2016 is going to be a big year for Ford. In addition to its Ford GT supercar hitting the market, the American auto manufacturer has finally confirmed long-circulating rumors that they will be returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans to compete in the LM GTE Pro class with a car based on their production supercar.
When the Ford GT race car hits the Circuit du Sarthe next year, it will also mark the fiftieth anniversary of Ford’s GT40 podium sweep in 1966. “When the GT40 competed at Le Mans in the 1960s, Henry Ford II sought to prove Ford could beat endurance racing’s most legendary manufacturers,” says Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “We are still extremely proud of having won this iconic race four times in a row, and that same spirit that drove the innovation behind the first Ford GT still drives us today.”
The racing teams will be operated by Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates racing, respectively, with plans for each to field four cars in next year’s Le Mans, as well as running the full FIA WEC and Tudor United Sportscar Championship schedules. The Ford GT race car will make its competition debut next January at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Click through the gallery to see pictures of the Ford GT supercar and race car.
