Ford Racing has successfully completed its first test with the all-new Hypercar, wrapping up a comprehensive shakedown and three days of track testing at Paul Ricard in southern France - a major milestone on the road to the team's 2027 debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar class.
The new Hypercar covered over 1000km at Paul Ricard and marked the car's first extended running since the 5.4-liter Coyote-based V8 engine was fired up at ORECA in early July. It also kicked off an intensive on-track development program which will span three continents over the coming months.
All six Ford Racing Hypercar drivers were at Paul Ricard over the course of the testing week, with Logan Sargeant, Matt Campbell, Tom Blomqvist and Mike Rockenfeller all taking turns in the cockpit. British drivers Sebastian Priaulx and Nick Yelloly were also onsite with the team, gathering feedback and ensuring they are ready for the next stage of the testing process.
Next in the schedule is a three-day simulator session in North Carolina followed by a test at Portimao at the beginning of September. Four more tests at circuits across Europe [Silverstone, Monza, Imola and Aragon] will follow before the program moves to the USA at the end of the year, with track time scheduled at both Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and Sebring.
Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Racing: “Getting our Hypercar out on track for the first time at Paul Ricard is a huge moment for the team. Every mile we put on this car brings us closer to Le Mans, and closer to reclaiming our place at the top of endurance racing. This is only the first step of a long and demanding development road, but the fact that all six of our drivers were on hand, working together and pushing this program forward, tells you everything about the spirit we're building at Ford Racing.”
Dan Sayers, WEC Hypercar Program Manager at Ford Racing: “Reaching Paul Ricard and getting the car through its shakedown and three full days of running is exactly the milestone we set out to hit. Everything we did in the buildup - the dyno work in Dearborn, the fire-up in France, the countless hours in the sim - was about making sure that when we rolled out onto track, we were ready to be plug and play. There's a long list of milestones still ahead of us before Q1 2027, but these past couple of weeks has given the team a lot of confidence and strong foundations to build on.”
Matt Campbell, Ford Racing Hypercar driver: “I've been here for the whole test and from my side, it's gone smoothly. I've seen fans online raving about how awesome the sound is, but from inside the cockpit, it's on another level – it's absolutely deafening! I'm genuinely excited for what's ahead with this car. We know there's a long road in front of us, but this has been a really positive start. I've had the most track time out of the drivers, and aside from a few minor teething issues – which you'd expect at the beginning of a new program – everything has gone well. From here, things really ramp up: I'm heading back to the USA for three days of sim work before returning to Europe for the next test.”
Logan Sargeant, Ford Racing Hypercar driver: "Kicking off a new program always takes time - you're figuring out how all the pieces fit together, and we're still working through that. That said, we really hit the ground running. Starting testing from where we did is a huge credit to the team. There have already been countless hours poured into this project, including a ton of time in the simulator, so we've had a massive head start. Now it's about making sure everything comes together flawlessly, and that's the next step for us. We can honestly say we've started in the best possible way.”
