Ford to return to Le Mans and WEC in 2027 in top category

If you saw the movie ‘Ford vs Ferrari’ which was released in 2019, you will know about the epic battle between Ford and Ferrari at the Le Mans 24-Hour races in the 1960s. It was based on a true story about Enzo Ferrari first rejecting an offer by Ford to buy his company – and insulting Henry Ford II as well. Greatly offended, the grandson of Henry Ford declared war with a racing program to beat Ferrari at Le Mans.

Up till the time Ford challenged Ferrari, the Italian racing cars had been dominant but then with its GT40 specially developed for the legendary endurance race, Ford captured 4 consecutive overall victories between 1966 and 1969.

The three Ford racing cars finishing the 1966 Le Mans 24-Hour race together. The team would continue taking the chequered flag in 1967, 1968 and 1969 with the GT40, ending Ferrari’s dominance.

Recapturing the magic and success
Since that time, Ford has focused on class victories, firstly in 2016 with the Ford GT in GTLM and more recently with the Ford Mustang GT3. In 2027, the automaker will return to the World Endurance Championship (WEC) – the top tier of prototype sportscar racing – with the aim of recapturing recapture the magic and success of Ford racing nearly 60 years ago.

Ford Performance will lead the charge with a full factory team entering WEC which as the 24 Hours of Le Mans as one of its rounds. Such ventures by large corporations require the support of the highest levels of management and with Bob Farley – a car guy and racer himself – as CEO, the program would certainly have gained the backing just like when Henry Ford II gave the order.

Over the years, Ford has been successful in endurance racing in other categories and its most recent success was in January this year when a Mustang GT3 scored its first global GT3 victory at the Rolex 24 event in Daytona.

“We are entering a new era for performance and racing at Ford. You can see it from what we’re doing on-road and off-road. When we race, we race to win. And there is no track or race that means more to our history than Le Mans. It is where we took on Ferrari and won in the 1960s. It is where we returned 50 years later and shocked the world and beat Ferrari again. I am thrilled that we’re going back to Le Mans and competing at the highest level of endurance racing. We are ready to once again challenge the world, and ‘go like hell!’” said Bill Ford, Ford Motor Company Executive Chair.

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Welcoming Ford’s return, Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest which organises the Le Mans race, said: “It is wonderful news to welcome Ford back to the top level of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in almost 60 years. It is a brand that has always had a close affinity with this very special race, and history shows that Ford does not compete to finish second. The renewal of its famous rivalry with Ferrari is truly an exciting prospect.”

LMDh/Hypercar category
No details of the racing car have been mentioned but it is expected that Ford would develop a brand new LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h car to compete in the topmost class. LMDh is a sports prototype category that competes alongside Le Mans Hypercar entries.

Unlike the 1960s, it wont be just Ford vs Ferrari but there will be at least 9 other áutomaker rivals in the LMDh/Hypercar category.

It won’t be just Ford vs Ferrari
By the time Ford puts its cars on the starting grid in 2027, there should be at least 9 other automakers who will be competing in the Hypercar class. Already racing are Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota, with Genesis also having announced its participation in 2027. So it won’t be just Ford vs Ferrari again.

“The company’s return to the highest level of the discipline is further validation of the success and appeal of the current Hypercar regulations. Endurance racing’s golden age is right here, and right now!” declared Richard Mille, President of the FIA Endurance Commission.

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