In January, Ford officially confirmed its entry into the Hypercar category of the World Endurance Championship starting in the 2027 season. But since then, the American giant has remained surprisingly quiet.
Ford chose to take advantage of the media spotlight surrounding the Le Mans 24 Hours to share more details about its project on Friday.
A proven chassis
As a reminder, Ford has opted to follow the LMDh technical regulations. Many expected Ford to choose Multimatic as its partner, given the links between the two companies. The Canadian firm is responsible for the Mustang GT3 and the famous GT winner of the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours in the GTE Pro class. But no, it won’t be Multimatic this time.
Nor will it be Dallara, which was announced earlier on Friday as McLaren's partner.
Ford has decided to partner with ORECA, as previously revealed by The Race. The future Ford Hypercar will therefore use the same chassis as the Acura ARX-06, Alpine A424, and Genesis GMR-001. It’s a chassis widely regarded as one of the best — if not the best — on the LMDh grid.
“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 be able to partner with ORECA is a proud moment for Ford. We are coming back to Le Mans to win, and we aren’t making that a secret. On Sunday, it will be exactly 56 years since we last took the top step of the overall podium here. 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 back in the 1960s.”
A Ford vs Ferrari showdown everyone is eagerly awaiting, evoking the 1960s rivalry so memorably depicted in James Mangold’s recent blockbuster.
“We are honoured that Ford has chosen ORECA to design the future WEC Hypercar for their return to the top tier of endurance racing,” ORECA Group president Hugues de Chaunac added.
“This strategic partnership is a key part of our ongoing commitment to the highest level of racing and to the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours. We are excited to channel all our energy, expertise, and enthusiasm into this ambitious project.
“I would like to thank Bill Ford, Jim Farley, and Mark Rushbrook for their trust. They can count on the full engagement of all our teams around the world.”
For those less familiar with endurance racing, ORECA is based just a stone’s throw from Circuit Paul Ricard. But the French company also operates facilities in Magny-Cours (engine development) and Indianapolis. Originally a racing team, ORECA now designs, assembles, develops, and fine-tunes chassis, engines, and complete system architectures.
No details have yet been released about the engine, but it may be a naturally aspirated V8.
A project leader who knows F1… and sportscars
The other major announcement from Ford today concerns the appointment of the Ford Performance WEC Hypercar Programme Manager: Dan Sayers.
Formula 1 fans know him well. Since 2019, he has been working with Red Bull. The move was likely made easier by the fact that Ford will become Red Bull’s engine partner in F1 starting next year.
Initially head of operations, Sayers became programme director at Red Bull Powertrains in September 2022.
He’s no stranger to elite motorsport or to endurance racing. Before joining Red Bull, he spent 10 years at Aston Martin Racing/Prodrive. Starting in GT4, moving up to GT3, he led the design and development of the V12 Vantage before becoming technical director and taking overall responsibility for all motorsport programmes.
Latest on the new Hypercar entrants
“Ford Performance is taking on so many different challenges around the racing world, but to lead Ford back to its spiritual home at Le Mans was a challenge I could not turn down,” Sayers said.
“Having previously led Aston Martin to multiple Le Mans class victories, the opportunity to take overall honours with Ford is something very special.
“I have loved working on the F1 programme with Red Bull Ford Powertrains, so this feels a lot like joining a different part of the same family.”
Sayers also previously worked at Ricardo, where he contributed to a wide range of projects including LMP1, Dakar, and World Rally Championship programmes.
“The chassis partner and the programme head for any major factory programme are foundational elements,” concluded Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, 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.”
Now, it’s all about making sure those blocks fit together perfectly. That’s the minimum it will take if the brand wants to claim a fifth overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours following the four legendary wins secured between 1966 and 1969 with the iconic GT40.
