Le Mans 2016: Ford GT Chases & Passes Ferrari For The Lead!

Ford sent a ripple through the automotive industry when it unveiled the latest iteration of its legendary GT at last year’s North American International Auto Show. The mid-engined GT boasts one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any production car and the modernized styling updates made the car an immediate favorite among fans young and old. In conjunction with the road-going GT’s, Ford also built full-race versions of the car to compete in the 24 Hours of LeMans, and in a move than won Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA many new fans, they streamed the whole race live from inside the car, even including audio from the team’s radio communications.

The clip we’ve included shows a pretty significant moment in the team’s route to victory when driver Joey Hand, one of the three GT drivers, overtook the Risi Competizione Ferrari, Ford’s longtime LeMans rival. Hand followed the Ferrari while waiting patiently for an opportunity to pass, carefully doing so right around the 6:00 mark in the video. The GT, also driven by Dirk Muller and Sebastian Bourdais, would go on to take the checkered flag on the 50th anniversary of Ford’s LeMans win in 1966.

The new GT finished seventh at the 2016 24 Hours of Daytona, took the win at LeMans, then went on to win the 6 Hours of Shanghai and the 6 Hours of Fuji. The production version of the GT is powered by a twin turbocharged V6 that cranks out nearly 650 horsepower in a car that weighs just 3,054 pounds, pushing the car to a 205 MPH top speed while the mid-engine layout allows it to corner like it’s on rails.

Look for the Ford Chip Ganassi Team to continue to be a force to be reckoned with as the drivers get even more comfortable behind the wheel of the GT moving into the 2017 race season.