FOUR-CAR LE MANS ENTRY ACCEPTED FOR FORD 50 YEARS ON FROM HISTORIC VICTORY

February 5, 2016 by Ford

◾All four Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs will compete at Le Mans in June, 50 years on from 1-2-3 finish in 1966

◾The Ford GTs will run numbers 66, 67, 68 and 69

PARIS, FRANCE, Feb. 5, 2016 - The organisers of the Le Mans 24 Hours, the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest), today confirmed that all four Ford GTs have received a place on the prestigious entry list for the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Fifty years on from Ford's famous 1-2-3 outright victory at Le Mans, all four Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs will compete for GTE Pro class glory at the world's greatest motor race, which takes place on June 18-19.

'It was great to see all four Ford GTs up there on the Le Mans entry list today,' said Dave Pericak, Ford Performance global director, who attended this afternoon's press conference in Paris. 'Newcomers are by no means guaranteed an entry, whatever their history or ambitions, so we thank the ACO for giving Ford the opportunity for a four car assault in June.'

The Ford GT racing car is based on the all-new Ford GT supercar, which is the pinnacle product of the Ford Performance division. With state-of-the-art aerodynamics, lightweight carbon fibre construction and a powerful and efficient Ford EcoBoost engine, the Ford GT has been built to go head-to-head with the GT establishment – Ferrari, Corvette, Porsche and Aston Martin – as they fight for victory in the ultimate endurance battle.

'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.'

The #66 and #67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing cars that run in the FIA World Endurance Championship will keep their race numbers for Le Mans. The two Ford GTs that run in the IMSA WeatherTechSportsCar Championship will receive new race numbers just for Le Mans: #66 becomes #68 and #67 becomes #69.

The configuration of the driver line-ups in the WEC cars will be announced at a later date, along with the identities of the third drivers for all four Ford GTs at Le Mans.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company based in Dearborn, Mich. With about 199,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company's core business includes designing, manufacturing, marketing financing and servicing a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs and electrified vehicles, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. At the same time, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging opportunities through Ford Smart Mobility, the company's plan to be a leader in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and data and analytics. For more information regarding Ford, its products worldwide or Ford Motor Credit Company, visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs approximately 53,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and approximately 68,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 24 manufacturing facilities (16 wholly owned or consolidated joint venture facilities and 8 unconsolidated joint venture facilities). The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.

About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams

Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, one car in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, two factory Ford GT's in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, two factory Ford GT's in the FIA World Endurance Championship and two Supercars in Red Bull Global Rallycross. Overall his teams have 18 championships and 170 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and six Rolex 24 At Daytonas and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Photo credit: Ford
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