDh prototype in 2027. 

The US large has introduced that it’s going to try and repeat its triumphs on the French enduro in 1966 to ’69 with the Ford MkII, MkIV and the GT40 in what will probably be its first full-factory assault for the reason that C100 Group C automobile in 1982. 

Its entry into the WEC’s Hypercar class was revealed by Invoice Ford, government chair of the Ford Motor Firm, on Thursday night as a part of a motorsport launch occasion in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The good-grandson of firm founder Henry Ford referenced marque’s Sixties successes in addition to its GTE Professional triumph in 2016 with the Ford GT on the fiftieth anniversary of its first outright win within the announcement. 

“There isn’t a observe or race meaning extra to our historical past than Le Mans,” he stated.  

“It’s the place we took on Ferrari and received within the Sixties and it’s the place we returned 50 years later and shocked the world and beat Ferrari once more. 

“I’m thrilled that we’re going again to Le Mans and competing on the highest degree of endurance racing. 

“We’re able to as soon as once more problem the world, and ‘go like hell! After we race, we race to win.”

The LMDh programme will develop Ford’s illustration within the WEC during which it’s already racing in LMGT3 with a pair of  Mustang GT3s run by the Proton Competitors staff.   

It should additionally develop its presence on the highest degree of motorsport. 

Ford’s Hypercar entry will come a yr after it returns to Formulation 1 in partnership with Purple Bull Racing, which implies the Blue Oval will probably be represented within the high class of 4 FIA world championships from ’27.  

The LMDh and F1 tasks be a part of its longstanding engagement within the World Rally Championship with M-Sport and the World Rally-Raid Championship which it joined this yr with the British organisation. 

Ford introduced no particulars of its Le Mans assault, besides that it is going to be with an LMDh fairly than a Le Mans Hypercar and that it is going to be a full-factory effort managed by Ford Efficiency, its high-performance and motorsport division. 

No point out was made from the IMSA SportsCar Championship for which its LMDh will probably be eligible within the GTP class. 

A spokesman for Ford Efficiency defined that pronouncing WEC allowed it to position emphasis on its return to Le Mans as a contender for outright victory.

It may be anticipated, nevertheless, that Ford will be a part of the IMSA GTP grid with its new LMDh. 

Ford has newer historical past of competing for outright honours with prototype equipment in North America than in Europe or at world degree.

It was a race winner within the IMSA GT Championship with its front-engined Ford Mustang GTP in the course of the first half of the Eighties earlier than changing the automobile with the extra standard Probe GTP of 1985-86.

Ford entered the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype ranks in 2014 as an engine provider with the Roush/Yates-developed EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, profitable the Daytona 24 Hours with the powerplant in a Chip Ganassi Racing-run Riley the next yr.

IMSA boss John Doonan alluded to Ford becoming a member of the ranks of the sequence in a quick media deal with forward final weekend’s Daytona enduro. 

No point out was made from which of the licensed LMDh chassis suppliers it is going to be working with, the identification of the staff with which it can accomplice or drivers. 

Multimatic Motorsports could be the plain chassis accomplice given its long-standing relationship with Ford: it developed each street and race variations of the GT and the present GT3 automobile is the most recent within the lengthy line of racing Mustangs it has designed and constructed. 

The Canadian-headquarter organisation is Porsche’s chassis accomplice on the 963 LMDh undertaking and it’s unclear if this relationship permits it to work with one other model. 

Ford’s assertion on its return to the highest flight of sportscar racing acknowledged that extra particulars will probably be shared later. 

Le Mans organiser the Car Membership de l’Ouest and the WEC welcomed the information from Ford, which implies that from 2027 there will probably be a minimal of 10 producers in Hypercar on the presumption that every one the present contributors stay. 

WEC boss Frederic Lequien stated: “Ford has been synonymous with success each on and off-track for many years, and we’re delighted that the corporate has chosen the WEC for its newest problem.”