FORD GT TO MAKE JAPANESE DEBUT THIS WEEKEND

October 10, 2016 by Ford

◾First appearance in Japan for Ford's all-new ultra-high-performance supercar

◾#67 Ford GT to be raced by Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell

FUJI, Japan, Oct. 10, 2016 – The Ford GT will make its first ever appearance in Japan this weekend when the two Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GTs compete in Round Seven of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji Speedway.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship concluded recently with the #67 Ford GT taking the runner up spot in the driver's and teams' championship and Ford taking second place in the battle of the manufacturers.

With just three more WEC rounds remaining it is vital to score points at each round of the championship in order to finish the Ford GT's first season in the WEC on a strong note.

'It was great to see the IMSA Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team fight until the end at Petit Le Mans,' said Dave Pericak, Ford Performance global director. 'The second place finish is a fantastic way to end our debut season with the Ford GT in North America. We have three races left for the Ford GT in 2016 and we are going to give it everything we've got in Japan, China and Bahrain to finish off the WEC season.'

The #66 Ford GT will be raced at the '6 Hours of Fuji' by its regular crew of Germany's Stefan Mücke and Frenchman Olivier Pla. Currently in sixth place in the driver's championship, the duo will be on the hunt for the points they need to pull them up the order.

'I'm really looking forward to Fuji and to Japan,' Mücke said. 'It is a very interesting track and I really enjoy the culture of the country. Fuji is a challenging circuit as you have a very long straight, a high-speed middle section and a technical last section. Finding the right set up and compromise is one of the main targets during the practice sessions but I'm pretty sure the corners will suit our car. I can't wait to get out there and fight for a podium result.'

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In the #67 Ford GT, Britons Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell are also looking for a good finish to move them up from ninth place in the driver's championship standings.

'This will be my first time at Fuji but I've done my homework on the simulator,' Tincknell said. 'The first two sectors are quite high speed so that should really suit the Ford GT. It looks like a really flowing track and that should play to our strengths. I'm setting a personal target of three podiums in the last three races and obviously that starts at Fuji. We're going for the win absolutely but we need that consistency of three strong results to finish the season.'

The 6 Hours of Fuji takes place at 11:00 local time (04:00 CET) on Sunday, Oct. 16, with a 20-minute qualifying session getting underway at 14:00 local time (07:00 CET) on Saturday, Oct. 15.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 203,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company's core business includes designing, manufacturing, marketing and servicing a full line of Ford cars, trucks and SUVs, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. To expand its business model, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging opportunities with investments in electrification, autonomy and mobility. Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products and services, please 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, two cars 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 over 170 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, a Le Mans 24 Hours, 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. For more information log onto: www.chipganassiracing.com