Today
Ford Chip Ganassi Racing announced their driver line-up for the
all-new Ford GT in the World Endurance Championship.
Ford
will be running two cars in the 2016 WEC and two in the Weathertech
SportsCar Championship in the USA. The intention is to race with
both teams at Le Mans in June to create a four car assault in the GTE
Pro class during the Le Mans 24 Hours, exactly 50 years after Fords
historic 1-2-3 win. The battle in the GTE Pro class will be fierce
this year with the likes of Ford, Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari and
Corvette battling it out for victory.
Marino
Franchitti, Stefan Mücke, Olivier Pla and Andy Priaulx will race the
Ford GT in the WEC, Richard Westbrook, Dirk Müller, Joey Hand and
Ryan Briscoe will contest the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Stefan Mücke will also race at the Daytona 24h at the end of this
month, sharing the car with Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook.
Chip Ganassi, owner of Ford Chip Ganassi Racing said to be excited to be at the team HQ in the UK to launch the WEC team. "Just like when we announced the Ford GT drivers for the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship last month, we've again chosen drivers with heart, speed and proven endurance racing credentials. It's a global team running in two championships and I can't wait for the racing to begin."
WEC Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team principal - Multimatic's George Howard Chapell - has already led a team to victory at Le Mans on three occasions. "It doesn't get ane more competititve than the Le Mans 24 Hours but that is what makes winning so special", said Howard-Chapell. "Everything has to be perfect and even then you still need luck on your side to cross the line first. The Ford GT has been built to return to Le Mans and these four drivers all know what it takes to compete against the toughest competition in the world."
Introducing
the WEC Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Drivers
Marino
Franchitti is part of a family where performance is hard-wired into
their DNA. He won the 12 Hours of Sebring with Chip Ganassi
Racing-Ford in 2014 -- Ford's first overall win there since 1969.
“From
my first test in the Ford GT I fell in love with it and just wanted
to drive it more and more. It’s incredible to be part of Ford’s
return to international GT racing and to go to Le Mans 50 years after
Ford’s first win there will be extremely special.” Franchitti
said. “The car feels great to drive; the new LM GTE rules certainly
move the performance of a GT car to new levels and Ford and their
partners have built a fantastic car.”
Stefan
Mücke is a proven race winner. The German has competed in the GTE
Pro class of WEC since the series’ formation in 2012, and knows the
World Endurance Championship inside and out.
“I’m
very excited to be part of such a great programme, especially with
the history that the Ford GT has at Le Mans,” Mücke said. “Le
Mans is a very special race for every driver. It is the one that we
all want to win because it is such a difficult thing to do. I have
come close in the past and now I hope that with Ford we can go all
the way.”
Olivier
Pla is one of sportscar racing’s best-kept secrets. The quiet
Frenchman is known for his incredible car control and knows what it
takes to win at the highest level.
“It's
a huge honour for me to represent Ford -- the Ford GT is a very
special car and it is a privilege for me to drive it. The level of
competition is going to be incredibly high in WEC and I can’t wait
to race. Personally as a Frenchman, lining up at Le Mans as a Ford GT
driver will be something very special.”
Andy
Priaulx is a triple World Touring Car Champion who has won the
Nürburgring 24 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours, and stood on the podium
at Le Mans.
“A
new project is always exciting but for me to be driving for Ford in
the WEC is just on another level,” Priaulx said. “I can’t wait
to get behind the wheel of the car and start the preparations for the
season. Any motorsport fan will remember the iconic Ford GT40 cars of
the past, and for me to be part of this programme 50 years after
Ford’s historic win at Le Mans is such a privilege.
Kristof Vermeulen.
