Ford GT Celebrates Le Mans Anniversary with Victorious Return

Days later, the controversies are all cleared up, the winners decided and Ford made history repeat itself 50 years later. Following assorted protests tossed back and forth between manufacturers and racing teams, The Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT won the LM GTE Pro category exactly 50 years after the original Ford GT won its historic 1-2-3 Le Mans podium.

In a story worthy of a Hollywood script, Ford brought back a modern version of its GT to an eager collection of supercar buyers. It was a natural expectation for Ford to get back into the Le Mans racing game and reintroduce the GT to international competition. But, a return to the winner’s circle in its class was an unexpected success story on Ford’s first shot in many years at Le Mans glory.

Also: New Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT Le Mans Ready for ‘Forza’

However, it took some time for Ford’s first place finish to settle into the record books as Ferrari and Ford filed protests back and forth at each other in the wake of the latter’s win. It took a couple of days to settle the fuss before Ford could officially celebrate the victory.

The Ford GT has a proud history at Le Mans. Versions of the car won the race in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969. That 1966 effort saw the GT manage a historic 1-2-3 victory. Read more at http://www.mandatory.com/design/998471-new-chip-ganassi-racing-ford-gt-le-mans-ready-forza#3xCug4h2CZsMCpIp.99

For the uninitiated, the 24 Hours of Le Mans (and any Le Mans style race) features multiple classes of cars competing within those classes simultaneously. While Ford won the LM GTE Pro category, Porsche won the overall major class title, defending its 2015 championship.

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