2016 Ford GT - Brits Andy Priaulx and Marino Franchitti join race team

A brace of new Ford GTs will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, with British racers Andy Priaulx and Marino Franchitti forming part of the driver line-up.

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The team will race a competition version of the Ford GT mid-engined supercar launched at the Detroit motor show a year ago, run by the famous US-based Chip Ganassi racing outfit. The first WEC outing will be at Silverstone on 17 April.

Priaulx, who as well as his four international touring car titles has already won the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours and stood on the podium at Le Mans, will be joined by the German endurance racing driver Stefan Mucke, Frenchman Olivier Pla and Franchitti, who drove a Ganassi Ford to victory at Sebring in 2014, the Blue Oval's first outright win at the US event since 1969.

Priaulx told Autocar that he made "a sporting decision" to join the team when he saw how serious the effort was. "They aren't just coming to celebrate 50 years of the original GT40 winning at Le Mans," he said. "They want to win."

The Ford Ganassi WEC team is based at the new motorsport headquarters of Multimatic, a major Ford team partner. Multimatic will also build the road-going Ford GT at its Toronto headquarters. Around 250 examples will be contructed per year, although Ford hasn't revealed how many years production will continue for. Build of the first road car has to be completed by the end of the year to ensure the car complies with race homologation rules.

The racing team will follow a nine-race programme in Europe, Asia and the Middle-East. Its team principal is Multimatic’s much-experienced George Howard-Chappell, who has already led teams to Le Mans victories three times.

“It doesn’t get any more competitive than Le Mans, but that is what makes winning it so special,” said Howard-Chappell. “Everything has to be perfect and even then you need luck on your side. The Ford GT has been built to return to Le Mans and best in the world.”

The WEC programme will run concurrently with a similar, recently announced two-car IMSA team challenge in the US, but the four cars will come together at Le Mans in June to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT40’s famous one-two-three result in 1966.

“Make no mistake - we are racing to win,” said Dave Pericak, Ford Performance global director. “To compete at this level you need the best car, the best team and the best drivers, and we have selected Stefan, Olivier, Andy and Marino to drive the Ford GT to take on the best in the world.”

Ford, whose 1960s race sports car race project was founded after then company boss Henry Ford II failed in an increasingly acrimonious bid to buy Ferrari, went on to win Le Mans four times in succession.