Not one, not two, not three, but four, FOUR Ford GT supercars will be competing this year at the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours. The Le Mans 24 Hours is grueling 24 test of efficiency, resilience, and speed. Vehicles may must not only be brilliant racing machines, but be able to handle divers driving environments (from racing tracks to closed-off public roads) without breakdowns. Fifty years ago in 1966, Ford took a sweeping victory on this intensive track. We can’t wait to see how they do this year.
Begun in 1923 and held annually since, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is test of endurance even more than speed, and represents one of the three legs of the Triple Crown of Motorsports (along with the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.
Ford GT Super Cars At 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours
The four Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs that will be competing in Le Mans this year are based on new Ford GT supercar. Each will be driven by a powerful and efficient Ecoboost engine, and outfitted with multiple features for lightweight endurance and flexibility. Carbon fiber wheels, Gorilla glass windshields, and cutting edge aerodynamic technology are only a new of the features that will allow the GT to fly down the track competing with the heavy hitting speedcar establishment. Le Mans is a place where names like Ferrari, Corvette, Porsche and Aston Martin are standard, and Ford holds its own as one of the most remarkable Performance players.
“I’m very happy that we can run all four Ford GTs at Le Mans,” said Chip Ganassi, owner of Ford Chip Ganassi Racing. “It will be a big challenge for us but one we are thrilled to undertake. We have prepared well and can’t wait to get the Ford GTs onto the track there and show everyone what they can do.”
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One of the best parts of this experience for the average Ford driver is that the technology and cutting-edge performance refinements that get fire-tested in the forge of races like 24 Hours of Le Mans eventually get integrated into other vehicle. We can expect that performance tweaks and advancements that we see only in supercars like the GT today will eventually be making their way into more standard Ford vehicles in the future (and not just elite performance ones like the 2016 Ford Focus RS).
The GTs Le Mans this year will be numbers 66, 67, 68, and 69. Final driver line-ups will be announced at a later date.
