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Ford Targets Overall Win at Le Mans in 2027, Will Use IMSA to Prepare
Ford is going for it, the biggest win available in sports car racing—an overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
The company announced Thursday night that in 2027, it will challenge some long-established teams and race cars by fielding a full factory effort in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class, aiming at its first overall Le Mans victory since 1969, the final win of four straight for the Ford GT40 sports car.
Much has changed since then; in 1969, heavily-modified production cars like the GT40 and the Ferrari 250LM, which won overall in 1965 and was the last Ferrari to do so until 2023, were fast enough to outrun every other car in the field.
Now, those GT cars compete against each other for class victories. While a class win is certainly respectable, it’s the overall win that drivers and teams and manufacturers covet most, and those victories go to the extreme prototype racers that are built by hand, and often share little with the manufacturer’s street cars. In Ferrari’s case, that 2023 overall win was taken by the 499P, with “P” standing for prototype.
To win overall, Ford must build an all-new car, and that’s what was announced Thursday.
The company confirmed the rumor at its second annual, one-day Ford Performance season preview, held in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s a gathering of drivers and teams that participate in most every professional motorsports series that Ford is involved in. The event previewed the 2025 season for all those series.
Multiple lesser announcements were made, with the new Hypercar news saved for last. A press release that frankly raised more questions than it answered was distributed with the announcement.
“Ford Performance will lead the charge with a full factory team entering FIA WEC with the aim of once more taking on the sport’s most demanding race—the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” the release said.
For comment, the company turned to Bill Ford, the executive chairman of Ford Motor Company: “We are entering a new era for performance and racing at Ford. You can see it from what we’re doing on-road and off-road. When we race, we race to win. And there is no track or race that means more to our history than Le Mans. It is where we took on Ferrari and won in the 1960s. It is where we returned 50 years later and shocked the world and beat Ferrari again. I am thrilled that we’re going back to Le Mans and competing at the highest level of endurance racing.”
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Those of us looking for details, well, there weren’t any. The biggest surprise is that the press release only talks about a WEC program. What about IMSA? Will the new car be racing here? Hagerty managed to confirm from an impeccable Ford source that yes, IMSA will also get the as-yet-unnamed car. We’re guessing it will debut at the IMSA Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in January of 2027, then race at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. The 24 Hours of Le Mans will run in June 2027, and Ford will need to test the car under conditions comparable to Le Mans, meaning Daytona and Sebring.
So who will be the chassis manufacturer? Ford has been very close to Multimatic, and has trusted the company with handling some high-profile engineering assignments. But rumors suggest Ford may look around, to, say, Dallara and Oreca, before making the choice.
And what engine? Ford’s last attempt at full prototype racing, with Chip Ganassi and Michael Shank, used the 3.5-liter V-6 with twin turbochargers. But the company has been getting a lot of mileage from its 5.0-liter V-8. How important is the engine? Not that critical. It only needs to make a reliable 600 horsepower or so in the interest of a level playing field in the class: Mazda used to do that with four cylinders. We’d prefer the V-8, because it sounds so good.
Drivers? Ford would probably promote some from the Mustang GT3 program, and pick up the rest from competing teams and even competing series. News of another fully-funded factory team is big news among drivers.
And who would run it? Chip Ganassi has a history with Ford, and he won a lot of sports car races with them. Ganassi no longer has a sports car team; at age 66, he may not want one. Michael Andretti, 62, invisible since being broomed from his own Formula 1 program, is reportedly enjoying his time off, but by 2027, may be ready for a new challenge. Aggressive Trackhouse, which started in NASCAR, is diversifying, and Ford likes them.
At any rate, IMSA and the WEC will be getting a new manufacturer to join their top-tier class: It’s called Hypercar in the WEC, and GTP in IMSA. It’s difficult to predict who the competition will be in 2027, when Ford joins the fray: Right now, in IMSA, it’s Cadillac, Acura, Porsche, BMW, Lamborghini, and beginning at Sebring, Aston Martin and its sweet-sounding Cosworth V-12. At the 2024 Le Mans, add Ferrari, Toyota, Peugeot, Isotta Fraschini and Alpine. In 2026 (WEC) and 2027 (IMSA) add Genesis. McLaren and Mercedes are also good bets for 2026 or 2027.
That, sports fans, is a whole lot of manufacturer muscle. As FIA Endurance Commission President Richard Mille said in response to Ford’s announcement: “Ford and endurance racing are a perfect fit, as has been proven time and again. Endurance racing’s golden age is right here, and right now!”
Yea the V-8 sounds so good but Cadillac has that covered and the Aston Martins V-12 may usurp them in the raspy decibel range. The throwback ‘heavy metal thunder ‘ return to LeMans thing may play but the Coyotes reputation has been established. Farley said he’d like to see people buying smaller more efficient cars. Prove it. Acura/Honda runs a 2.4 turbo V-6 , I’d applaud Ford running a version of the 2.3 EcoBoost almost regardless of result. As you said Mazda did it. The ad would read – ‘ Our base engine’ – or something like that.
Glad to see Ford taking on the challenge of Prototype Sport car racing! Even better is they are attempting this when ever other top line manufacture is competing. Wish them all the best!
If this results in more sporty rwd Ford’s and/or better reliability of their cars I would be happy. One can dream.
It’s difficult to predict the motive power. That said, it’s clear that Ford’s primary focus will be Le Mans overall, as noted. To me it would seem counter-productive to get distracted by entering IMSA prior to that 2027 Le Mans debut. If race schedules for 2027 mimic 2025, Ford will have the WEC prologue and WEC races at Qatar, Imola, and Spa to test and prepare in the lead-up to Le Mans under WEC rules. IMSA variables for BOP adjustments, torque sensor parameters, and operational protocols could be a distraction to the focus of their effort. Ford should wisely get the cars and team sorted under WEC regulations, attack Le Mans, then expand the effort to IMSA the following year, if they choose.