Robertson Racing will bring the Ford GT to Le Mans this June, the American team selected by Le Mans 24 Hours organisers the Auto Club de l'Ouest (ACO) to make their first start at the endurance race.
The team submitted two entries ahead of the announcement of the invited teams made last Wednesday. The no.68 car was selected to contest the GTE-Am class – the traditional LMGT2 class split into two classes this year, GTE-Pro and GTE-Am. David Robertson, one of the team's regular drivers for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is confirmed as one of the three drivers for the car.
“Obviously I'm absolutely delighted to be contesting Le Mans for the first time,” he said. “I remember wondering when racing as an amateur what a reasonable goal might be. Le Mans is certainly way beyond it! I'll never forget as a 12-year-old boy watching Wide World of Sports' coverage of Fords winning there, so to be taking our own GT is just a dream come true. In fact, we'd really love for Ford to get behind the project. Those victories of the 1960s weren't just the greatest achievements in their history, but in American motorsport full stop.”
Despite Robertson Racing's inexperience at Le Mans several of the their personnel have been to Le Mans, and with success to boot. Dick Barbour – who assists the teams ALMS campaigns won the twice-round-the-clock race as a driver. Team Manager Andrew 'H' Smith has run cars on four separate occasions while Chief Engineer Lee Penn was part of the Team LNT squad that took a shock GT2 win in 2006 and now looks to spring a perhaps even bigger surprise with Robertson Racing.
The team's second car – no.69 – was selected as first reserve for the GT classes, presenting a real possibility that both of the Ford GTs could be on the grid for the start of the race on June 11.
“We were ecstatic when the ACO announced its line up on Wednesday,” said 'H' Smith. “The whole team was at Sebring for the winter group test and you could feel the pride flowing through everyone. To get one car on the grid is a fantastic achievement for an independent team so to have the second entry tantalisingly close too was an added bonus. Without wishing ill on any of our GT rivals, we would be absolutely ready to run two cars there.”
