FORD GT CLAIMS SECOND CONSECUTIVE PODIUM!
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, July 11, 2016 – The No. 67 of Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe took the Ford GT to the podium for the second week in a row, winning the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix. This dynamic duo achieved their third IMSA win and fourth overall Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team win of the season. Roush Yates Engines in partnership with Ford Performance built the power for the Ford GT that took first place in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Ontario, Canada.
“This was an unbelievable weekend,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Winning our fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup points race and third IMSA race with the Ford GT in the same weekend is a testament to the hard work and teamwork of the Ford Performance, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing and Roush Yates Engines’ teams.”
After the Watkins Glen race, an additional balance and performance (BoP) ruling was handed out, leaving the engineering teams of Ford Performance, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing and Roush Yates Engines’ little time to develop a revised race strategy. The No. 66 of Dirk Müller/Joey Hand and No. 67 of Richard Westbrook/Ryan Briscoe were positioned on the starting grid in P2 and P3 respectively, with only .04 seconds separating P1 and P2.
As the race started it was evident that the classic battle between Ford and Corvette would be playing out, as they challenged each other going into the first of 10 corners around the 2.45 mile circuit. The team of Briscoe/Westbrook proved the keys to race would be position and patience. The Ford GT had good pace as they tapped into the power of the twin-turbo Ford EcoBoost V6 race engine to run a top the leader board for the second half of the race.
The Multimatic Motorsports, Ford Shelby GT350R-C also had a great weekend winning in their own backyard. The No. 15 has won back-to-back poles and races in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS class. The No. 15 Ford Shelby Mustang with drivers Scott Maxwell and Billy Johnson secured the pole on Friday night, making it career #13 for Maxwell. Johnson took the No. 15 across the start/finish line to take the third win of the season for the team and marking his 15th career win. The win secured their first place position in overall driver points. Also looking strong during the race the No. 76 would finish P3.
2016 IMSA
WeatherTech Sportscar Championship &
Continental SportsCar Challenge Schedule:
July 22-23: Lime Rock Park – Lakeville, CT
August 4-7: Road America – Elkhart Lake, WI
August 26-28: Virginia International Raceway – Danville, VA
Sept.14-18: Circuit of the Americas – Austin, TX
Sept. 28-Oct.1: Road Atlanta – Braselton, GA
5 Series – 9 Countries – 114 Races