Ford confirms prototype program
Ford will enter the booming global factory prototype ranks with a new LMDh-based chassis starting in 2027.
As RACER revealed earlier in January, the Blue Oval is set to chase overall wins at endurance sports car racing's biggest events, and it will start with the FIA World Endurance Championship and its marquee race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a factory program.
'We are entering a new era for performance and racing at Ford,' said Bill Ford. 'You can see it from what we're doing on-road and off-road. When we race, we race to win. And there is no track or race that means more to our history than Le Mans. It is where we took on Ferrari and won in the 1960s. It is where we returned 50 years later and shocked the world and beat Ferrari again. I am thrilled that we're going back to Le Mans and competing at the highest level of endurance racing. We are ready to once again challenge the world, and 'go like hell!''
No details on the team, number of cars, chassis supplier, or engine choice were provided, but RACER understands Ford took a serious look at partnering with Dallara to manufacture its Hypercar/GTP model — Dallara makes BMW's M Hybrid V8 and Cadillac's V-Series.R — before ultimately deciding to continue its alignment with Multimatic, which produces the championship-and Rolex 24-winning Porsche 963.
Beyond its famous wins at Le Mans more than 50 years ago, Ford has made very few ventures into full-factory prototype racing. Its IMSA GTP programs in the 1980s, first with a front-engine car and then a rear-engine machine, along with a brief effort for Ford Europe in the WEC on a similar timeframe, a short Multimatic-led Daytona Prototype effort at the dawn of the DP formula, and a deeper engagement with Meyer Shank Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing during the second-generation DP era comprise most of the brand's forays outside of GT-based endurance competition.
In returning to Le Mans, where Ford won on debut in the GTE class with the GT model in 2016, the American auto manufacturer will chase overall victories at the world's largest international motor race.
The formal announcement, made in North Carolina, also included attendees from IMSA, where the new Ford LMDhs are expected to join the GTP class a year or two after the 2027 launch in WEC's Hypercar category.
'It is wonderful news to welcome Ford back to the top level of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in almost 60 years,' said Automobile Club de l'Ouest president Pierre Fillon, who runs the event. 'It is a brand that has always had a close affinity with this very special race, and history shows that Ford does not compete to finish second. The renewal of its famous rivalry with Ferrari is truly an exciting prospect.'
Story originally appeared on Racer
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