Ford repeat 1966 win at 24 Hours of Le Mans
📷 © Luc Warnotte: 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.
As motorsport fans, we all remember the cruelest of endings at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Nakajima stopping #5 Toyota after the start/finish line entering its last lap as the leader, losing the overall win in the closing minutes.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.
The 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans was also the theatre of a new Ferrari – Ford duel 50 years after Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon crossed the finish line in the black and white #2 GT40 to take a victory for Ford over Ferrari.
4 Ford GT for the 50th anniversary of 1966 win.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: 4 Ford GT participate to 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.
2016 marked the 50th anniversary of that win, and Ford wanted to repeat it. To do that, Ford enlisted the help of Chip Ganassi Racing and Multimatic Motorsports to build and race a winning Ford GT with the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost in both IMSA and WEC championships.
Both teams were present at Le Mans with four lean, red, white and blue Ford GTs and today’s fastest LMDh drivers like Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Richard Westbrook, Harry Tincknell, Olivier Pla, …
Ford GTs dominate qualifications.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: #68 and 69 Ford GT in front row of 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.
The Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT qualified first, second, fourth, and fifth in class. Chip Ganassi Ford GT #68 and 69 were departing the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the first row of LMGTE Class. The domination was such that ACO took an unprecedented measure of changing the balance of power (BOP) rules just 24 hours before the race. Both Ford and Ferrari got weight added—11 pounds for the GT—and boost reduced.
Wrong debut for the Ford GTs
📷 © Luc Warnotte: #67 Ford GT pushed off the grid at 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.
Before the race even began, the #67 Ford GT had been pushed off the grid and back to its garage with a gearbox fault. It was eventually fixed but with a delay that took it out of contention for class honnors.
The cars pulled away from the grid behind the safety car as the rain was pouring. After 54 minutes (8 laps) the safety car pulled away with #67 Ford still in the pits.
Porsche takes the lead of LMGTE class.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Porsche #92 and 91 take the lead of 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.
After one lap of racing, the #66 and 69 cars slid around on the wet track. During the next lap, the lead #68 Ford fell back as the Porsches #91 and 92 took the lead ahead of the Ferraris #51, 71 and 82 as well as the Corvette #64.
Porsche and Ferrari abandon
As track was drying, #69 Ford GT came back in P2 behind Porsche #92, in front of Ferrari #51 and took the lead at lap 25 ahead of the three Ferraris and sister #68.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: #51 and 71 Ferrari 488 as well as Corvette #64 abandon.
When sun came out, the Porsches #91 and 92 started fading. Both eventually abandoned as well the #71 and #51 AF Corsa Ferrari 488s dropped out after 143 and 179 laps respectively. At lap 219, it was to the turn of GAVIN / MILNER / TAYLOR with Corvette #64 to abandon.
The Ford - Ferrari duel
The Ford/Ferrari matchup could continue with #82 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 swapping lead changes with the #68 Ford on an hourly basis. Ford #69 was following ahead of Aston Martin #95 and Ford #66.
The #67 Ford GT collided with one of the prototypes during the night, going for a spin but continuing.
By 8:30 in the morning, the Ferrari led the #68 Ford GT by just 13 seconds, with the gap increased to more than a minute as the GT was called in for a pit-lane penalty for a refueling infringement.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Ford GT #68 takes the lead with three hours to go.
The LMGTE Pro class race continued like that until Ford increased the pace and took the class lead with under three hours to go, the #68 car’s margin increasing as the Ferrari suffered an unforced spin.
Ford GT #68 repeat 1966 win.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Ford GT #68 Won LMGTE Class of the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Ferrari #82 ended second.
Dirk Muller brought the #68 Ford GT (co-driven by Sebastien Bourdais and Joey Hand) across the finish line under the checkered flag 10.2 sec. ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella managed to fend off the chasing #69 GT, denying Ford a 1-2 finish with Risi Competizione’s #82 Ferrari 488 GTE.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Ford GT #69 ended 3rd.
Ford #69 driven by BRISCOE / WESTBROOK / DIXON finished 3rd, 4.594 sec. behind Ferrari #82.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Ford GT #66 ended 4th.
Fourth place went to the #66 Ford GT driven by Billy Johnson, Stefan Mücke and Olivier Pla, one lap behind.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Aston Martin #95 ended 5th.
THIIM / SØRENSEN / TURNER with Aston Martin Vantage #95 ended fifth, 2 laps behind the winners.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Ford GT #67 ended 9th and last of LMGTE class
The #67 car driven by FRANCHITTI / PRIAULX / TINCKNELL was patched up to make it to the end of the race, albeit 78 laps behind the leaders.
Related articles:
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Sam Bird and Davide Rigon in the #71 AF Corse Ferrari took their second consecutive victory in the LMGTE Pro class after dramatic end for sister #51. Read here.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: The 6 Hours of Silverstone 2016 was special as It was the first WEC race for both Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK Ford GT. Read here.
