In 1966, Ford pulled off a feat at LeMans, going 1-2-3 for position in the racing, effectively dominating the European event. On June 19, at the 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans race, the team nearly duplicated the feat, and most certainly scored a stunning victory against an iconic Italian brand.
It was the much touted, all new Ford GT that pulled it off, edging out its challenger, Ferrari, in the GTE Pro racing class. Ferrari was also running an all new machine in the 488.
Lasting 34o laps, Ford driver Dirk Müller, along with teammates Joey Hand and Sébastien Bourdain, ran the number 68 Ford GT ahead of the number 82 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 and Giancarlo Fisichella.
But as if that’s not enough, Ford also captured the pole position in qualifying, with the fastest time going to Müller. But the pole-to-pole finish looked uncertain overnight, when Ford ran second to the Ferrari for most of the time. But with this victory, the GTs look to be the cars to beat this year.
What we like most about the victory is not just that it’s a Ford, but that it beat one of the purest racing brands in the history of the sport. Enzo Ferrari does’t even put radios in his factory cars, if that tells you a little something about the brand’s sense of tradition, purity, and superiority. In fact, having a Ford beat a Ferrari can be compared to an auto supremacist being bested by an otherwise domestic model. Of course, this particular Ford GT has a few more features that your standard factory model. But maybe not a radio.
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