Ford confirms four Ford GTs for Rolex 24 at Daytona

Tony DiZinno

All four Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs will be in attendance at next month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, adding two more cars to the GT Le Mans class.

The pair of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entries are joined by the two from the FIA World Endurance Championship, which will race at Daytona before heading back to Europe for the rest of the season. Driver lineups will be announced at a later date but are expected to include most, if not all, of the 2016 drivers.

“It would be easy to just talk about what we’ve already done with this Ford GT but really we’re focused on the future,” said Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance. “We didn’t have the strongest race at the Rolex 24 last year but we have a season of learning experiences behind us with this program now and we’re proud that when we come back to Daytona in 2017, we’ll come with all four Ford GTs.”

“Even with the success we had last season winning six races, I think we have some unfinished business in Daytona,” added Chip Ganassi, owner, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, who with the 2016 Le Mans win became the only team owner in history to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Rolex 24 At Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

“The Rolex 24 last year was our first big test to see where we were with the program, and although we didn’t win, I can tell you that we learned a lot. We also learned a lot in Le Mans working with all four cars through the 24 hours. I’m excited we have another opportunity to assemble the full lineup for Daytona. The opportunity to compete with all four cars at the same time, in a race as prestigious as Daytona, is very special.”