To Surprise of No One, Ford Extends GT Racing Program
It would have been a surprise if Ford had announced that it didn’t plan to extend the Ford GT race program in the wake of its GTE Pro class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month. Less surprising was the actual announcement, confirming that Ford’s supercar will compete in IMSA and FIA WEC races through at least the 2019 season.
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“We wanted to make sure everyone knows that we are committed to sports car racing globally with WEC and IMSA,” said Raj Nair, Ford executive vice president and chief technical officer. “The stated goal of our Ford GT program was to win Le Mans, and we’re very proud that we were able to do that in our first year. To commit to a full, four-year assault on both the IMSA and WEC championships shows how serious we are about taking Ford GT racing around the world.”
At present, the program consists of a total of four Ford GTs. Two are driven in IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship competition, while the other two participate in FIA WEC. All four took part in June’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, with three taking podium finishes.
In addition to the success of the Ford GT at Le Mans, the IMSA program earned its first win in May at Laguna Seca. The FIA WEC team earned its first podium at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing second overall. The team of Billy Johnson, Olivier Pla, and Stefan Mücke are also the current standings leaders in the WEC GT Drivers’ Cup.
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