Four Ford GTs Set To Race Le Mans Again

Last year Ford brought the full might of its Ford GT racing program to France to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The all-out effort was put forth to celebrate the company’s historic 1-2-3 victory in 1966. The Ford Performance crew came away with the victory and this year they are set to attempt a repeat as all four cars will yet again compete at Le Mans.

“When we came to Le Mans last year there was a lot of pressure on the team to deliver a win to commemorate the Ford GT40 1-2-3 finish in 1966,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president of Global Product Development and chief technical officer, Ford Motor Company. “It was fantastic to win but we will not rest on our laurels. We return to Le Mans in June with another year of experience racing the Ford GT behind us, seven wins including the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours and the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona, and we can’t wait to compete again at this incredible event.”

Along with the announcement that the four GTs would be accepted to this year’s competition, Ford Performance announced that Brazilian Pipo Derani would join the already strong cast of Chip Ganassi Racing drivers for the historic endurance race.

“We are really looking forward to getting back to Le Mans with the Ford GT this year,” said Chip Ganassi, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team owner. “Although we came home with the win last year, I think we also learned a great deal about that race, the Ford GT and what it takes to compete for the win. I feel like we will be even better prepared this time around. In addition, we will also once again take four cars and 12 of the best racing drivers in the world so I can’t wait to get back there and defend our title.”

You won’t want to miss this 85^th annual race, which takes place on June 17-18, 2017.