IMSA: Ford HQ sends Hand, Briscoe off to Le Mans in style

Ford GT factory drivers Joey Hand and Ryan Briscoe were treated to the ultimate send-off from the Blue Oval's headquarters for next month's 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Ford's long awaited return to take on the world's best in France will see the Chip Ganassi Racing team and a squadron of four twin-turbo V6 GTs go head to head with Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, and Porsche in the grueling endurance event.

To help muster enthusiasm among the proud Michigan company before they fly to Le Mans, Hand (R) and Briscoe (L, with Edsel Ford, left) spent last Friday touring Ford's headquarters, meeting with employees and the Ford family, and got to see some of the hidden treasures within the auto giant's creative facility.

"It's been pretty crazy, I'll be honest with you," Hand told RACER. "I don't know if 'eye-opener' is the right word, but it's been fun. Just to see how big of a deal Ford's return to Le Mans is to everybody. First we started the day and went and saw Bill Ford. We got to see Edsel, Henry and a bunch of the guys from Ford. Then we were in Bill's office, started the morning off there, then went down and saw Edsel in his office. He showed us Henry Ford's original desk. That was pretty cool! That is the desk he uses every day. It's got 'HF' imprinted on it. So amazing.

"From there, we went to the design center, and those guys were super open and let us walk through some of the streetcar stuff, the design area, showed us how they do the concepts with clay and all that. And we got to go down to the famous basement design center that they did the GT in."

Hand, who is one of few people on the planet entrusted to drive the Ford GT, was tickled by the access he and Briscoe were granted on their visit. Considering the Ford GT has yet to go on sale, it's possible he and the other Ford Chip Ganassi Drivers have more insider information on the brand's halo product than the factory itself.

"They designed the GT in the basement so nobody would know about it," he continued. "It's at the end of a long hallway in the basement where they store all the Styrofoam for all the clay models. It is just two doors, like a double door, and it's protected with something like what you'd have for a key to your house.

"Open it up and boom, there is a makeshift design center that they built, designed and built the GT. It's really kind of mind blowing. Just the fact that they did that over the course of a year... There were eight or nine people in there from the start to the finish."

Briscoe, from Australia, and Hand, from California, were then ushered into the Ford Museum where the visual treats continued.

"We got to do some stuff with the '67 Ford GT40, Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt's Le Mans-winning car," Hand said. "We got to see the 1901 winner from Henry Ford. I am a history buff now. I have all sorts of history, all within me. It was such a fun day for me. Exciting to see all this stuff. Honestly, the best part was seeing all the excitement from the employees. I'm talking about [from] Bill Ford down. Everybody was talking about the GT and IMSA and going back to Le Mans.

"Everybody was asking how we feel, how are we going to do? What is your take on it? This Ford GT and Le Mans history makes you even more proud to be part of this program. This will be history no matter what, but the possibility of winning 50 years later, the opportunity to go for that is a big deal."

Hand expects to carry the support of all those he met at Ford to France in June and feed off their energy once the 24 Hours gets under way.

"Oh, for sure – Bill Ford is the biggest fan of what we're doing, and all the employees said they are going to be watching," he added. "It's part of Ford. When you see that kind of support from every level, you know everyone is in it. They believe in what we're doing. They are all going to be there at Le Mans in person or in spirit."