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WEC
Ford rejects the idea of returning to Endurance with a Hypercar
Ford's last presence at Le Mans dates back to 2019 with the Ford GT in GTE Pro. ©Ford Media
In 2026, Ford will return to Formula 1 by associating with Red Bull, and supplying V6 turbo hybrid engines. Also present in the World Rally Championship (WRC) with the English team M-Sport, the American brand is also refining a new Mustang for the GT3, GT4 and Australian Supercars categories.
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From then on, the idea of seeing the firm with the blue oval officially return to Endurance, as was the case between 2016 and 2019 in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in the GTE Pro class, has caught on with some observers. They will be disappointed: Ford is not interested in the Hypercar.
This was confirmed by Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, as well as Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motrosports, to the American site MotorTrend. “No, I don’t think we are interested in Prototypes at Ford”, said Jim Farley.
The American boss instead takes as an example “the GTD” en IMSA et “the GT”. “That’s where the action happens. » Enough to confirm the efforts that Ford is undertaking with the future version of the Mustang, presented in fall 2022 through a 3D video with a GT3 and GT4 version, in addition to the Supercars, the Nascar and drag racing.
“The prototypes in IMSA and WEC would add an element of electrification, but we are very happy with the electrification, both on the technical side and the marketing side, that we have in place. WRC with the hybrid Puma and soon in F1." In WEC as well as IMSA in the United States, a common hybrid system on the rear axle is mandatory for LMDh in the Hypercar class.
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The only prospect that could allow Ford to return to 24 Hours of Le Mans would therefore be located in the GTE category, which will be based on GT2024 vehicles from 3. Between 2016 and 2019, the official Ford GT program in WEC brought a class victory in La Sarthe in GTE Pro.
Medhi Casaurang
Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!
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