Last year, for his last-minute debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Tony Kanaan was feeling mixed emotions given the circumstances. "I had a heavy heart last year when I replaced Sébastien, he deserved to be at Le Mans where he's from." Sébastien Bourdais adds: "Tony is a friend, and we had already talked about doing Le Mans together after I won LMGTE Pro in 2016. Doing the 24 Hours was one of his goals. When I was in the hospital after my accident, it just made sense for him to replace me given his long relationship with Chip Ganassi (Kanaan represented Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar from 2014 to 2017, Ed.). He wanted to learn more about the organization of the race and the team, about Ganassi's program with the Ford GT, as well as other details, like the pitfalls of the track."

Having participated in the race in 2017, Tony Kanaan was a part of the 50th anniversary celebration for Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt's win with the Ford Mk IV, with Foyt making the trip to Le Mans for the occasion. "And now, A.J. Foyt is my boss in IndyCar," laughs Kanaan. "Doing Le Mans last year was something I really wanted at this stage of my career." After the 2016 edition that culminated in an LMGTE Pro class win for the Ford GT driven by Sébastien Bourdais and teammates Joey Hand et Dirk Müller, Ford's 2017 edition proved more challenging. "It was very different compared to 2016 and Tony didn't have as competitive a car as I did," admits Sébastien Bourdais. "But he loved the race and I think it will always be a great memory for him, even though things were complicated from a performance standpoint."

At this year's 24 Hours, Tony Kanaan will share the #67 Ford GT with Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell, and Sébastien Bourdais will team up with Hand and Müller at the wheel of the #68. On 27 May, both were favorites at the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500, but were forced to retire. Had one of them won the legendary single-seaters race, would it have affected his relationship with Ford at Le Mans? The question made Tony Kanaan smile: "If he had won at Indianapolis and I at Le Mans, it would have made a great year for us both! And now here we are at the 24 Hours together. Harry (Tincknell, Ed.) and Andy (Priaulx, Ed.) have been wonderful to me, they're fast and easy to work with."

Sébastien Bourdais is aiming for a second win in the LMGTE Pro class this year for his race at home: "I've spent less time in Le Mans since we moved to the U.S. (he currently resides in St. Petersburg, Florida, Ed.), but it's still my hometown with a lot of support over the years. It's always fun to go home."

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, DRIVER AUTOGRAPH SESSION, TUESDAY 12 JUNE 2018. In LMGTE Pro, Tony Kanaan (at left) and Sébastien Bourdais will take the wheel of the #67 and #68 Ford GTs respectively.