As preparations intensify ahead of its forthcoming bow in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s headlining Hypercar category, Dan Sayers says Ford has reached ‘one of its most significant milestones to-date’ with the successful first fire-up of the prototype’s in-house engine.
Like McLaren, Ford is set to swell FIA WEC’s burgeoning Hypercar ranks next year – just under six decades on from the American marque’s last outright victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the iconic GT40.
The company’s sights are very much set on repeating that famous La Sarthe triumph while simultaneously fighting for the world championship crown, and it will head into battle with a pair of ORECA-developed chassis mated to naturally-aspirated Coyote V8 engines, designed and built at its Michigan HQ.
This month, the 5.4-litre powerplant was integrated with the chassis and hybrid system and fired up for the first time at ORECA’s base in southern France, marking the moment the project truly roared into life outside of the dyno cells of Dearborn.
“This was the culmination of months of painstaking work,” acknowledged Ford Racing’s FIA WEC Hypercar Programme Manager, Sayers. “It was one of our most significant milestones to-date, and as I reflect upon the journey to this point, I’m proud of the groundwork that was laid long before the engine ever turned over.
“Its development is already showing great promise on the dynos in Dearborn, where we’ve been pushing the limits of performance and durability and learning a lot at the same time. That dyno work, combined with parallel progress on the chassis side with ORECA, has now converged into a complete package ready for the next phase.
“The firing of the engine is more than a symbolic moment – it’s a critical validation step. We are doing everything from an engine perspective in-house and we’re doing that because we can react faster, learn faster and bring that back to the production side of the business. [The engine] serves as a direct link to Ford’s production performance vehicles as well as accelerating the transfer of technology between the racetrack and the road.
“Hearing the Coyote V8 come alive within its intended home for the first time confirmed that months of integration work between the powertrain and chassis teams have paid off. Looking ahead, we have a lot of laps to turn later this year, but the work has already started and I’m excited for what’s ahead.”
Indeed, next up for Ford’s Hypercar programme will be a comprehensive track testing schedule at various circuits throughout Europe – and later the United States – which is due to begin next month. The focus will be placed on performance, reliability, aerodynamics and hybrid system integration in conditions aimed at simulating the myriad demands of an FIA WEC race weekend.
Sayers expects the input from all six confirmed drivers – Logan Sargeant, Mike Rockenfeller, Sebastian Priaulx, Matt Campbell, Tom Blomqvist and Nick Yelloly – to play a vital role in the project’s transition from the virtual world to the real world, as the ‘Blue Oval’ bids to hit the ground running come the curtain-raising contest next spring.
“Of course it’s early days, and we have a huge amount of work ahead of us, but the sim work and dyno numbers give us a great foundation,” the Brit reported. “Still, there’s no substitute for what the drivers feel through the wheel and seat once we’re actually out on-track – that feedback loop is what will truly sharpen this car over the upcoming months.
“With the engine now firing within the chassis and a circuit debut just weeks away, our Hypercar programme is entering its most visible and consequential phase yet – one that brings Ford Racing another step closer to its ultimate ambition.”
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