24h Le Mans
From one driver in the IndyCar Series - American single-seaters championship - to another. Tony Kanaan, winner at the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona, will replace Sébastien Bourdais, injured during qualifying at the Indianapolis 500, in the #68 Ford GT at the 85th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 17th and 18th.
Unfortunately, Le Mans native Sébastien Bourdais will be unable to defend the crown he won last year in the LMGTE Pro class (with Joey Hand and Dirk Müller) as the former official Peugeot driver suffered several pelvic fractures in a stunning accident during qualifying at the Indianapolis 500.
One of his counterparts, Tony Kanaan (fifth last Sunday at the Brickyard) will replace him in the Ford GT and participate in his first 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Brazilian driver, IndyCar Series champion in 2004 and winner at Indianapolis in 2013, has never hidden his desire to compete in the 24 Hours, and now it's about become a reality.
Though he's new to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Chip Ganassi Racing team member in single-seaters shared the wheel of the Ford GT, developed by Chip Ganassi's men, at the Rolex 24 at Daytona this past January with Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell. He clocked the third best time in the GTLM class (LMGTE Pro in the U.S.) behind two Ford drivers.
Tony Kanaan will reunite with another major player in the IndyCar Series, third in his class at Le Mans last year, Scott Dixon with whom Kanaan won at Daytona in 2015, but this time the two men will compete as rivals on the track since the New Zealander and four-time IndyCar champion will join Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook in the #69 Ford GT.
Photo (Copyright - Ford): Tony Kanaan will debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Ford after having competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona back in January.
