Le Mans: Ford beats Ferrari again after 50 years

Amirul

Resident Journalist
Jun 7, 2016
213
112
43
Kuala Lumpur
www.zerotohundred.com
This year's Le Mans might have ended in a total heartbreak for Toyota, but it was a great day for America, or Ford, specifically.



The No.68 Ford GT driven by Dirk Müller took the checkered flag in the LM GTE Pro class, beating the second-place Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE. It finished at 18th place overall, while the No.69 and No.66 GTs finished third and fourth in their class, respectively.



Almost two years ago, the automotive world was overwhelmed with skepticism over rumours that Ford would resurrect their legendary Ford GT, let alone winning a race. Today, the car is not only very real, but one of them just beat Ferrari to win its class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 50 years after the original GT40 did the same.

Of course there will be critics, saying that the GT benefited from sandbagging before the race, or because the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest) wouldn't allow the 911s and Corvettes to be fast enough.

But at the end of the day, a win's a win. And it's still an incredible finish, considering the car was in its introductory season. With everything is very different from its predecessor - all-new twin-turbo V6 engine, all-new car - the GT would easily struggled through its first outing. Instead, it and the team really made an outstanding return.
 

Amirul

Resident Journalist
Thread starter
Jun 7, 2016
213
112
43
Kuala Lumpur
www.zerotohundred.com
What happened to the 911s and Corvettes?
It was due to Balance of Performance (BoP). During the official test, the top Corvette and 911 was marginally faster than the top Ford GT.
That makes the organizer applies the BoP to Corvettes and 911s to make it fair for everybody. Eventually, there are last minute adjustments as well to ensure that turbocharged Ford GTs and Ferraris does not run away from 911, Aston Martins and Corvettes.
 

Random Post Every 5 Minutes



The BRZ / 86 is in a little bit of a limbo these days. A brilliant coupe on one hand and a asthmatic child on the other. Although Toyobaru coupes are never known to be powerful nor fast within the sports car vocabulary, they make up for purity, soul and driveability. It defines the true meaning of a driver's car. That's why driving legends like Tengku Djan has an 86...
Ask a question, start a discussion or post something for sale!
Post thread

Online now

Enjoying Zerotohundred?

Log-in for an ad-less experience