His name is Marino Franchitti and he is a Scottish racing driver who will grab the wheel in the new GT racer for the Ford Chip Ganassi Team.
Franchitti’s racing career started when he was eight years old, in karting, but he will remember 2016 as his debut year in the FIA World Endurance Championship. This isn’t his first time at Le Mans, as he raced there on five other occasions.
“Watching Le Mans on TV when I was young was what made me want to be a racing driver. It’s the biggest race in the world and the one I want to win more than any other. As a student of the history of motorsport, it’s a dream come true to be a part of Ford’s return 50 years after they began a run of four incredible victories. Hopefully we can add our own chapter to this story“, stated Marino Franchitti.
Ford’s return to Le Mans was announced in mid-2015, with its GT race car powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 engine that debuted in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship the year before.
Le Mans won’t be the only race where the blue oval’s “beast” will be seen in action during 2016, as it will also compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona, at the end of January. It will then debut in Europe, in April, at the 6 Hours of Silversone.