Ford Performance Explained
Ford Performance (formerly Ford Racing) is the high-performance division of the Ford Motor Company and the multinational name used for its motorsport and racing activity.
History
- 1896 – Henry Ford reached a top speed of 20 mph in his first car, Quadricycle.
- 1901 – Henry Ford defeated Alexander Winton (the most accomplished automobile builder/racer of the era) in a 10-lap race on a one-mile oval at the Detroit Driving Club, Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He overcame his rival's more powerful car in Sweepstakes, a racing car of his own design.[1]
- 1902 – Ford 999 (named after a famous New York Central train), driven by Barney Oldfield, Master Driver of the World and America's Legendary Speed King, defeated Alex Winton at Grosse Point in the 999 as a result of the publicity and financial backing of Alex J. Malcomson the Ford Motor Company was launched
- 1903 – Ford 999, driven by Oldfield, lapped the Indiana Fairgrounds dirt track at a then-record 60 mph?
- 1904 – Henry Ford, driving his rebuilt 999, sets the world one mile record on a frozen lake near Detroit.
- 1904 – Frank Kulick drove a Ford 20 hp racer to the one and five mile world track record for middleweight racers.
- 1907 – Kulick set the world 24-hour track endurance record, traveling 1135 miles driving a Ford six cyl Model K.
- 1909 – A Ford Model T won the transcontinental New York to Seattle cross-country race (about 3600 km).
- 1932 – Ford introduced its V-8 Flathead engine, bringing V-8 power into mass production with the slogan "Everyman’s power for the road, and Everyman’s power for racing".
- 1932 – Two car mechanics win the Swedish Winter Grand Prix driving a Ford special.[2]
- 1936 – Ionel Zamfirescu and P. G. Cristea won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Ford V8 "Flathead".[3] [4]
- 1949 – Jim Roper, driving a Lincoln, won the first NASCAR race.[5]
- 1950 – Jimmy Florian, driving a Ford, wins the first NASCAR race in a Ford branded vehicle at Dayton Ohio[6]
- 1963 - Tiny Lund wins 1st Daytona 500 for Ford.
- 1965 - Jim Clark gives Ford its 1st of 6 Indy wins between 1965 and 1971. source: IRL: Ford clinches first Indianapolis 500 win
- 1967 – Jim Clark, driving a Lotus-Ford, won the Dutch Grand Prix. This is Ford's first grand prix victory.
- 1968 - Graham Hill, driving a Lotus-Ford, won both the driver's world championship and the constructor's world championship. This is Ford's first of both respective championship wins.
- 1976 - Ford via Cosworth won its 1st Indy 500 and would dominate Indy with the Cosworth DFX over the next 10 years by winning every race plus 2 more with the XB version for a 12 Indy win total between 1978 and 1996 The Ford-Cosworth DFX powered 81 consecutive Indy car victories from 1981 to 1986, and 153 victories total. Won all USAC and CART championships between 1977 and 1987. Source - Cosworth DFX Indy Engine
- 1994 - Michael Schumacher bags his first driver's world championship with Ford-powered Benetton B194 car.
- 2000 - Dale Jarett wins Ford's 10th Daytona 500.
- 2003 – Giancarlo Fisichella, driving a Jordan-Ford, won the Brazilian Grand Prix. This is Ford's 176th and last Grand Prix victory.
- 2011 – Trevor Bayne wins the Daytona 500 in a 1–2–3 finish for Ford. It was Ford's 600th NASCAR victory.
- 2012 – Michael Shank Racing wins the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona with a Ford engined Riley chassis (Allmendinger/Negri/Pew/Wilson), Starworks Motorsport finishes 2nd in Grand-Am Daytona Prototype driver standings (Ryan Dalziel), and wins the 1st North American Endurance Championship, also with Ford power.
- 2013 – Greg Biffle wins the Quicken Loans 400, Ford's 1000th NASCAR win.
- 2014 – Debut of the Ford EcoBoost twin turbo engine for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates win the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring using the engine.
- 2015 – Ford Racing, alongside Ford Team RS and Special Vehicle Team, merged into a global entity named Ford Performance, as they also will make 12 performance cars by 2020. Wins Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona overall with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (Kanaan/ McMurray/ Larson / Dixon) using Ford Ecoboost Riley DP.
- 2016 – Ford entered four Ford GT cars in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro class, finished 1–3–4–10.
- 2018 – Joey Logano wins at Homestead Miami Speedway and wins Ford Performance its first NASCAR cup championship since 2004 and First Manufacturer's Championship since 2002.
- 2023 – Ford announced their return as a Formula 1 engine manufacturer for 2026 after nearly 20 years of absence in Formula 1[7] and will partner with Red Bull Powertrains as Red Bull Ford Powertrains.[8] [9] Red Bull Ford Powertrains will supply engines to Red Bull Racing and RB Formula One Team.[10]
- 2024 – As part of their partnership with Red Bull and the company's broader STEM and DEI initiatives to "further attract more women to the sport across all levels and roles", Ford signed a title partnership deal with Red Bull to form the Red Bull Ford Academy Programme in support of Emely de Heus for the 2024 F1 Academy season.[11] [12]
Vehicles
This list only includes vehicles produced post 2016 after the merger of Ford Team RS and Special Vehicle Team,
Currently sold
- Ford Edge ST
- Ford Explorer ST
- Ford F-150 Raptor
- Ford Focus ST
- Ford GT
- Ford Bronco Raptor
- Ford Ranger Raptor
Previously sold
Factory drivers
Current
Wins
| Series | Race
wins | Manufacturers
titles | Drivers
titles |
|---|
| Formula One | 176 | 10 | 13 |
| NASCAR | 728 | 17 | 11 |
| V8 Supercar | 415 | 6 | 26 | |
Ford Performance teams
Formula One
NASCAR
Cup Series
Xfinity Series
Truck Series
Australia Supercars Championship
World Endurance Championship
Past teams
Matech GT Racing, SunTrust Racing, Ford World Rally Team, Munchi's Ford World Rally Team, Richard Petty Motorsports, Jordan Grand Prix, Stewart Grand Prix, Jaguar Racing, Benetton Formula, Sauber F1 Team, Minardi F1 Team, Team Aon, Marc VDS Racing Team, Belgian Racing, Fischer Racing, FWRT, Hoonigan Racing Division, Chip Ganassi Racing, Olsbergs MSE
See also
Notes and References
- http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=103&i=3023 Ford Centenary
- Web site: GRAND PRIX RÄMENLOPPET 1933 ! (GRAND PRIX MOTOR RACING SWEDEN WINTER 1933). www.youtube.com.
- Web site: Archived copy . 2011-03-10 . 2018-12-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181216120530/http://www.rallye-info.com/carmake_profile.asp?make=1 . dead .
- http://media.ford.com /article_display.cfm?article_id=7251
- Web site: NASCAR.COM - Ford Racing timeline - Nov 22, 2006 . www.nascar.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061126083708/http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/11/22/ford.timeline/index.html . 2006-11-26.
- Web site: Articles .
- Web site: 2023-02-03 . Ford announce plans to return to F1 from the 2026 season Formula 1® . www.formula1.com . en.
- Web site: 2023-02-03 . Ford announce new technical partnership with Red Bull for 2026 and beyond Formula 1® . www.formula1.com . en.
- Web site: BREAKING: Ford to partner with Red Bull for the 2026 season and beyond . Formula 1 Twitter . en.
- Web site: 2023-02-03 . Ford Returns To Formula 1; Strategic Partner To Oracle Red Bull Racing For 2026 Season And Beyond Ford Media Center . Ford.
- Web site: Cooper . Adam . March 7, 2024 . Ford F1 Academy deal shows support for Red Bull . March 9, 2024 . .
- Web site: Red Bull Ford Academy Programme . March 13, 2024 . Red Bull Ford Academy Programme welcomes Ford as title partner of the Red Bull Ford Car . March 16, 2024 . .
