As will we ever see a fourth iteration of this
venerable, iconic Sports Car on Racetracks around the Globe?
By now, especially since
it was nearly Gory four years ago, Zoinks! I'm Arse-suming Y'all have totally
forgotten that the October 2019's Petit Le Mans signaled the end of the much
vaunted Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) Werks' Ford GT racing programme. When those
two IMSA Grand Touring Le Mans Spec Ford GT's crossed the finish line with Ryan
Briscoe behind the Keyboard of his No. 67 mount gamely chasing the class
winning #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE, El Correctomundo?
As Briscoe finished 11th
Overall, with the Seester’ #66 finishing 17th Overall…
Yet in for a Pound, in for a penny? Here’s what
I’ve gleamed for the final three year’s of Cheeps’ wonderful Ford GT Werks’ programme.
2017
The second year of Ye
Cheepster’s, nee chip Ganassi’s Werks’ Ford GT racing programme started off
with a Bang! When the No. 66 CGR Ford GT with Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller and le
Hamburgular’, Sealmeister B’ ergo Monsieur Bourdais winning the season opening
Rolex 24's GT Le Mans Category. With Hand & Mueller claiming Thar second W'
later that season at road America.
Across thoust Gory
Puddle in what Racer’s Marshall Pruett enjoys calling the “Weckity Wec”, nee FIA
World Endurance Championship. (WEC) The season got off to a great start when CGR’s
No. 67 was victorious with Pipo Derani, Harry Tincknell and Andy Priaulx behind
it’s Keyboard at Bloody Silverstone’s opening round.
Once again for Le Mans,
(Round 3) CGR entered it’s four cars. With it’s No. 67 Ford UK WEC entry finishing
P18 Overall and second in class, behind the winning No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage.
With it’s Seester’ No.
66 WEC entry finishing P27 overall and 10th in class.
Whilst it’s two IMSA
WeatherTech sportscar Championship (Ford
USA) Nos. 68-69 entries finished in lockstep with each other. With the No. 68 finishing
sixth in the LMGTE Pro class and 22nd overall. And the No. 69 finished 23rd
overall and seventh in class.
Then at Round 8 at
Shanghai, the Ford UK entry of Tincknell and Priaulx scored the No. 67’s second
and final WEC victory of the season.
2018
For Year three, the Ford
GT won it's second consecutive 24 Hours of Daytona race, this time with the #67
piloted by it's regular crew of Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook, with some
Cool Kiwi Bloke commonly referred to as The Iceman, aka Scott Dixon as it's
third driver.
The Seester' #66 won
the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Watkins Glen Six Hours Enduro
with regulars Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller, followed by the two cars playing
Leapfrog upon the Podium's top step. As the No. 67 won next time out at
Mosport, followed immediately by the No. 66 at Lime Rock, followed by the #67
winning at Road America - with the Ford GT's sweeping Four races in-a-row!
Meanwhile, making
things messy, the FIA decided to switch to an bi-yearly calendar for the
2018-19 season, for which Ganassi’s Ford UK operation won just one lone race.
When the No. 66 driven by Oliver Pla, Billy Johnson and Stefan Mucke took the
top step at the season opening Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Class podium.
2019
Stateside, on Ye IMSA championship
trail, the two Werks’ Porsche 911 RSR’s dominated the season. With the Ford GT
not scoring it’s first W’ until Round 8 at the venerable Lime Rock Park facility.
As Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook in the No. 67 were victorious. With the duo
winning next time out at Road America.
Then at the penultimate
round at Laguna Seca, Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller gave the Ford GT it’s final
victory in IMSA competition, aboard the sister No. 66 entry.
As mentioned above, the
FIA had moved to an Summer-Fall calendar, instituting it’s 2018-19 season,
which featured two 24 Hours of Le Mans events. Wit the latter 2019 portion of
the calendar beginning with that year’s super Sebring weekend.
Yet neither of Ganassi’s
two Ford GT WEC entries didn’t win again, after winning at Spa the previous year.
And Le Mans was another
disappointment, albeit three-fourths of the Ford GT Armada finished P-4-5-6 in the
LMGTE Pro Class. With the WEC’s No. 67 finishing 23rd Overall. Followed by the IMSA
No. 69 and WEC #66 in lockstep. With the second IMSA #68 entry being
disqualified Post race!
Yet the even bigger news
was the apparent LMGTE Am win of Ben Keating’s No. 85 Ford GT, the first “Privateer”
ford GT effort, resplendent in beautiful Wynns livery. Having it’s Class victory
taken away Post race! As it too, along with it’s Big Brother’s #68 entry were
both DSQ’ed’, nee Disqualified for having illegal, oversized fuel tanks, Youch!
And then as noted
above, the CGR Ford GT progamme came to it’s glorious end at Petit Le Mans, in
what had always been a four year programme. Which in motor racing is an
eternity!
Epilogue
Whilst the Doran Ford GT-R is denoted as a Mk VII variant, and the following Ganassi Ford GT’s racecars as Mk VIII models. Try as I might, I cannot find any information upon what the missing Ford GT40/GT Mk VI variant was? And apparently it’s a State Secret? Although perhaps the TOMS Japanese Ford GT300 is the mysterious Mk Vi racecar?
