Ford assembles dream team for WEC Hypercar attack in 2027

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Bill Ford and Jim Farley on stage during the Ford Performance season launch.

World Endurance Racing is entering its golden era thanks to a set of technical regulations that have made the sport financially inviting to myriad manufacturers, including Aston Martin, Porsche, Toyota, Cadillac, Alpine, BMW, and Peugeot in the front-running Hypercar class. This is a far cry from 2017 when only Toyota and Porsche contested the overall win at iconic races like Le Mans.

The recent attention and growth hasn't gone unnoticed by Ford Performance, who have been on their own motorsport quest lately, expanding their CV with participation at Dakar, Mustangs in GT3 racing and upcoming Formula One partnership with Red Bull's Formula One team.

As of 2027, Ford Motor Company will return to the top tier of prototype sports car racing, hoping to recapture its previous success, which dates back to 1966 and 1969 when Ford secured four consecutive overall victories at Le Mans with the GT40.

In the hours leading up to this year's Le Mans race, Ford announced its chassis partner, ORECA, and its programme lead, Dan Sayers, as the WEC Hypercar Program Manager. Sayers will join the Ford team from his current role as Program Director at Red Bull Ford Powertrains.

Class rules mandate that one of four manufacturers supply the chassis on which Ford can build its contender for the top step at Le Mans. With ORECA on board, the recipe for success is in good hands: ORECA has won ten of the last races at Le Mans and provides the chassis to three major manufacturers, including Alpine, in the same category.

"Bringing Ford back to the top class at Le Mans has always been a dream for many of us, including our Executive Chair Bill Ford," said Ford Motor Company president and CEO Jim Farley.

"To partner with ORECA is a proud moment for Ford. We are returning to Le Mans to win and aren't keeping that a secret. It will be exactly 56 years since we last took the top step of the overall podium on Sunday. That is long enough. In 2027, we are coming with the same level of expectation, and we are entrusting ORECA to help us take on Ferrari and the other top-class teams as we did in the 1960s."

"The chassis partner and the programme head for any major factory programme are foundational elements," said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance.

"ORECA and Dan Sayers give us the right platform to build this entire programme. We have all been working closely since these decisions were made, and every step has proven correct. We are two years away from sitting on the grid at Le Mans with our Ford WEC Hypercar programme, and we now have two of the key building blocks for a successful return to prototype racing at this great race."

Ford's next motorsport undertaking will be with the electrified Mach-E - dubbed Super Mach E - taking on Pikes Peak on 22 June.