Ford GT FIA GT3 Euro Champs Review

April 2007

Matech Racing has announced their plans to enter three Ford GT cars in the 2007 season of the FIA GT3 European Championship. This project is in the hands of Martin Bartek, owner of the Matech Concepts Company, located in Switzerland. The Swiss team has called on Christian Schumacher, of Belgium, to prepare the Ford GT cars for thei homologation with the FIA. Andreas Hainke, who worked with Race Alliance last year in the FIA GT Championship, has also joined the technical team, and will be heading up the management and organisation of Matech Racing.

"Technically, in its original state the car is rather extraordinary ", an enthused Christian Schumacher remarks.”Nevertheless to make this into a racing beast there is a fair amount of work involved, and especially since we are starting out with a road going version. In fact the Racing adaptation promises to be a real jewel, simple and yet sophisticated. I’m already convinced that this Ford GT will be highly competitive…”

Even though Ford is not officially involved in the GT3 adventure, which remains a 100% private operation, Christian Schumacher and the entire Matech Racing team will nevertheless try to receive some assistance from Ford Motorsport Europe in the field of the car’s homologation. In the meanwhile work has started on the four chassis, and very shortly a prototype will take to the track for an initial evaluation of this Ford GT.Stephane Ratel, Chairman of SRO Motorsports Group, promoter of the FIA GT3 European Championship, is delighted by the news of the Ford GT. "It is what I would call a new cult model, and in addition a new make showing an interest for the GT3 regulations”, Ratel commented.

Update:
Christophe Bouchut, the official FIA GT3 test driver, was able to test the Ford GT for the first time. Bouchut did a time of 1’17.997 with the Ford GT, on old tyres.

For Christophe Bouchut, the Ford GT is well built: “This car is really efficient. First of all, it looks fantastic. Then inside, everything is well done, it is a real racing car where everything is thought out for the race. The car is fast, we will test it again in Dijon, but the package is interesting”.