Ford Racing is officially charging toward a new era in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the development of its highly anticipated Hypercar. In a recent progress update, WEC Hypercar Program Manager Dan Sayers and Ford Racing driver Logan Sargeant shared exclusive insights into the program’s global momentum.
From the successful dyno testing of the 5.4-liter Coyote-based V8 engine in Detroit to the rigorous simulator sessions bridging the gap between the UK and France, the team is operating at full throttle. As the program eyes a track debut in the third quarter of the year, this collaboration between Ford Racing, Venture Engineering and ORECA represents a massive step forward in bringing the Blue Oval back to the top-tier of endurance racing.
Question: Dan, please can you give a short intro on how the Hypercar development is going and some feedback from your recent trip to Detroit?
Dan Sayers: "It's a pretty busy time at the moment. I just got back from the USA where I was viewing the progress with the powertrain group. The first engine was completed and was on the dyno, and it's been testing now for some time. It's going through the basic calibration tasks, and we're just now starting development of certain aspects for performance. Overall, all is going well with the engine. Can I just add that this is the first engine that we've done in-house in terms of a competition and race engine - a 5.4-liter, based on the Coyote V8 naturally aspirated. Then just down the road, on the same site, the hybrid system is also running on the full powertrain dyno. We haven't mated the two together just yet, but that is going to be coming up in the next three to four weeks."
Question: Logan, what does it mean personally to you to be an American driver and to be able to represent an iconic American brand such as Ford in their debut in the Hypercar class next season?
Logan Sargeant: "Well, it's definitely nice! Being an American, and being around Ford cars my entire life… I think my dad's had a Ford truck since I've been born - we've never not had one. It's really cool to be a part of that, to be in something so familiar to me. To be able to have the opportunity to win at Le Mans with Ford will be amazing, especially in the Hypercar class, which is everyone's goal. I'm going to be pushing hard to try and make that a reality. It's definitely a huge privilege for me."
Rachel Cavers is the Communications Manager, Ford Racing (WEC)
