Ben Keating returns to the WEC at home, and with Ford

At 53, Keating obviously wanted to be part of the celebration for the return of WEC in Austin, four years after the last event organized on the Circuit of the Americas. But the man who is today a formidable bronze-categorized pilot was not there, and we have to go back to 2019 to find any trace of Ben Keating on a list of COTA entries. It was during the annual 24-hour race held in Texas… which he simply won. Additional motivation to get back behind the wheel next weekend.

“It was the first time I won an overall race, and also the last time I raced in Austin. I always like circuits that like me and COTA is one of the ones where I have had a lot of success”, explained the gentleman driver to the official WEC website. Originally from Texas, Keating was initially worried about missing his home round of the world championship. Fortunately, the opportunity presented itself to slide into Proton Competition's No. 88 Ford Mustang. “Christian [Reid, team principal] sent me a message asking if I wanted to take part at the end of the season. I told him that wasn't possible, but that I would love to race COTA if the opportunity existed. This is how we did it. »

Keating and Ford, crossed trajectories

Giorgio Roda initially occupied the bronze driver's place, mandatory in GTE Am, for the first four rounds of the season before being replaced by driver-owner Christian Reid in São Paulo. For Keating, driving a Ford is a return to his roots, having grown up with the blue oval brand, and having also represented it in competition. “I have a very good relationship with Ford. I grew up working at a Ford dealership and raced at Le Mans in 2019 in a Ford GT. I'm tempering my expectations for what we'll be able to do with the car, but that doesn't dampen my excitement about driving it. I don't expect to get in this car and dominate it, but it will still be fun to be in it. »

Ben Keating will therefore return to the GTE Am category on this occasion, a few months after winning the title in another legendary American car, the Chevrolet Corvette. Keating, Ford and Austin, you can't make a more American cocktail than that...

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