Ford will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with an all-new GT car in 2016, as part of a factory program that will also include a two-car GT Le Mans class effort in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Chip Ganassi Racing is expected to field a two-car GT-Le Mans entry for the entire TUSC season in 2016 as well as the Le Mans effort, with Scott Pruett and new team driver Joey Hand in the lead car.
The planned 2016 effort will mark Ford’s return to factory competition at Le Mans on the 50th anniversary of its first overall win in the twice-around-the-clock French endurance classic.
The race car should debut on track at the 2016 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. The drivers of the other team car aren't known, but could be sourced indirectly from Multimatic, the Canadian company that is apparently leading the development of the new race car. There is also speculation that the car could be homologated later as a GT3, making it appealing to potential Ford Racing customers.
Ford has a press conference scheduled for Monday, January 12 at the Detroit show, and the FIA's World Endurance Championship has a press conference scheduled for the following day.
