Posted on 06/19/2016 12:43:28 PM PDT by MtnClimber
#68 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT of Sébastien Bourdais, Joey Hand and Dirk Müller takes victory in LM GTE Pro category
Le Mans, France, June 19, 2016 – The #68 Ford GT of Sébastien Bourdais (FRA), Joey Hand (US) and Dirk Müller (GER) crossed the finish line at Le Mans at three o’clock on Sunday, as the overall GT winner of the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours. The #69 Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe (AUS), Scott Dixon (NZ) and Richard Westbrook (GB) joined the winners on the podium after scoring third place. The #66 and #67 Ford GTs finished in fourth and ninth places respectively.
“This is an historic moment for the Ford Motor Company,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “We dared to dream that we could return to Le Mans, 50 years after the incredible 1966 win, and take on the toughest competition in the world. The pride we all felt when the Ford GT crossed the line at Le Mans is indescribable. The team that designed, built and raced the Ford GT has worked tirelessly to bring us to this result and I am proud of each and every one of them. The Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team demonstrated the spirit of Ford, that of innovation, determination and true teamwork. We cherish our history and heritage, but today we made history again and I couldn't be more proud.”
It’s an unbelievable feeling to be able to make this happen, Sébastien Bourdais
It was a big Ford-Ferrari battle with a Ferrari 488 finishing second. A great race!
I drive a 2015 Mustang Turbo w/ Echo-Boost and I love it. Fast as lightening and handles extremely well. Best car I ever had.
Excluding the 1969 351 Mach 1 Mustang my dad owned. That was a piece of art. In 1980 it only had 600 miles on it. It was an amazing car.
I am so tickled to see FORD GT win Lemans.The Ferrari had a penalty and may have to give up the second place finish which would give FORD a one,Two,Three finish just like 50 years ago.That would be incredible.
A Ferrari penalty for the scoring lights not working on the right side of the car right at the very end of the race would be a pretty lame penalty though.
They will probably let it slide just to avoid the resulting scatstorm that would surely follow.Next year Ford can beat’em 123.
Wasn’t that big of a Ford fan until they DID NOT take government bail-out money. Bought nothing but Ford’s since.
There are probably earthquake warnings all across Italy as Enzo Ferrari rolls over in his grave. Too bad he isn't still alive today. I would have loved to see the fit he would have thrown. He must really hate those Ford GTs.
surprised 67 finished
First On Racing Day.
As one of the posters on Jalopnik noted, that is possibly the "Frenchest" penalty ever. However, it was being done across the board - one of the Ford GTs was called into the pits during the night to correct a minor lighting issue.
Yep - and given the fact that the 67 car had gearbox trouble while still in the starting lineup, it's amazing that all four finished the first time out.
He probably didn't use his turn signal.
Exact same reason I won’t buy GM again. However, I must confess that the Chevy Suburban we rented last week in Denver for our family trip in the Rockies was very nice. It was really underpowered with six adults in it, but that was at 11,000 feet. The six speed transmission had some really weird behavior shifting from 2nd to 1st and hunted a lot, so I had it in manual most of the time. Unfortunately, Ford stopped putting V8s into the Expedition a couple years ago and their V6 just doesn’t work or feel that well in the new Expeditions.
What a beautiful sight! I can’t wait to see it in person on a track.
Been drooling over the GT since its introduction in 1966.
And for those who didn't know, the 40 stands for the height of the machine in inches. I'm 6' 2", but would be willing to sacrifice any and all creature comforts to drive one for an hour!
Eco Boost. Ha! Ford is doing a hell of a good job making up for that marketing name disaster.
They can rename it Lemans Boost now.
The LMP2 Oreca or Alpine badged Orecas use spec engines. The ones that run in the US IMSA series use large block Chevy crate engines. Those cars are around $500K with no spares or other race support equipment.
A car like a Porsche 911RSR race car can be bought from the factory for just over $1M.
When I see a wreck it makes me flinch after knowing the prices.
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