Ford announced the racing schedule of its new GT endurance racer which of course includes the company’s hotly-anticipated return at the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours race.

The new Ford GT racer will compete both in the 2016 IMSA Sportscar Championship and in the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship, with its first appearance to be at the 24Hours of Daytona. The European debut of the all-new Ford GT racing car will take place at the 6 Hours of Silverstone in April 2016.

Ford partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing and Multimatic for the 2016 season which includes 11 rounds for the IMSA Championship as well as all nine rounds of the 2016 FIA WEC. The historic return of the company to the Le Mans 24H race comes 50 years after Ford’s legendary first of four consecutive wins with the original GT40 with no less than four cars.

“We believe the Ford GT’s advances in aerodynamics, light-weighting and EcoBoost power will make for a compelling race car that can once again compete on a global stage,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development and chief technical officer.

Ford has also released a video with team owner Chip Ganassi commenting on the new racing program and the GT racer giving us a first, aural taste of its 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost powerplant.

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