Last June, on the sidelines of the 93rd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours, Ford announced the name of its chassis partner: Oreca, and that of its programme manager: Dan Sayers. But since then, nothing.
Today, the American manufacturer has cleared up the doubts on a subject that has been much discussed recently: its racing team.
How will Ford operate?
Recently, with Porsche’s future in the WEC uncertain, rumours suggested a joint venture with Team Penske, its partner in NASCAR. But that will not be the case. In fact, Ford Racing announced today that it will operate its 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar programme.
It will therefore be a full-factory prototype programme in-house.
“At Ford Racing, competition runs through our veins and, as America’s Race Team, it seems only right that we carry the banner ourselves," Ford Racing global director Mark Rushbrook said.
“Keeping with our core values, our Hypercar programme will be operated by Ford Racing. This gives us the ability to react more quickly on track, enhancing our competitiveness.”
A decision similar to the one taken by Genesis Magma Racing, which also chose to set up its team from a blank sheet.
“Breaking from the traditional model of many manufacturers – and often our own model in the past – Ford Racing will oversee and manage every aspect of our prototype sports car racing project led by programme manager, Dan Sayers,” Rushbrook added.
“We are not looking outside our walls to find who can run a programme for us; we are looking within Ford Racing to build our programs infused with our passion.”
In-house...but with prestigious partners
On its adventure, Ford Racing will nevertheless rely on several partners in addition to Oreca, in charge of the chassis, who will help with the development of the car and will also provide trackside support.
“In addition to Oreca’s support, we are pleased to say that longtime engineering and motorsport consultancy group Venture Engineering will provide technical and operational support,” Rushbrook continued.
“With over 100 Le Mans starts between them, they make the perfect partners to assist Ford Racing in this exciting new endeavour. While we bring these partners in, we are proud that this is very much a Ford Racing effort.”
Ford Racing also specifies that the Hypercar facilities will be based in the UK, but without saying exactly where. It is very likely that it will be at Venture Engineering, which is based in an optimised 18,000 sq/ft unit just 12 miles west of Oxford.
Is this the right decision?
That is obviously too early to say. But bringing in the services of a racing team for whom Endurance holds no secrets often saves a lot of time. That’s how Porsche proceeded with Team Penske, Cadillac with Team Jota, Alpine with Signatech, Ferrari with AF Corse, BMW with Team WRT and McLaren with United Autosports. An intensive recruitment campaign will therefore follow.
“It doesn’t come without challenges,” Rushbrook admits. “Between now and the 2027 FIA WEC season opening round, we will need to not only build the car itself but every part of the team as well. Every role needs to be filled and that is no small task because we aren’t just filling the positions, we are building a team culture.”
“We are filling dozens of roles across the program. We are speaking to top development engineers and technicians to staff our testing and race programs.”
The partners are highly reputable, but starting from a blank sheet is a very risky bet. Recruitment will undoubtedly be key, so it’s up to Dan Sayers not to fail.
What about the car?
Oreca’s engineers and Ford’s design department are hard at work. The French company, which is working on its fourth LMDh after the Acura ARX-06, the Alpine A424 and the GMR-001 (above), which first hit the track on August 6.
The schedule should be much the same for the Ford Hypercar, with a first shakedown planned during the 2026 summer. The schedule is going to be tight.
The engine should benefit from the expertise of Red Bull Ford Powertrains, which Rushbrook cites among the advanced racing facilities that will be at his disposal. A new company that is currently developing the F1 engine that will next year, power Max Verstappen’s RB22.
