ABOVE: production Ford GT at its public introduction in January

Prevailing wisdom at Le Mans says Ford’s announcement on Friday will not only name Chip Ganassi Racing as its primary team for its Ford GT program in the American TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, but add a two-car European team to contest the World Endurance Championship.

The four-car Le Mans 2016 effort would signify Ford’s most ambitious road racing program since its multi-series participation in IMSA, Trans-Am, and CART during a stretch that spanned portions of the 1980s and ’90s.

Ford, CGR, Ford GT chassis manufacturer Multimatic, and engine builder Roush Yates are comprise the four keystone partners behind the project, and it’s believed Multimatic, under the guidance of former Aston Martin Racing director George Howard-Chappell, will facilitate the WEC program on the Blue Oval’s behalf. Although its primary base of operations is in Canada, the Multimatic Technical Centre Europe located in England could double as the home for the WEC effort.

A recent, significant hiring wave has been in place at the MTCE, and many of Howard-Chappell’s former colleagues, including those from his time at AMR/Prodrive, and Lola, are said to be involved with the Ford GT effort.

Although unconfirmed (the entire Ford program is unconfirmed at this point—but the brand finally announced a press conference will take place on Friday), at least two of the four manufacturers competing at Le Mans this weekend could lose drivers to Ford’s multi-year campaign at the end of the season.  

A few major GT drivers have been rumored as future teammates/WEC colleagues to CGR’s lineup, and with the Ford GT serving as a known project for quite some time, the volume of drivers seeking contact information for Ford Racing’s upper brass has been rather impressive.

Ford’s full driver roster is not expected to be revealed on Friday, and the finer details of the program could come in a series of follow-up releases.