24h Le Mans
The American marque divulged on Friday at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans several aspects of its future involvement in Hypercar, namely that it will rely on ORECA for its chassis.
As announced in January, Ford will return to Le Mans and the FIA WEC in 2027. We have all been waiting for more details to emerge, including who is involved in the programme aimed to add a fifth win to Ford's list of accolades. Just a short distance from the Ford Chicane, and in front of a large audience of journalists, the American carmaker revealed more.
Dan Sayers was hand-picked to lead Ford's Hypercar efforts in the FIA WEC. Already a project director at Red Bull Ford Powertrains, he worked at Prodrive (Aston Martin Racing at the time) and at Ricardo where he helped design and develop transmissions, notably for LMP1. Sayer is the first key player in the organisational chart that will be completed in the coming months.
The principal announcement today addressed the American manufacturer's partnership with ORECA. Ford chairman and CEO Jim Farley and Ford Performance Director Mark Rushbrook were in attendance for the occasion, along with ORECA founder Hugues de Chaunac. The Frenchman was clearly moved and excited to contribute to Ford's return. Hughes de Chaunac: You don't say no to Ford! They are extremely hands-on and are very open to collaboration. They want to win. If something goes wrong, we have to say so. It gives us real responsibility. This is not always the case: some constructors do not ask us for this much involvement. With them, we have the closest possible connection. They want us to share everything.
The selected engine block – already defined – was not revealed and there are no further details on the design of the future Hypercar. De Chaunac: It will truly be a Ford. Can we expect a V8, the type of engine that allowed the marque to earn its four consecutive wins from 1966 to 1969? Or could it be a V6 like in the Ford GT that won the 2016 LMGTE Pro championship? Anything is possible. De Chaunac: As for the engine architecture, there's no problem. We designed our chassis from the start to be adaptable to several configurations.
For the overall design of the future Hypercar, perhaps it will modelled on...the Mustang. Jim Farley: We've always wanted to run production cars, as close as possible to production cars. In 2016, we created the Ford GT, but we originally wanted to enter a Mustang. So, while the Mustang LMGT3 is a major player in the category, and is clearly looking to win on Sunday, it seems plausible the future Hypercar will feature some of the same aesthetic elements. It's impossible to convert a road car into a Hypercar, but there will be a connection.
As a curtain-opener for the 2025 24 Hours, Mustangs will take the track for the Ford Mustang Challenge and even Farley himself is racing this weekend: I think it's great that we are racing at Le Mans the way an American brand should. During the first couple of laps, when we were all together, seeing the others on the Mulsanne Straight after Tertre Rouge — more than 30 cars — it was really an emotional moment for me. Seeing those Mustangs built in Flat Rock, Michigan, with manual transmissions, drivers warming up their tyres, it made us proud. We are doing something just the right way.
Ford currently boasts four overall wins at Le Mans, and remains the only American carmaker to win the race. This is a phenomenal achievement given the number of top-tier constructors from the U.S. to have competed over the decades. Chrysler and General Motors have made their mark in GT since the 2000s, with the occasional involvement in prototypes, and Briggs Cunningham was a pioneer, just as was Don Panoz in his time, adopting a disruptive approach and attempting to bring down Audi.
Ford's Hypercar programme leaders refer to the legacy of the 1966 and 1967 wins in particular. They were secured by Carroll Shelby's team, including the addition of the all-American driver line-up of Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt in 1967. The two subsequent wins in 1968 and 1969 with the Brit John Wyer at the helm, though legendary, will never have quite the same resonance. Farley: Bringing Ford back to the top class at Le Mans has always been a dream for many of us, including our Executive Chair Bill Ford. Dakar, Daytona 500, Daytona 24, Le Mans 24 — all those races are the pinnacle for us.
