Archive for the ‘2019 Press Releases’ Category

CUSTER WINS POCONO

Posted on: June 3rd, 2019
Location: post
LONG POND, PA – June 3, 2019 – Cole Custer won the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Pocono Green 250 in a thrilling overtime performance at Pocono Raceway. The No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang recorded its third win of the season.
“Congratulations to Cole, Tony, Gene, and the No. 00 crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Cole did an amazing job, chasing down Tyler Reddick and passing him on the final lap for the win. It’s such a privilege to be part of the Ford Performance team and help support these talented drivers with the power under the hood for the Ford Mustangs.”

After starting from the pole position on Saturday, Custer won the first stage of the race, on his way to leading a race high 58 laps out of the 103-lap race.

As a late race caution caused the race to go into overtime, Custer showed patience and maturity. Although, the No. 00 was passed on the restart, Custer made a veteran move, going low as Tyler Reddick took the final turn wide. Custer was able to pass Reddick on the inside, taking the lead and the checkered flag, .226 seconds ahead of Reddick, and clinching his first victory at the 2.5-mile track.

“We are hitting our stride,” commented Custer, when asked about the team in Victory Lane. “We have really fast cars and it is just a matter of doing it week in and week out and we have been doing it. We just need to keep going out there and execute.”

Ford teammates Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric also raced hard, to finish P3 and P7 respectively.
In the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series five Ford Performance drivers raced their way into the top-10; Brad Keselowski P2, Clint Bowyer P5, Joey Logano P7, Daniel Suárez P8 and Aric Almirola P10.
The NASCAR teams will head to Michigan to race the first of two races at Michigan International Speedway this season. Reference the full 2019 schedule on www.roushyates.com.

23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 361 WINS – 334 POLES!

CUSTER AWARDED WIN AT DARLINGTON

Posted on: September 3rd, 2019
Location: post

DARLINGTON, SC – September 3, 2019 – Cole Custer was declared the winner, Saturday night at Darlington Raceway, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips VFW 200. This marked the No. 00 Ford Mustang’s sixth win of the season for Stewart-Haas Racing and the ninth overall NXS win this season for Ford Performance.
“Congratulations Cole, Tony, and Gene,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It was great to see all four Ford Mustangs finish in the top-10 tonight.”
Custer quickly jumped to second on the opening lap of the final stage, but was running fourth when the yellow flag waved on lap 132 of the 147-lap race. The team pitted and the No. 00 was able to gain two spots on pit road to restart second for the 10-lap sprint to the finish. Custer would ultimately cross the finish line in second place, but was declared the winner after Denny Hamlin failed post-race inspection.
“We had a really good car there at the end of the race,” commented Custer. “I was able to run the bottom in 1 & 2 well enough to get a run on the leader, but was too loose in 3 & 4 to make anything happen. My guys got me out front on that last pit stop to at least give us a chance to compete for the win.”
All four Ford Performance drivers finished in the top-10, following Custer was Stage 2 and pole winner Ryan Blaney in P3 while Chase Briscoe finished P6 and Austin Cindric rounded out the top-10 in P10.
Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski posted a top-5 finish in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 Sunday night, at Darlington Raceway. Harvick finished P4 followed by Keselowski in P5. In addition, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard finished P6 and P9 respectively.
NASCAR returns to the Indianapolis Speedway this weekend where the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs will be locked in!

23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 373 WINS – 348 POLES!
* Photos courtesy NASCAR Media & Ford Performance

TEAM PENSKE & FORD PERFORMANCE FINISH 1-2 AT LAS VEGAS

Posted on: March 4th, 2019
Location: post
LAS VEGAS, NV- March 4, 2019 – It was a 1-2 Team Penske finish, as Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski finished first and second in the Pennzoil 400. Logano recorded his 22nd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win, in the No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang, as he took the checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time.
“The cars are fast, we showed it last weekend and able to show it again this weekend,” Logano commented in Victory Lane. “Roush Yates’ motors, this is a big motor thing now. You’re on the gas so much, you don’t lift for the most part, you lift a little bit, that horsepower under the hood is a huge deal.”
“Congratulations Joey, Roger and Ford Performance,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Joey drove a great race today. The Ford Performance teams have started strong this year and we’re proud to be powering the new Ford Mustangs with Ford FR9 horsepower. It’s great to celebrate another win with Ford Performance and see Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Roush Fenway Fords finish in the top 10.”
The Ford Mustangs looked strong throughout the race with pole winner Kevin Harvick getting out to a fast start to win Stage 1 and lead the first 43 laps of the race. The Ford Mustangs went onto lead a total of 208 laps out of the 267-lap race by five different drivers; Harvick 89 laps, Logano 86 laps, Keselowski 17 laps, Daniel Suárez 12 laps, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 5 laps.
The No. 22 crew executed all day, putting Logano in great position to win Stage 2 and to contend for the win, but Keselowski would not go down without a fight. The No. 2 made a final lap charge and attempted to pass Logano on the last corner but could only get to Logano’s bumper. The teammates finished nose-to-tail, a mere .236 seconds apart. This win was the third consecutive win for Ford Performance in Las Vegas.
Team Penske is now the first team to secure two drivers in the 2019 Playoffs.

Five Fords finished the day in the top-10. In addition to Logano and Keselowski finishing 1-2, Harvick finished fourth with Stenhouse and Aric Almirola finishing sixth and seventh.
Cole Custer started from the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the 23rd Annual Boyd Gaming 300 and finished 9th while Chase Briscoe finished 8th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday.
The MENCS and Xfinity Fords will travel to the second stop on the west coast swing at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona this weekend to see if they can make it three in a row. Reference the full 2019 schedule on www.roushyates.com.

23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 356 WINS – 324 POLES!
*Images courtesy of NASCAR Media

WHERE HISTORY and DESTINY MEET – LE MANS

Posted on: June 12th, 2019
Location: post

LE MANS, France – June 12, 2019 – When the 24 Hours of Le Mans gets underway later this week (June 15-16) more than 50 years of racing history and destiny will meet once again for Ford Performance.

Ford and the Chip Ganassi Racing team will face their biggest rivals and compete on the world stage at Le Mans for the conclusion of the 2018-2019 WEC (World Endurance Championship) Super Season.

This is a race like no other, bringing the best manufacturers and drivers, from around the world, together to compete in this historic 24-hour endurance race. The Circuit de la Sarthe (also known as Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans) is 8.467 miles long, making it one of the longest circuits in the world, comprised of partial race track and public roads including, 38 turns and the epic Mulsanne Straight.  Drivers, teams, and equipment will be put to the test like no where else. This is where legends are made!
With up to 70% of the lap time spent on full throttle, seeing speeds up towards 190 mph (306 km/h) down to 60 mph (96.6 km/h), putting immense stress on engine and drivetrain components, the reliability and performance of the Ford EcoBoost engine is more critical than ever in this 24-hour environment.
Ford will go up against the best manufacturers in the world; Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Chevrolet, and BMW. The LM GTE Pro class will be packed with 17 cars and 51 of the world’s finest drivers. In addition, this year the Ford GT will also be entered in the LM GTE Am (amateur) class with the No. 85 Keating Motorsports entry.
To celebrate Ford’s success at Le Mans a special series of liveries were created to mark Ford’s “Au Revoir” (“until we meet again”) to its factory Le Mans program.

Each of the four factory Ford GTs will bear a livery that celebrates the success of the manufacturer at Le Mans, both past and present, representing historic wins and podium finishes in 1966, 1967, and 2016.
In the fourth year of its successful Ford GT race program, which has seen Ford Chip Ganassi Racing win Le Mans in 2016, finish runner-up in 2017, and third in 2018, the US manufacturer aims to reclaim the top spot on the podium once again to write their name in the history books.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans gets underway on Saturday, June 15 at 9:00 AM ET (15:00hrs CET).

Fans will be able to follow the race from inside the cockpit of the factory Ford GTs as Ford’s popular Le Mans Livestream returns for its fourth consecutive year. You can tune in at www.fordperformance.tv.
Don’t miss a minute of the action!

*All photos courtesy of Ford Performance

PARTNERSHIP EXTENSION | MITEE-BITE PRODUCTS & ROUSH YATES ENGINES

Posted on: September 5th, 2019
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC – September 5, 2019 – Roush Yates Engines announced today it has reached a multi-year extension with longtime partner Mitee-Bite Products LLC.

Mitee-Bite Products LLC., based out of New Hampshire, is a premier supplier and innovator of compact, low-profile edge clamps, and prides itself on finding solutions to challenging workholding applications. They have been providing innovative solutions and quality products to Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions (RYMS) since 2004 and became an official partner in 2015.
“Mitee-Bite is a great organization and their employees are their biggest asset,” said Todd English, VP Strategic Partnerships & Marketing at Roush Yates Engines. “They have been an invaluable partner to our team, creating innovative solutions and products to improve our CNC machining operations as our manufacturing facility has expanded into other industries where precision is paramount. They understand how critical it is to have parts machined within precise tolerances and within tight timelines. Now that we are machining parts for the aerospace and defense industries, as well as the motorsports industry, it is imperative that we meet our customer’s requirements and ship dates. There is simply no room for error.”
Mitee-Bites’ quality clamping systems have played a vital role at Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions with over 50 CNC machines, in a state-of-the-art 88,000 sq. ft. facility. RYMS utilizes Mitee-Bite products to produce thousands of parts for the aerospace, defense, automotive, and high-tech industries.
Roush Yates Engines relies on the repeatability and stability of Mitee-Bite’s products that assist in the production of over 40% of our engine components for the NASCAR Ford FR9 EFI V8, Ford EcoBoost V6, and the Roush Yates RY45 engines.
We recently implemented the Mitee-Bite’s Vacmagic® (VM300) product line. The vacuum chuck system allows for multiple fixtures while reducing overall set-up time. This workholding application is strong enough for industrial applications, but still operates off our own shop air. Competitive advantages like the Vacmagic, from Mitee-Bite, assist our constant pursuit of engine power and performance.
“Roush Yates Engines is a powerful, resilient, diligent, and tough family-based team,” commented David Bishop, General Manager at Mitee-Bite. “Doug and his entire team are driven by excellence and will stop at nothing short of perfection to produce the best possible product in an extremely competitive environment. We’re proud to be associated with Roush Yates Engines, it pushes our team to provide the strongest, most efficient methods to capitalize on all their machining capabilities. The rich heritage behind Roush Yates is as impressive as the present day and undoubtedly what the future holds.  We look forward to winning with them on and off the track!”
About Mitee-Bite Products LLC. 
Mitee-Bite Products LLC, located in Center Ossipee, NH, is the innovator of compact, low-profile edge clamps geared towards improving productivity and providing solutions for difficult work holding applications. Continually developing new products to provide customers with a wide assortment of high-density low-profile clamping solutions and assistance with clamping recommendations.Mitee-Bite Products takes great pride in producing products that allow customers to improve their processes by simple means. Through constant design and development, Mitee-Bite Products keep the spindle running, reducing idle spindle time, overall material cost and set-up time. Learn more about Mitee-Bite www.Mitee-Bite.com.

Ford’s WEC Super Season Resumes at Sebring

Posted on: March 13th, 2019
Location: post
  • Sebring Raceway in Florida to host the “1000 Miles of Sebring”
  • Round six of the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship is an eight-hour race into the night
  • Three more races to go in the 2018-19 Super Season: Sebring, Spa and Le Mans
  • 1000 Miles of Sebring gets underway on Friday, March 15 at 16:00 ET (21:00 CET)

SEBRING, FL, March 13, 2019– The Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team is going all out to claim the top results for the Ford GTs with just three races remaining in the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season.

New for 2019, the 1000 Miles of Sebring will see the WEC protagonists fighting for glory on the eve of the famous Sebring 12 Hour race in which the U.S. arm of the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team will compete.

“Sebring is another big weekend for Ford,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “To have both the WEC and IMSA Ford GTs together but competing in different races makes for an exciting event for Ford Performance. As always our goal is to win so I am hopeful that all the work that has been put in recently in testing will pay off for us.”

The #66 Ford GT raced by Stefan Mücke (GER) and Olivier Pla (FRA) sits in second place in the Drivers’ World Championships standings. Having taken two pole positions so far this season, the duo will be pushing for pole at Sebring. Joining them will be Billy Johnson (US) who returns to the team for the first time since Le Mans last year.

 

“Sebring is a unique circuit, complete with bumps and a track layout that is partly on an old airfield,” Mücke said. “We had the chance to test there in February which was important as it gave us the first indication of what we can expect and showed us the areas where we need to improve. I have good memories of Sebring; it’s actually one of my favourite tracks. The race will be a challenge as it starts in the afternoon and finishes late at night so there will be a big temperature drop, which affects the balance of the car and tyre choice. I can’t wait to get back in the car and get the season going again on a great track like Sebring.”

The #67 GT of Andy Priaulx (GB) and Harry Tincknell (GB) has had a bruising season so far and currently sits in eighth place in the standings. Both drivers are born winners though, and will be out to remind everyone of this, ably supported by a new teammate for Sebring, U.S. racer Jonathan Bomarito.

“Sebring is a great track that always produces a demanding and challenging race,” Priaulx said. “It’s narrow, bumpy and hot and there is never enough room for everyone so you need to keep your concentration levels high. I was fortunate enough to win the 12-hour race there in 2011 (as teammate to Dirk Müller and Joey Hand) and it is a special event where the fans create a great atmosphere. It’s a tough track in the dark. You have to limit your mistakes and push hard to be competitive there but that’s what we do, right?”

The 1000 Miles of Sebring gets underway on Friday, March 15 at 16:00 ET (21:00 CET).

*Courtesy Ford Performance

 

LOGANO WINS MICHIGAN WITH FORD PERFORMANCE

Posted on: June 11th, 2019
Location: post

BROOKLYN, MI – June 11, 2019 – Joey Logano won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, FireKeepers Casino 400 in a manufacturer’s shootout at Michigan International Speedway. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang recorded its second win of the season and Ford Motor Company secured the Michigan Heritage Trophy for the third consecutive race.
“Congratulations to Joey, Roger and the entire No. 22 crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Joey drove an amazing race, keeping the No. 22 Ford Mustang out front for the majority of the race! We say it all the time, but it’s true, it’s a privilege to be part of the Ford Performance team, to support Ford Motor Company and provide the power to these Ford Mustangs every week. To win the pole and race in Michigan, in Ford’s backyard, is extra special to achieve this for the Ford family.”
During qualifying on Saturday afternoon, the fast Ford Mustangs set the pace with 8 out of the top 10 qualifiers. Logano with Team Penske won the pole, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola P2, Kevin Harvick P3, and Clint Bowyer P5, Paul Menard in P6 with Wood Brothers Racing, Brad Keselowski P8 with Team Penske, Daniel Suarez in P9 with Stewart-Haas Racing, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in P10 with Roush Fenway Racing.
After starting from the pole position on Monday night, Joey Logano won the first stage of the race, proving the No. 22 would be hard to pass, on his way to leading a race high 163 laps out of the 203-lap race.
As a late race caution took the race into overtime, Logano proved once again to be the leader of the race in the two-lap manufacturer’s shootout. Logano took the lead on the restart and never looked back as he took the checkered flag .147 seconds ahead of Kurt Busch to clinch his 23rd career victory.
Ford Performance marked history once again, winning the first ever race at Michigan International Speedway in 1969 with Cale Yarborough (Mercury) and Wood Brothers Racing, and on the track’s 100th anniversary Joey Logano and Team Penske recorded Team Penske’s 70th cup win with Ford.

“It feels so good,” commented Logano, when asked about the win in Victory Lane. “Winning at Michigan means so much to Team Penske and Ford, being able to pull into this victory lane and see everybody means so much.  A day like that, you don’t get all the time, best car, best team, we executed perfectly all the way through and ultimately to bring this Shell Pennzoil Ford into victory lane. I just can’t thank everyone at the shop enough, everyone that built this thing Roush Yates Engines, Money Lion, SKF, everyone that helps out during this whole thing.”
“It is easy to say that the Mustang has dominated MIS this year so far,” commented Pat DiMarco, NASCAR Program Manager, Ford Performance when asked about the team collaboration in post-race interview. “Kudos to our teams, collectively and collaboratively for developing the Mustang, along with our Ford Performance aerodynamics team and of course Roush Yates Engines. That is a common denominator to our success here among all the teams. We have the best engine in the garage and that power under the hood is a huge part of our team successes.”

Six Ford Mustangs finished in the top-10. Following Logano was Suarez P4, Keselowski P6, Harvick P7, Ryan Newman P8, and Ryan Blaney P9.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series this past Saturday, Paul Menard started from the pole position and led a race high 56 laps before finishing P4, along with Ford Performance teammate Chase Briscoe in P7.
The Xfinity teams will head to Iowa this weekend to race on Sunday. Reference the full 2019 schedule on www.roushyates.com.

23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 362 WINS – 336 POLES!
*Photos courtesy of NASCAR media

BACK-TO-BACK FORD WINS AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY- HARVICK KISSES THE BRICKS

Posted on: September 9th, 2019
Location: post

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – September 9, 2019 – Kevin Harvick was the big winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the Brickyard 400. This was Harvick’s third win of the season and Stewart-Haas Racing’s 54th overall Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. In addition, this marked Ford’s second win in a row at the Brickyard (Brad Keselowski 2018).
“Congratulations Kevin, Tony, Gene, and the No. 4 crew” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Our Ford Performance teams were fast in qualifying as Kevin, Paul, Clint, and Joey qualified 1 through 4. To see the cars and drivers perform at the highest level in the sport is a testament to the team’s effort and determination to win. It’s special to be able to kiss the bricks two years in the row and congratulations to our Ford drivers advancing to this year’s playoffs.”
One of the world’s iconic racetracks and crown-jewel events in the sport proved to be the perfect match for Harvick, as he came out strong during Sunday morning’s qualifying, to secure the pole with a 48.448 second run at 185.766 mph.
Harvick led 119 laps (297.5 miles) of the 160-lap race and scored the Stage 2 win on his way to crossing the bricks to capture the checkered flag. This marked Harvick’s second career win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Stage 1 winner, Logano, came in second, making it a 1-2 finish for Ford Performance.
“Well, I know how much it means to everybody on our Mobil 1 Ford Mustang team,” commented Harvick in Victory Lane. “Just got to thank Busch beer, Jimmy John’s, Hunt Brother, Haas Automation, everybody at Stewart‑Haas Racing, all these guys that make this car go around, I know how much this means to really everybody, and this is a great engine package that Roush Yates has been to Victory Lane twice now, once at Michigan and the same engine here. That’s a huge credit to those guys and Mobil 1 for everything that they put under this car. Just can’t thank everybody enough. This is awesome.”
Six Ford Mustangs finished in the top-10 of the Brickyard 400. Following Harvick and Logano, was Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Clint Bowyer P5, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney P7, Roush Fenway’s Ryan Newman P8, and the Wood Brother’s Paul Menard in P10.
The MENCS Playoff driver field is now set with seven Ford Performance Mustangs making the field of 16. The Ford driver field is led by Harvick in P4, Logano P5, Brad Keselowski P6, Blaney P12, Aric Almirola P14, Bowyer P15, and Newman P16.
NASCAR returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend where the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs will be kicked off.

Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe posted a top-10 finish in Saturday’s Indiana 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Xfinity playoff field will be set in Las Vegas, Nevada this coming weekend. Currently Custer with six wins is currently ranked P3, Austin Cindric with two wins in P5, and with one win on the season Chase Briscoe is ranked P6.
23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 374 WINS – 349 POLES!
* Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media

 

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GTs Look to Add 12 Hours of Sebring to List of Major Race Victories

Posted on: March 15th, 2019
Location: post
  • Ford Chip Ganassi Racing IMSA series Ford GTs head to Sebring International Raceway for the historic 12 Hour of Sebring
  • With victories at Le Mans and the Rolex 24, the IMSA FCGR team would like to add Sebring to its list of historic endurance race victories
  • Sebring is round two of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship for the GTLM cars

SEBRING, Fla., March 15, 2019–In its three years of racing, the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing IMSA team has taken its Ford GTs to wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

But one historic endurance race has eluded them so far, and they would like to change that this weekend as the IMSA WeatherTech Championship heads to the historic bumps and turns of Sebring International Raceway for the 12 Hours of Sebring on Saturday.

“There’s no question this Ford GT program was designed to go out and win the world’s top endurance races, and we have done that for the most part the past three seasons,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.  “But we need to add the 12 Hours of Sebring to that list of race wins, and we want to do that this weekend.  We’ve had a very good test there in the last month, and we hope that carries over to this weekend.”

The current Ford GT team has been close, with the No. 66 Ford GT of Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller and Sebastien Bourdais finishing runner-up in the GTLM class in 2017, and the No. 67 Ford GT team of Richard Westbrook, Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon finishing fourth last year.

The combination of getting a car to handle over the bumpy surface of Sebring, along with the change from the heat of day to a cool Saturday night finish is always challenging for the teams.

The other big change for the 2019 version of the race is that for the first time, the FIA World Endurance Championship will host a 1,000-mile race on Friday evening, including Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s two-car European-based WEC team.

“Sebring is one of those historic races on the calendar that everyone wants to win, and there’s extra motivation for us because we haven’t won there yet with the Ford GT,” said Briscoe.  “It will be a little different having our Ganassi European Ford GT team there for the WEC race, so hopefully we can all work together to help each other with set-ups and input as they race on Friday.

“But at the end of the day, the 12 Hours of Sebring always comes down to race strategy and being in position to win those last two hours.  We fortunately have some of the best in the business in terms of drivers and strategists, so we feel like we’re going to be one of the teams to beat for sure.”

“Sebring is always a challenge not just because of the distance, but also because of how difficult the track is,” said Hand.  “We’ve done a lot of testing there and feel good about how those tests have gone, but you have to be ready for a variety of different weather and track conditions during the race weekend.

“One of the keys is having a car set-up that can adjust from daylight into the night, so that you’re fast when the sun goes down.  I do know one thing… this is an endurance race that has eluded us in the Ford GT program, and we want to change that this year.”

The 67th 12 Hours of Sebring begins Saturday, March 16, with coverage beginning at 10:30 am ET on CNBC domestically, IMSA.tv internationally.

*Courtesy of Ford Performance

FORD CHIP GANASSI RACING TO LEAD FORD EFFORT IN 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

Posted on: June 16th, 2019
Location: post

LE MANS, France –  June, 14, 2019 – The four-car factory effort from Ford Chip Ganassi Racing will start second, sixth, ninth and 10th in GTE Pro for the 87th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 2019 edition of the race features the final works entries of the current Ford GT program that began in 2016, a combined effort by Ford’s UK and USA-based teams.

Leading the quartet of Fords was the No. 67 Team UK GT at the hands of Harry Tincknell (UK), setting a lap time of 3:48.112, just .112 off the GTE Pro pole. The red & white No. 67 is a tribute to Dan Gurney and AJ Foyt’s 1967-winning GT40.

“I’m happy,” said Tincknell. “We’re on the front row at Le Mans. I’ve been so focused on this race all year and ever since the test day I have felt like I’m really in the rhythm. The car did everything I asked of it and if you think back to this time last year we were practically turning the car inside out between sessions, but this time we have a really solid platform. It’s a good race car and a good qualifying car and although it’s a shame to make a little mistake to miss out on pole, I’m delighted with second. All three of us are fast so we have a great chance ahead of us.”

Tincknell, who set the provisional pole in the first round of qualifying on Wednesday night before falling to second on Thursday evening, is joined by co-drivers Jonathan Bomarito (US) and Andy Priaulx (UK).

With a time of 3:49.116 set late in Q3, the No. 68 Team USA entry will start sixth as Sebastien Bourdais (FR), qualifier Dirk Müller (GER) and back-to-full-health Joey Hand (US) seek a repeat of their 2016 victory and their paint scheme is back to what the team ran during the win.

“I think we accomplished what we wanted today because we ended up P6,” said Hand. “We thought we would like be in the top-eight because you don’t want to get too deep in the field. This is a tough group of GTE Pro guys and cars. It’s a 24-hour race, but it’s a 24-hour sprint race now. We’d like to move it closer to the front early in the race. It’s so tough to get a clean lap in during the night here. To get one clean lap is so tricky. We did work on set ups to get a good race car today, so we think the pace of the car is there. The key thing for this race is still not to make mistakes. You still have to run a perfect race here to win.”

Starting ninth in class will be the other Team UK entry, the black and white No. 66 shared by Olivier Pla (FR), Stefan Mücke (GER) and Billy Johnson (US) that honors Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon’s 1966 victory.

“I did a qualifying run at the beginning of that last session but had to abort my quick lap when there was a slow zone,” said Mücke, who set the car’s top time of 3:49.511. “We worked on our race set up for the rest of the session before Olivier had another go at the end. Unfortunately, he caught traffic so we are starting somewhere in the middle but we know our pace is better than that. We will now review everything to make sure we maximize our race set up and to be as prepared as we can possibly be for the race.”

One spot lower on the leaderboard in 10th is the No. 69 Team USA GT driven by Ryan Briscoe (AUS) and Richard Westbrook (UK), as well as Scott Dixon (NZ), who qualified the car with a time of 3:49.546.

“It was a little frustrating,” said Briscoe. “I think we had a P3 time going early in the session, but we got caught up in traffic and never could get back to that in the night with the traffic and yellows and such. The car was strong on new tires, so it’s disappointing to be where we are because we had some speed. We need to work on the set-up a little more, but the important thing was the speed was there, and that was promising.”

The No. 69 pays homage to the 1966 second-place finisher of Denny Hulme and Ken Miles, which took part in the iconic 1-2-3 victory photo that helped amplify the tone for Ford’s Le Mans program.

Leading that program today is Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.

“We really worked today on getting the cars to be set up to race well come Saturday,” said Rushbrook, “You always want to qualify well, but it means less in a 24-hour race. Having a car that races well in long stretches is what these races are about. We have decent pace, but the secret to winning Le Mans is having a mistake-free race. We are excited. We will be ready.”

Also competing in Saturday’s race is the solo GTE Am Ford entry, the No. 85 Wynn’s GT of Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Felipe Fraga. The trio will start ninth in class.

*Courtesy of Ford Performance