Ford announced plans Thursday to enter an LMDh prototype in the World Endurance Championship in 2027, taking the American manufacturer back to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the top category of sports car racing.
Ford won the overall title at Le Mans in four consecutive years from 1966-69. Its most recent Le Mans victory was in 2016, returning to the GT class with the Mustang. After a hiatus, Ford returned to GT racing in IMSA last year with the Mustang GT3, which won the GTD Pro division Sunday in the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
In a release, Ford announced a full factory team that will race in the FIA WEC, the international sports car series with the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the crown jewel.
“We are entering a new era for performance and racing at Ford,” Ford Motor Company executive chairman Bill Ford said in a release. “You can see it from what we’re doing on-road and off-road. When we race, we race to win. And there is no track or race that means more to our history than Le Mans. It is where we took on Ferrari and won in the 1960s.
“It is where we returned 50 years later and shocked the world and beat Ferrari again. I am thrilled that we’re going back to Le Mans and competing at the highest level of endurance racing. We are ready to once again challenge the world, and ‘go like hell!’ ”
Though no mention was made of IMSA in the release, the LMDh is the hybrid prototype platform used in the premier Grand Touring Prototype category of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The same car also can be fielded in the top Hypercar category of the FIA WEC.
IMSA president John Doonan hinted last week that he was expecting a Ford prototype in the top category of the Rolex 24 in the near future.
But in noting that “additional details on Ford’s return will be shared later,” a release Thursday confirmed only a full WEC schedule.
“Ford has been synonymous with success both on and off-track for decades, and we are delighted that the company has chosen the FIA World Endurance Championship for its latest challenge,” FIA WEC CEO Frédéric Lequien said in a release. “To have at least 10 major automotive brands committed to the series’ top-tier in 2027 is a testament to the championship’s stellar momentum and growth.”