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Members of the Ford Racing team prepare to start the 5.4-litre Coyote-based V8 engine that will go on to power Ford’s WEC Hypercar program.
Last week, Ford Racing's WEC Hypercar program reached one of its most significant milestones to date: The 5.4-litre Coyote-based V8 engine was fired up for the first time while installed with the hybrid system within the chassis, marking the moment the program truly came to life outside the dyno cells of Dearborn.
This moment was the culmination of months of painstaking work. The Ford Hypercar features a chassis developed with ORECA and is powered by a 5.4-litre, naturally-aspirated Coyote V8 engine, designed, developed and built in-house at our base in Michigan. Importantly, it serves as a direct link to Ford's production performance vehicles. This engine accelerates the transfer of technology between the racetrack and the road.
As I reflect on the journey to this point, I am proud of the groundwork that was laid long before the engine ever turned over in France. The engine's development phase is already showing great promise on the dynos in Dearborn, where we've been pushing the limits of its performance and durability, while learning a lot at the same time.
That dyno work, combined with parallel progress on the chassis side with ORECA, has now converged into a complete package ready for its next phase.
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The WEC Hypercar engine was designed, developed and built in Dearborn, Michigan, but was first fired up in France with ORECA.
We have a lot of laps to turn later this year, but the work has already started. I'm excited for what's ahead.
Ford Racing’s comprehensive track testing schedule is set to begin next month at various circuits throughout Europe. The schedule will focus on performance, reliability, hybrid system integration and aerodynamic validation, all in conditions that simulate the demands of competing in the FIA WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The driver line-up will play a central role in that next phase. All six drivers and their combined feedback in the simulator and during the team’s upcoming testing across Europe (and later in the USA) will be vital as the program transitions from the virtual world to the track.
Of course, it’s early days. We have a huge amount of work ahead of us. The sim work and dyno numbers give us a great foundation, but there's no substitute for what the drivers feel through the wheel and the seat once we're actually out on track. That feedback loop is what will truly sharpen this car over the upcoming months.
With the engine now firing within the chassis at ORECA and a track debut just a matter of weeks away, the Ford Hypercar program is entering its most visible and consequential phase yet — one that brings Ford Racing another step closer to its ultimate ambition of reclaiming victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
