Ford hopes this Hypercar will be its next Le Mans winner
The American automaker returns to the top category of endurance racing next year.
Ford is optimistic that its upcoming Hypercar will secure the team's next overall victory at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. The still unnamed car underwent its first track test at the vibrant Paul Ricard circuit in Provence, France, where drivers Matt Campbell and Logan Sargeant began the crucial process of enhancing both speed and reliability.
Ford boasts an impressive record at Le Mans, having claimed four overall victories, leading the pack for four consecutive years. However, the last of these triumphs occurred in 1969 when a privately entered, albeit outdated, GT40 managed to outpace Porsche's formidable 917 on the German car's initial appearance. Ford rekindled its top-level endurance racing pursuits in 1982 with the C100 during the early stages of the Group C regulations, yet the car proved to be neither competitive nor dependable, ultimately leading to the program's discontinuation.
In 2016, a class win in the GTE-Pro category marked the first silverware for the company in 50 years since its initial win at Le Mans. With the surging popularity of the Hypercar category in both the World Endurance Championship and at Le Mans, Ford has shown renewed interest in competing in the fastest class.
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