As expected, a Ford spokesman confirmed what the company has been hinting as for months – that full factory backing for the Ford GT sports car racing program will be trimmed to partial support, as sponsors and privateer teams are being sought to continue the GT’s racing program.
Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Motorsports Performance had said earlier this year that the company was committed only to the end of this season in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship’s GTE Pro classes.
Ford announced in 2016 that the program would continue for three more years, with the possibility of additional seasons.
While that commitment won’t be extended, it doesn’t mean that Ford will abandon the GT racing program – it could be left in the hands of Ganassi Racing, which fields the IMSA cars, and/or Multimatic, which fields the WEC program.
One source said it is likely Ganassi and Multimatic will have dibs on continuing the programs, but the teams would need to find outside sponsorship. Lacking that, privateer teams could acquire the cars and race them.
The first example of that comes this year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where IMSA GT Daytona regular Ben Keating and his team will face the first privateer Ford GT in the GTE Am class, along with his regular co-driver, Jeroen Bleekemolen, and Felipe Fraga. Keating and Bleekemolen – along with Fraga at Daytona and Sebring – drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in IMSA.
Regardless, contracts are in place to keep the Ford GT in competition in the IMSA GT Le Mans class through 2019. Ford GT racers Dirk Mueller and Sebastien Bourdais are tied for fourth in driver points and Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe are tied for sixth. Ford is third in manufacturer points, behind leader Porsche and BMW. In 2018, Ford won the manufacturer championship by six points over Chevrolet.
Rushbrook has told Autoweek that he is continually reviewing the series and classes Ford participates in, and he has said that he is interested in Formula E, an all-electric version of rallycross, and even Prototype racing in both IMSA and WEC.
Becoming an engine supplier for IndyCar could also be a possibility, but a Ford spokesman told Autoweek last year that it was “unlikely.”
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