Ford GT

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing will enter two new Ford GTs into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The driver lineup of the men piloting the new race cars have been announced. Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook, Dirk Müller and Joey Hand will be at the wheel of the cars.

2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1966 Le Mans victory of the Ford GT-40. It was an important win giving the American automaker a victory over Ferrari which is why the GT-40 received the nickname, “Ferrari Killer”. It followed that up with another win at the famed 24 hour endurance race which cemented its place in history.

It is fitting then that the new Ford GT will compete in endurance racing. Unlike the original GT-40, the competition machine will be powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6.

The first of the two cars to race in the IMSA series will be the Number 66 card. Behind the wheel will be Dirk Müller and Joey Hand. The Number 67 entry will be piloted by Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook.

“We can’t say enough about how proud we are to present this group of drivers,” said Raj Nair, Ford Group Vice President, Global Product Development and Chief Technical Officer. “This goes straight to the heart of everything we do at Ford, and selecting the right drivers for the Ford GT racing program is just as important as building the car. We believe we have the best car, and now we have the best drivers to match.”

“What I look for in a driver first of all is heart,” said Chip Ganassi, owner of Ford Chip Ganassi Racing. “At this level, all drivers are fast. We want drivers that can work well with others. Drivers that have endurance car experience. Drivers that have been to Le Mans. All these things add up. It’s a team of drivers that act like they’ve been together for quite a while already.”