Mcrider

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/f...ng-into-focus/

Ford DPi Program Coming into Focus

Design studies, requests for proposals underway for likely Ford DPi program…

Details of Ford’s likely DPi entry into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship have begun to emerge, with initial car studies and a team selection process reportedly already underway.

The American manufacturer, which is currently in the third of a four-year factory GT Le Mans campaign, has been widely reported to be preparing for a top-level prototype program following the conclusion of the Ford GT effort.

Sportscar365 has learned that design studies involving staff from Multimatic have been undertaken, along with requests for proposal from teams that could run the factory operation by as early as 2019.

Ford’s current sports car racing partner, Chip Ganassi Racing, however, is believed to hold the first right of refusal for the program.

The developments come in the wake of news that Ford is no longer in the FIA’s technical working group meetings to shape to the proposed 2020 ‘Hypercar’ regulations for the World Endurance Championship, leading to speculation that a Ford DPi program may have already been confirmed internally.

Ford Performance global motorsports director Mark Rushbrook previously said they would not undertake a dual prototype program unless it’s with a common set of regulations that’s shared in IMSA.

Speaking to Sportscar365 last weekend at Road America, Rushbrook said Ford continues to evaluate its prototype options, with a decision hinging on the finalization of the Hypercar regs, which is due to be presented to the FIA World Motor Sport Council for approval in early December.

“We’re still continuing to look at our options,” Rushbrook told Sportscar365. “We’re studying what our cycle plan is and could be in the future. There’s a lot of moving pieces.

“There’s certainly deadlines that need to be met for those kind of decisions.

“The commitment from the ACO and FIA is to have a complete definition of its rules at the end of the year and that’s when we will make decisions.”

When asked about whether a Ford DPi could debut in 2019, alongside the expected final year of the factory Ford GT program, Rushbrook said they “do not comment about future activities.”

IMSA President Scott Atherton has downplayed any imminent new DPi manufacturer for the start of the 2019 season.

“I wouldn’t hold out for that,” Atherton told Sportscar365. “We’re always in meetings and there’s always a process and content in the pipeline. But I don’t think we’re expecting a new player.

“If there was, we’d know about it and that’s not on the docket right now.

“It could happen. There’s always content under development. But our business planning is not expecting that.”

However, should Ford commit to a 2019 debut, it would give the manufacturer at least a three-year run under the current DPi regulations, which are confirmed through the end of the 2021 WeatherTech Championship season.

z28lt1

That's a pretty click-bait title. Ford had always planned a short run in GTLM, with this being the originally planned last year, and they extended one more year to next year. They are still hoping to have customer cars in the future, not sure if there will be a taker or not to run GTLM or GTE-PRO. I imagine someone will at least want to run a GT in GTE-AM, but that's a guess.

Not sure why that has any bearing on GM, as they already run DPI. Corvette was there (in recent IMSA GT history) before Ford, and will be there after.

Mcrider

Click bait? Where has FORD ever said this was only going to be a "short run"? As far as I know, there is no program FORD Racing has for "customer cars" with the FORD GT.

Not sure about "any bearing on GM"?

If FORD pulls out of GTLM, it's a 6 car class and that won't last more than 1 season at best running like that. Honestly, what is Corvette Marketing getting out of the C7R racing program now other than lower podium finishes? I can see them pulling C7R out completely unless something big happens to reinvent GTLM. With Penske's full effort into the prototype class, this is where all the money, TV time, and sponsor advertising is going to go.

The question is very valid. If FORD pulls out of GTLM, will GM/C7R follow suit? I think they will.

There is always Trans Am....

Scooter70

Corvette Racing has won the last two team and manufacturer championships (and are still in the hunt for another one this year despite not yet winning a race). They were around before the FGT and will be there long after. For those who remember ALMS in the 2000s, Corvette was the essentially only car in GTS/GT1 for many of those years. The competition will come and go but I don't see Corvette Racing leaving GT racing anytime soon.

Ford has said that the GT would only be produced until 2020. As with the previous generation of the car, federal vehicle safety standards increase in 2021, which the car will not pass. (The same thing happened in 2007 - That's why the last car only ran 2004-2006.)

As for the customer cars, Dave Pericak has said in the past that it's a possibility. This article is a year old but proves the point: https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...lity-for-2018/

rocsvette

z28lt1

From the very beginning, Ford was not committed long term. Here is their press release from 2016 that they "extended" the program through 2019.
https://media.ford.com/content/fordm...19-season.html

As for customer cars, they've been saying for more than a year that that they could/would go that way (and you'll see here another reference to the 4 year factory program)
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...lity-for-2018/

Ford has also been very open open about their desire to race prototypes, expressing several times over the last year or so they were hoping for a global standard for prototypes that would allow them to run them both in IMSA and in WEC. Feel free to do your own google and find those articles. The fact that ACO/WEC is too stubborn to make that happen will leave Ford with some decisions to make.

As is posted just a few threads down from this one (currently) there has to be some concern for GTE/GTLM starting in 2020 with Ford gone, and Lamborghini abandoning their program before it ever got off the ground. So sure, the class needs some car counts, but other that what was known about Ford leaving for years now, there is no new information to lead anyone to believe that Corvette will leave, and no evidence that they will.

Mcrider

I am aware of some huge issues coming up with the 2020 IMSA racing season with regards to classes and reorganizations being discussed and adopted. I just have to wonder, with so many changes taking place, not only here, but on the political horizon with regards to automotive tariffs. I would think that GM/Chevrolet would desperately want a very visible venue for the C8 platform. It looks like automotive tariffs between Europe and America may very well fall, and if that happens, the European market will finally be open to American cars like never before. The potential in sales for the C8 could be very high since it's a lower priced supercar compared to what is available there. I would think Chevrolet marketing/racing would be all over both IMSA and WEC to obtain maximum exposure since road racing is such a huge sport over there.

Personally I would like to see a class where the Corvettes run head to head against all of them, the Mercedes/Porsche/Ferrari/Lamborghini's/BMW's and anybody else that wants to race and do so on a global scale.

As always, it's going to be interesting.

quick04Z06

Ford as a company is having financial issues and recently abandoned the US sedan market. I think Ford is going to be careful about how they spend their dollars. I am sure their main concern will be the data they have on which kind(s) of racing best leverage street car sales, both in the USA and elsewhere, and perhaps to a lesser degree customer race car sales, if they every go that route.

KnightDriveTV

I felt strongly, from the start of the season, that we were seeing IMSA sweet talking the Ford involvement, much like they did SRT...I felt early on this was Ford GT's year to win it all, and it's their game to lose. I felt the BOP and key penalty decisions would swing their way, and with pro teams, you give them a 5% edge, it's enough to win a championship with a near guarantee. Huge blowout at Daytona for the FGT, plus Ganassi flagged it, and it was his 200th win (storybook quality). Ford definitely wants in DPi, but FIA/ACO clearly doesn't want to play ball with IMSA, but be their own thing that costs mega money so...I suppose there goes that. God forbid that WEC would follow in the lowly americans path of DPi to be affordable...of course they couldn't stoop so low.

I personally think GM's dollars in GTLM are well spent and justified, and I don't think Ford's involvement really makes a difference, just like SRT's didn't.

Mcrider

I think the Ford involvement, along with Porsche sets up a great rivalry that has yet to be exploited for marketing on tv. Most TV coverage focuses heavily on the prototypes, with minimal coverage on the GTLM.

Even when the Prototypes weren't racing, the majority of the TV time was on the GTD cars, and GTLM was filler material IMO.

The GTLM racing is pretty boring when compared to the P and GTD stuff. It's pretty much just following each other around while the other classes are trading paint and pushing each other to the limits. Reducing the field from 8 cars to 6 is just going to make it more boring IMO.

93Polo

Agree with the coverage disagree with the racing. Grand Am promoted dirty bump and run racing which I don't like and has continued into TUDOR or IMSA whatever they want to call it. I watch the races and fast forward through much of the LMP coverage, LMP has improved since the old Grand AM DP but they just don't interest me all that much.

A smaller field could be problematic, we'll have to see what how BMW and Porsche react. It wouldn't be the first time Corvette dropped down a class. GT racing always seems to over develop/open up the rule book in the top class only to see manufacturers drop out due to cost/single team dominance just for the class below to evolve into the previous top class.

KnightDriveTV

I agree coverage of all classes could improve, because I feel a lot of good racing is missed. Road America had a lot of "incidents" which I think placed more coverage to the two classes but GTLM was highly competitive throughout the race with a lot of changes happening. I think the racing is solid in IMSA right now, overall. In addition, if you just look at the fanbase at the races...GTLM brings the fans.

KnightDriveTV

Call me crazy but, I feel a "Super GT" type class possibly evolving from the current GTLM class. Make the new DPi's faster than LMP2 and make the GTLM's faster than GTD. Not saying factually, just saying I wouldn't be surprised if that happened. I also feel like Ford wants a Mustang in there...again...call me crazy...all theory based upon snippets, statements, certain marketing I see at races and in online racing that I combine.

Look at the C8R's bodywork...it's looking less silhouette and more "SuperGT" with the big fender vents...lots more body aero efficiency being designed into that car.

Mcrider

With the release the pix and the C8 in the hands of Pratt, one can only hope they will be ready for Daytona. With all that's happening in racing world, this may be the only year the C8 can go head to head against the FORD GT.

That would really increase the excitement level.

vader86

Yep, always works out that way, big teams leave and the lower classes evolve within the rules to force the merger of the two.