Chip Ganassi says effectively all of the GTE Pro outfits are sandbagging which is making the assessment of Balance of Performance a near-impossible job for the rule makers ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The Ford GT team boss is keeping a close eye on his four-car squad in the GTE Pro class as it looks to defend its category title won by #68 Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA car of Sebastien Bourdais, Dirk Muller and Joey Hand 12 months ago.

Race officials have held the option to tweak the Balance of Performance for each manufacturers up until the day before the 24 hour race, in order to assess the results of qualifying, but Ganassi fears it will remain a controversial factor in the run-up to the race.

"There are so many teams not showing all their cards so it is not easy to make an argument that you are racing as hard as you can when other teams are sandbagging," Ganassi said. "I think a lot of team owners have opinions on sanctioning bodies and the fact is I'll let them do their jobs.

"The teams this year are getting more competitive. The competition are making their own plans and organisations - there is no question the depth of competition in GTE racing is more than any other category."

Reflecting on his team's victory in Ford's maiden return to the Le Mans 24 Hours last year, Ganassi says it hasn't changed the projects objectives or structure as he repeats his respect for the quality of competition in the class.

"The win ranked right up there with some of our best and as it is so international it means so much more," he said. "Of course we planned to win but we never expected it because if you begin to expect to win every one you are going to be sadly disappointed.

"It took everyone by surprise and there were many more plans for the next steps if we didn't win in the first year at Le Mans, that would have been expected, but coming back and winning straightaway wasn't planned for. It is a good problem to have.

"They say the most competitive games attract the most competitive people. Winning in this category is very fulfilling both professionally and personally."