(Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Press Release)
Ford Chip Ganassi Racing announced today the drivers who will complete the Ford GT lineup for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
French driver Sébastien Bourdais joins American Joey Hand and German Dirk Müller in the No. 66 Ford GT, while German Stefan Mücke will be paired with Australian Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook, of England, in the No. 67 Ford GT.
Ford created this all-new iteration of the iconic GT to mark the 50th anniversary of the company’s 1-2-3 sweep of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Ford GT40.
In 1966, Ford started its victorious march to Le Mans with a win at the inaugural Rolex 24 At Daytona, with defending winners Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby. The GT40 also won the 2000K event at Daytona the year before with Miles and Ruby.
Ganassi’s team is the record-holder for overall team wins (6) at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Ford also has six overall wins at the Rolex 24 (1965-6, 1997, 1999, 2012, 2015).
The all-new Ford GT supercar is the culmination of years of Ford innovations in lightweighting, aerodynamics and ultra-efficient Ford EcoBoost engines. Ford announced it would return to GT racing with the Ford GT last June at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans.
DRIVER NOTES
Sébastien Bourdais: Bourdais started competing in karting at the age of 10 and progressed to single-seat cars in 1995. After moving to the United States to compete in Champ Car with Newman/Haas Racing in 2003, Bourdais won four consecutive driver championships (2004-2007). He made the move to Formula One in 2008 and joined Scuderia Toro Rosso, where he competed in 27 races over two seasons. The French driver joined the Verizon IndyCar Series full time in 2012 and has recorded three wins over the past four seasons. Bourdais has recorded four wins in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship and co-drove the winning Prototype entry in the 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Stefan Mücke: Mücke started his racing career in 1998, winning the BMW ADAC Series before moving into Formula 3 for the next three years. From 2002-2006, he raced Mercedes in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and made the move into sports car racing in 2007 racing in the FIA GT Championship and the Le Mans Series for the next five years. Mücke began his FIA World Endurance Championship career in 2012 with Aston Martin Racing and has recorded six wins over the past three seasons.