Ford Motor Company’s [NYSE:F] new GT, in race car trim, made its motorsport debut back in January during the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The car, although quick, suffered from poor reliability and thus didn’t have a dream run for its first race.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of races and championship points ahead of us, including this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans where Ford and its racing partner Chip Ganassi Racing will enter four GTs. The French race is the highlight of the World Endurance Championship, which Ford is also contesting this year.
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This week, Ford revealed its driver lineup for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In addition to previously announced drivers Marino Franchitti, Stefan Mücke, Olivier Pla, Andy Priaulx, Ryan Briscoe, Joey Hand, Dirk Müller and Richard Westbrook, we’ll also see Sébastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Billy Johnson and Harry Tincknell take to the wheel of a GT at Le Mans. There will be three drivers for each GT.
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This year’s Le Mans race will run the weekend starting June 18. It’s the third race of the 2016 World Endurance Championship. The first race is the 6 Hours of Silverstone in the United Kingdom. It’s scheduled for April 17.
This is a particularly important year for the GT at Le Mans. It was 50 years ago that the original Ford GT40, the forebear of the modern GT, enjoyed an epic 1-2-3 finish at the French race. A GT40 would go on to win the race for the next three years.
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