The No. 67 Ford GT LM GTE claimed second in its class last weekend at the 85th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. It was a hard-fought spot on the GTE-Pro class podium, as all four of Ford’s entrants were hit by burdensome BoP (Balance of Performance) restrictions ahead of this year’s race; the best the team could manage in qualifying was fifth.
In the end, it was consistency and reliability that allowed the No. 67 Ford GT of Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell, and Pipo Derani to podium at Le Mans. After 24 hours of full-tilt racing, the No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage and No. 63 Corvette C7.R appeared to have a firm grasp on first and second in the GTE-Pro class, but the Corvette ruined its tires trying to fend Aston off in the final lap of the race, allowing Aston, and the No. 67 Ford GT, to pass.
“That was an amazing race,” Andy Priaulx said following his team’s second-place Le Mans finish. “It was a faultless race with faultless pit stops. These guys [at Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team] deserve a medal as yet again they have risen to the challenge. It was a gruelling race; we had to fight through every lap, every pit stop, every moment of the 24 hours. Everything had to be perfect and it was. Watching Harry at the end was nail-biting so when we saw the Corvette appear in Harry’s sights we knew he would get the job done and take second.”
The other three Ford GT entrants finished the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well, with the No. 68 and 69 cars taking sixth and seventh, respectively. The No. 66 Ford GT experienced a rear-suspension failure that sent driver Olivier Pla into the gravel, forcing it to the back of the pack.
The next race for the Ford GT is the Sahlen’s 6 Hours of the Glen in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. That takes place Sunday, July 2nd.
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