Ford has revealed its set of liveries for the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours, with each of the four factory Ford GT’s racing in the GTE Pro class due to run a special ‘celebration livery. It’s not all good news though from the ‘Blue Oval’, its announcement also revealing the end of its factory involvement in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Ford, which made its WEC debut back in 2016, will bow out of the WEC after three seasons (across four calendar years), next month’s Le Mans 24 Hours serving as its final race with its pair of Chip Ganassi UK-run GTs.
“In 2016, Ford returned to Le Mans to mark the 50th anniversary of our incredible 1966 win and we celebrated in the best way possible by winning the race,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company.
“To stand on that podium on behalf of the employees was a proud moment for me and I look forward returning to Le Mans this year to support the team as we approach our final race in this chapter.”
Ford will continue racing the GTs as a factory post-Le Mans, in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, it’s Chip Ganassi USA GTs set to finish the current season as it stands. Though it appears that Ford will stop racing as a factory in IMSA after the 2019 season too.
“The Ford GT was created to take Ford back to the world of GT endurance racing,” added Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.
“This factory Ford GT programme has been a great success for our brand and we have enjoyed the many challenges that have come our way during this four-year programme. Le Mans is not quite the end of the factory programme as we still have many more IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races to go in 2019.”
This news comes shortly after BMW revealed that it too will not return to the FIA WEC in the 2019/20 season, after just a single campaign with its MTEK-run M8 GTEs. It brings the likely number of factory-backed GTE Pro cars on the 2019/20 WEC entry down to six, with Aston Martin Racing, AF Corse and Porsche GT Team expected to continue racing with two cars apiece.
With new liveries, and after a Le Mans class win and six WEC class wins since the inception of the programme, Ford looks to exit the World Championship in style.
The #66 (WEC) Ford GT, which will be raced by Stefan Mücke, Olivier Pla and Billy Johnson will sport a black livery as a nod to the Ford GT40 of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon that won Le Mans with in 1966.
The sister WEC GT, the #67 of Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell and Jonathan Bomarito will celebrate the Ford GT40 that Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt drove to victory at Le Mans in 1967 with its livery.
Ganassi USA’s #68 Ford GT meanwhile, will run in the 2016 GTE Pro Le Mans-winning colours when it’s driven by Dirk Müller, Joey Hand and Sébastien Bourdais.
And the other IMSA GT, the #69 of Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook will be painted in the 1966 colour scheme, which came second in the Ford 1-2-3 finish that year, driven by Ken Miles and Denny Hulme.
The four factory cars will also be joined by a fifth Ford GT, racing in the GTE Am class with Keating Motorsports, running in previously-confirmed Wynns colours. Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Felipe Fraga will race the purple and orange example.
Before Le Mans race week, the Ford GT’s will be seen by the public track in their new celebration liveries this Sunday at the Official Le Mans Test Day.
