IMSA: Lessons from Ganassi's Ford GT debut

[dbk]

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/126431-imsa-mike-hull-on-ganassi-ford-gt-s-debut

Ford's pair of twin-turbo V6-powered GTs demonstrated plenty of speed at IMSA's season-opening WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event in Daytona, but reliability was notably absent for both cars throughout their 24-hour debut.

Although the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing went into the Rolex 24 with victory in mind, history suggested problems for the GTs were likely – almost a rite of passage for any new car entering endurance racing, and with the race team also making its debut in the GT Le Mans category at the Rolex 24, the event was filled with learning opportunities for FCGR.


Comprised of existing crew members from Ganassi's Daytona Prototype program that ran full-time through 2015, and a host of newcomers, FGCR went into the event as a machine seeking the experience to solidify its operation. Following Mike Hull's insights from January on how the GT team was built, Ganassi's managing director walked RACER through his post-race evaluations, the lessons learned, and the improvements needed as FCGR prepares for Round 2 in Sebring.


PRUETT: I know finishing seventh and ninth at Daytona in a class with 11 cars can't be satisfying, so what are your overall takeaways from the Ford GT program's first race?


HULL: We found out a lot about ourselves, and ourselves is defined by everybody who works on the project. That meaning Ford, Multimatic, Michelin, and key people's partners that are invested this program. and Chip Ganassi Racing itself and all the people that work at Chip Ganassi Racing.


Because in spite of what happened, it was totally unexpected based on the days and nights that we tested. That was in combination with Multimatic, so it wasn't just one racecar running on the racetrack prior to all the things we did, it was two racecars running in the off season preparing to be ready for the first race of the year. And then we had two racecars which ran, didn't miss a beat through the Roar test and through the sessions leading up to the race itself.

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http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/126431-imsa-mike-hull-on-ganassi-ford-gt-s-debut

 

[Sinovac]

Good article. From everything I've read, everyone involved in the Ford effort has the right attitude.

 

[ChipBeck]

I didn't know they changed out an entire transmission in one of the GT's.

Chip

 

[PL510*Jeff]

I didn't know they changed out an entire transmission in one of the GT's.

Chip

It wasn't fast or easy to do.

 

[SteveA]

Yes, it was the trans swap that put the 67 down a majority of it's laps.

 

[Specracer]

I was told that the transmission swap exposed how the ultra compact design, makes the car tough to work on, especially in a racing situation to get back on track.

 

[Vince H]

I was told that the transmission swap exposed how the ultra compact design, makes the car tough to work on, especially in a racing situation to get back on track.

If I remember correctly that was Larry Holt's biggest concern moving forward.

Vince H

 

[Cobrar]

Yep. And 3+ hours to changeover would certainly bear that out. I would bet the transaxle will be very robust in coming events.

 

[texas mongrel]

Bad gearboxes, deja vu all over again

 

[PL510*Jeff]

Bad gearboxes, deja vu all over again

The gear box was fine - air shifter and paddle program were not.

 

[Awsum GT]

Great read. I think it shows a lot that they stuck it out made the repairs and got right back into the race. Looking forward to great things in the future! Go FORD!

 

[Specracer]

When the s hits the fan, it becomes a 21 hour long test day. Tons can still be learned.

 

[SteveA]

The gear box was fine - air shifter and paddle program were not.

Jeff, I'm 99.9% sure when the shifter in the #67 failed for either the 2nd or 3rd time it took the trans with it.:frown

 

[PL510*Jeff]

Jeff, I'm 99.9% sure when the shifter in the #67 failed for either the 2nd or 3rd time it took the trans with it.:frown

It took a beating for sure. And your 99.99% is correct.

 

[fordification]

Rewatched some of the race. First pit after 2-1/2 hours, 66 GT had 1 extra lap of fuel/tires on the Corvettes.