24h Le Mans
The Roush Yates Engines employees bid farewell to the engine of the Ford GT that won in the LM GTE Pro class at the 24 Hours this year, 50 years to the day after the American marque's first victory at Le Mans. The engine will take its place under the hood of the Ford GT to become a part of the Ford museum.
Founded by Jack Roush and Robert Yates, the Roush Yates Engines company entered into a partnership with Ford back in 2003 to prepare racing engines. Though Ford didn't make its return to Le Mans until 2016, the marque has figured in motorsports for many years. In addition to NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), the most popular discipline in the U.S., particularly in the South, Ford invested in American endurance, via the former Grand Am championship and the Daytona Prototypes, in the 2000s.
The main race of the former championship - which has since merged with the American Le Mans Series - being the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Ford and also Roush Yates Engines were able to gain experience in 24-hour races with EcoBoost technology prior to taking on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford then achieved a historic one-two-three in 2012 at Daytona before winning, thanks to the Chip Ganassi Racing outfit, at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2014.
It was also with Chip Ganassi Racing that Ford won in its class at the 2016 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the #68 Ford GT driven by Joey Hand, Dirk Müller and Sébastien Bourdais. Before becoming a part of the Henry Ford museum, the engine of the winning car made a stop at the Roush Yates Engines workshops to let the employees pose at its sides before reuniting with the Ford GT.
Saying goodbye to the race winning @24hoursoflemans engine! It will be installed in the race winning car & reside in the Henry Ford Museum.? pic.twitter.com/6gY4r93Gt6
— Roush Yates Engines (@roushyates) 21 septembre 2016
Photo: The #68 Ford GT that won at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans in LM GTE Pro will be on display in the Ford Museum.
