DEARBORN, Mich., May 31, 2017 – INDYCAR champion and Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Tony Kanaan will join drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Müller in Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 68 Ford GT at the Le Mans 24 Hours next month as the team looks to defend its 2016 GTE Pro Class victory. The Brazilian fills the seat left vacant by Sébastien Bourdais, who was injured during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. This will be Kanaan’s first Le Mans 24.
“We’re very pleased we are able to get a driver of Tony’s experience and talent in the No. 68 Ford GT for the Le Mans 24,” said Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance. “It’s certainly not the ideal situation and we’re heartbroken that Sébastien won’t be back to defend his race victory, since we know how much that race means to him personally. He is an important part of our family, and we look forward to him making a complete recovery.”
It’s the first time Hand and Müller will share a car with Kanaan, who won the overall title at the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Scott Dixon, Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson in a Ford EcoBoost prototype in 2015.
Kanaan, 42, who signed with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2014, has spent significant time in the Ford GT this year. He led laps in the No. 69 Ford GT at the Rolex 24, where he joined fulltime drivers Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell to finish fifth in GTLM.
Kanaan spent just over seven hours, 30 minutes in the No. 69 Ford GT during the race alone and was the third-quickest driver in the category, behind Ganassi teammates Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe.
“It’s an honor to be named a part of the Ford GT lineup for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing at the Le Mans 24,” Kanaan said. “It’s obviously an unfortunate situation that brought us to this point with Sébastien’s injuries, but I’m going to do my best to take his place and try to help win this amazing race for the team again this year. This race has definitely been on my bucket list for a long time, so I’m thankful that Chip and our partners at Ford have given me this opportunity.”
Kanaan joins Ganassi INDYCAR teammate Scott Dixon on the Le Mans 24 Hours lineup. Kanaan won the 2013 Indianapolis 500, won the INDYCAR championship title in 2004, and is a 17-time race winner. He has competed at the Rolex 24 At Daytona every year since joining the team. He is the all-time INDYCAR leader for consecutive starts with 265, dating back to the Portland 2001. This year is his 20th season racing fulltime.
The green flag drops for the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 17.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 202,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford
Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs approximately 52,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and approximately 66,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 24 manufacturing facilities (16 wholly owned or consolidated joint venture facilities and eight unconsolidated joint venture facilities). The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.
About Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 30 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, two cars in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, two cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, two factory Ford GT's in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and two factory Ford GT's in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Overall his teams have 18 championships and more than 190 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, seven Rolex 24 At Daytonas, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Contacts:
Lachelle Laney Ford Chip Ganassi Racing (IMSA WTSCC) +1 630 780 7006
Lindsay Morle Ford Chip Ganassi Racing (FIA WEC) +44 7971 481078
Craig Morelli Chip Ganassi Racing +1 317 766 2202
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