A Historic Return to the Top-Tier
American automotive giant Ford will make its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s headlining Hypercar category in 2027 almost six decades on from its previous participation in the discipline’s top-tier, as it bids to recreate past glories.
Announcement at Charlotte Event
The news was announced by Ford Motor Company executive chair Bill Ford during Ford Performance’s annual season launch event in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the presence of some 2,000 guests and 50 drivers from Ford’s global motorsport activities.
Hypercar can now be added to the company’s impressive racing portfolio, as it gets set to join Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Genesis, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota in FIA WEC’s premier class in two years’ time – setting the scene for an unprecedented battle for world championship honours.
Ford V Ferrari
Indeed, Ford’s relationship with the world’s greatest race is enshrined in motorsport legend. After his offer to buy Ferrari was rebuffed at the 11th hour in 1963, Henry Ford II set his sights on ending the Italian manufacturer’s dominance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Against all odds, he succeeded.
Between 1966 and 1969, the Ford GT40 claimed four consecutive overall victories at the grandfather of endurance races, and the marque’s battle with Ferrari proved so famous it went on to inspire a 2019 box office hit movie.
Building on Recent Success
Since the GT40’s stellar run, Ford has focused predominantly on chasing class wins, triumphing in the LMGTE Pro division on the 50th anniversary of its 1966 success in 2016 – on the Ford GT’s maiden appearance at Le Mans – and more recently reaching the rostrum again last year as the Ford Mustang made its La Sarthe bow in LMGT3. The ‘pony car’ then made history for the brand once more earlier this month, clinching GTD Pro glory in the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Now, Ford is preparing to up the ante as it returns to the very highest level for the first time in more than half-a-century, with a Ford Performance-led full factory prototype effort in FIA WEC. A decades-old rivalry is about to be reignited…
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