Ford’s triumphant return to Le Mans is being celebrated this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed where Ford Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Dirk Müller and Marino Franchitti are taking the #66 GT for a spin. Marino Franchitti is one of the drivers of the #68 Ford GT that took the win last weekend in the GTE Pro category half a decade after Ford scored a superb 1-2-3 win at the 1966 Le Mans. Last weekend, the #69 GT race car crossed the finish line last weekend in third place, while the #66 and #67 GTs finished fourth and ninth, respectively.

Swapping the famous Circuit de la Sarthe for the 1.16-mile hill climb course at Goodwood, the #66 GT race car is not all alone since it’s joined by a plethora of other Fords.

Ken Block’s Fiesta STRX43 from Gymkhana 8 is also on location and it’s arguably one of the most spectacular Fiestas ever built. With a massive 650 hp and 900 Nm of torque coming from a tuned 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, the insane supermini rockets to 60 mph (96 kph) in a mere 1.8 seconds.

Another Ford that you can check out at Goodwood is the Mustang RTR that came to life primarily thanks to drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. It’s one of the most powerful Mustangs out there, pushing out a massive 735 hp from its supercharged V8 engine. It also benefits from an adjustable suspension which brings a lowered ride height while the beefier body is a perfect match for the strong engine.

Other Fords at the festival include the newly introduced Mondeo ST-Line joining the already available Fiesta and Focus ST-Line models, along with the mighty F-150 Raptor which is being driven by none other than Ben Collins, Top Gear’s former Stig.

Source: Ford

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FROM LE MANS TO GOODWOOD: FORD GT RACE CAR HEADS EXCITING FORD PERFORMANCE LINE-UP AT 2016 FESTIVAL OF SPEED

  • #66 Ford GT Le Mans race car tackles Goodwood Hillclimb driven by Marino Franchittiand Dirk Müller fresh from success at the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours
  • Ford Performance rallycross driver and internet sensation Ken Block returns to the world-famous 1.16-mile Hillclimb course in Ford Fiesta ST RX43 with 650PS and 1.8sec 0‑60mph acceleration
  • World Champion drifting star Vaughn Gittin Jr. takes the wheel of a Ford Mustang  RTR; ferocious new F-150 Raptor pickup is driven by Ben Collins, formerly “The Stig” on Top Gear
  • Ford stand features full line-up of performance vehicles including the Ford Mustang, Focus RS, Fiesta ST200, and ST-Line range including debut of new Mondeo ST-Line
  • Ford stand visitors can enjoy one of the finest views of the festival and can take on The Leap – a 4.5m airbag jump experience – and Team Sky Skills Trackstand Challenge

GOODWOOD, UK, June 23, 2016 – The #66 Ford GT race car today swapped the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe race track at Le Mans, for the world-famous Hillclimb course at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Representing Ford’s victorious team at the Le Mans 24 Hours race on June 18-19, the #66 Ford GT race car made its Goodwood Hillclimb debut driven by Ford Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Dirk Müller – one of the drivers of the class-winning #68 car – and Marino Franchitti.

The #68 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT took 2016 Le Mans victory in the LM GTE Pro category exactly 50 years after Ford recorded an historic 1-2-3 victory at the iconic endurance race in 1966. The #69 Ford GT finished in third place, and the #66 and #67 Ford GTs finished in fourth and ninth places respectively.

“Last weekend the Ford GT made history again and won at the Le Mans 24 Hours race. It was an amazing statement about our passion for performance and innovation,” said Jim Farley, chairman and CEO of Ford of Europe. “This weekend, Goodwood will be the perfect venue for us to share our full Ford Performance line-up – from the new Fiesta ST200 all the way up to the Ford GT race car fresh from Le Mans – with so many people who share our passion.”

Ford also is joined at Goodwood by rallycross driver, internet superstar and Ford Focus RS development consultant Ken Block, driving his unique Ford Fiesta ST RX43 with 650PS up the Hillclimb.

World champion drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. will tackle the 1.16-mile Hillclimb course in a supercharged Ford Mustang RTR; and racing driver Ben Collins – formerly “The Stig” on the BBC’s “Top Gear” – will demonstrate the new Ford F-150 Raptor, the ultimate high-performance off-road pickup.

Visitors to the performance-themed Ford  stand at Goodwood will discover models including the acclaimed all-new Focus RS, which last year made its UK public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed; the Ford Mustangfastback and convertible; Focus ST; and the multi-award-winning Fiesta ST and new 200PS Fiesta ST200.

Also on show is the new Ford ST-Line range of Ford Performance-inspired models, including the Fiesta ST-Line, Focus ST-Line, and the new Mondeo ST-Line making its public debut.

Ford GT Le Mans race car

This year Ford is running two Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs in the FIA World Endurance Championship and two in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. All four Ford GT race cars competed for GTE Pro class glory at the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The #68 Ford GT crossed the finish line at Le Mans at 15.00 on Sunday, June 19, as the overall GT winner after a titanic battle with the #82 Ferrari that rekindled a 50-year-old rivalry between the two car manufacturers. The #68 Ford GT took the lead for the final time in the 20th hour of the race.

The #66 Ford GT was in contention for a top result during the race’s infancy before suffering a small electrical problem, and returns to competitive action in the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of Nürburgring, Germany, on July 24.

All four Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs feature a lightweight carbon/aluminium chassis, carbon fibre body panels and a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine delivering 500PS and 500Nm of torque.

The Ford GT race car is based on the new Ford GT supercar – the most advanced Ford production vehicle ever, featuring the latest in light-weighting, aerodynamics and EcoBoost engine technology, and an innovation showcase for the Ford brand.

Ken Block’s Fiesta STRX43

The Ford Fiesta ST RX43 earlier this year starred as Block’s hero car in the eighth instalment of his Internet-based Gymkhana stunt driving video series that has received well over 300 million views combined.

Block’s Fiesta ST RX43 is designed to deliver rapid acceleration and can hit 60 mph from a standing start in 1.8 seconds using a highly-tuned 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine that produces 650PS and 900Nm of torque.

Ready to Rock Mustang

The Ford Mustang RTR (Ready to Rock) is the brainchild of World Champion drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr., and delivers 735PS from a supercharged V8 engine.

Other modifications to the Ford Mustang RTR include a lowered, adjustable suspension system; stiffer anti-roll bars; “snowflake” design alloy wheels; and an aggressively-styled body kit featuring prominent silver grille nostrils, a new front air-splitter, side-skirt and rear diffuser combination, and a taller boot lid spoiler.

Fearless, ferocious and fun: F-150 Raptor bares its teeth

Driven up the Hillclimb course by racing driver and former “The Stig” Ben Collins, the all-new Ford F‑150 Raptor features a high-strength, military-grade, aluminium alloy body that makes it approximately a quarter of a tonne lighter than its predecessor.

The F-150 Raptor is powered by an all-new, second-generation 3.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine and features a purpose-built high-strength steel chassis, long-travel suspension that includes FOX Racing Shox, a 10-speed automatic transmission and innovative terrain management system that enables the driver to select modes to optimise driving dynamics to environmental conditions – from snow to mud, sand and more.

The Ford Performance F-150 Raptor at Goodwood also will feature the racing livery of the tank-like F-150 Raptor competition model developed for the Best in the Desert Off-Road Racing Series’ new stock racing class.

Exciting Ford stand activities

At 10m high, the three-story Ford Performance stand offers one of the finest views of the Goodwood festival, which can be enjoyed using Ford’s Spectator Binoculars at locations across two floors.

Visitors can also experience The Leap, which challenges daredevils to throw themselves off a 4.5m airbag jump experience. A team of parkour athletes will be ascending an experts-only 9‑metre platform eight times a day to perform a series of choreographed stunt falls, spins, flips and somersaults.

Elsewhere on the stand, the popular Adrenalin Walk returns to give visitors a unique view of the #66 Le Mans Ford GT using a suspended glass floor to offer views from every angle above the race car.

Ken Block’s 2016 Ford Focus RS RX vehicle, competing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, will also be on display.

Celebrating Ford’s partnership with the Team Sky elite cycling team, Ford is also hosting the Team Sky Skills Trackstand Challenge, a timed standing-stop balance competition.