From Henry Ford’s early racing exploits to the GT40’s historic Le Mans triumph, Ford’s motorsports story is packed with ambition, innovation, and competition. To celebrate 125 years of racing, Ford Racing has launched “You Better Win,” an eight-episode podcast that puts the people behind the Blue Oval’s biggest milestones in the spotlight.
Hosted by James Pumphrey, Vin Anatra, and Zach Redpath, the series premiered September 30, with new episodes released weekly. Produced by automotive, lifestyle, and technology media brand Speeed, the podcast takes its name from the three-word message Henry Ford II delivered ahead of Ford’s history-making 1-2-3 finish at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“What sums up motorsports better than that sentence?” Pumphrey asked. “That was the attitude of Ford Racing, especially in the performance era of Hank the Deuce (Henry Ford II), where it’s like no matter what you have to do, just go win.”
The story starts well before the GT40 took on Ferrari. The podcast traces Ford’s racing roots to Henry Ford’s 1901 victory over Alexander Winton, a pivotal win that helped secure the backing needed to establish Ford Motor Company in 1903.
Back To The Beginning
“It all started with a race car,” producer Jesse Wood said. “(Ford Archivist) Ted Ryan in a new video says that Ford Racing is older than Ford … I think it will come as a surprise to a lot of people, but it also goes to show just how intrinsically linked racing is with Ford.”
The series spans Ford’s involvement in Formula 1, NASCAR, off-road competition, and drag racing, exploring a motorsports footprint that reaches far beyond Le Mans.
“Ford has really touched every corner of motorsport,” Pumphrey said. “If there was someone racing a car at some point, Ford has been involved in it. … There really isn’t a type of motorsport that Ford isn’t only involved in but pretty influential in.”
Covering 125 years in eight hour-long episodes required some tough editing. The team focused on the people behind the milestones, with Ford’s Archives providing historical materials, including handwritten Le Mans testing logs.
“It was a challenge for sure to pick and choose what was going to make it,” Redpath said. “We focused on the people. That was ultimately like the filter that we ran everything through. …We would always opt for the story that featured a central person, character, or somebody at Ford who is particularly passionate about something and pursued it.”
To check out this people-driven look at the ambition, engineering, and competitive fire behind 125 years of Blue Oval racing, all eight episodes are available wherever you find your podcasts, as well as on the Ford Racing website and YouTube channel.
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