Skip advert
Advertisement

British drivers Marino Franchitti and Andy Priaulx confirmed for 2016 Ford WEC programme

Ford GT race car to make its debut this January at Rolex 24 in Daytona

British drivers Marino Franchitti and Andy Priaulx will be joined by Frenchman Olivier Pla and German Stefan Muecke as Ford's 2016 WEC driver line up.

The four-man team will be driving the brand new Ford GT racing car in the 2016 World Endurance Championship, including the Le Mans 24 Hours. Two still to be announced drivers will join the team for Le Mans in June.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Franchitti and co will be driving the new GT on the 50th anniversary of Ford's win at Le Mans against Ferrari in the original GT40. Ferrari will be racing the new 488 GTE car, so expect plenty of rivalry again.

“Make no mistake, we are racing to win,” explained Dave Pericak, Ford Performance global director. “To compete at this level you need the best car, the best team and the best drivers, and we have selected Stefan, Olivier, Andy and Marino to drive the Ford GT to take on the best in the world.”

Marino Franchitti has already raced at Le Mans five times and is a 12 hours of Sebring winner, he also made an appearance in our 2015 evo Car of the Year test, which you can see here.

The Ford GT race car features a 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine, carbon-fibre composite chassis and redesigned aero to improve downforce and stability. It will make its competition debut at the Rolex 24 in Daytona, Florida this January with Ford and Chip Ganassi Racing.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The Nissan GT-R is finally dead after 18 years
Nissan GT-R finishes production
News

The Nissan GT-R is finally dead after 18 years

The Nissan GT-R has finally ended production, at over 48,000 units after 18 years on sale. It’ll be missed.
28 Aug 2025
Caterham Horse prototype 2025 review – new turbo engine keeps the Seven alive
HORSE powered Caterham
Reviews

Caterham Horse prototype 2025 review – new turbo engine keeps the Seven alive

Caterham needs a replacement for Ford’s out-of-production Sigma engine. Its solution is a 1.3 turbo from Horse. We drive it
28 Aug 2025
Four used BMW M cars for less than a basic new 1-series
Cheap M cars
News

Four used BMW M cars for less than a basic new 1-series

£32k will buy you a bog standard 2025 120 or a 552bhp M6, and many greats besides…
29 Aug 2025