From Hell: Matech Ford GT for GT1 Racing

Here at Zerotohundred.com we are advocates of everything spectacularly fast, insanely loud and of course, racing (on track that is).And that’s exactly what the Ford GT40 is all about as well. First built in the 60s to whoop some European butt – namely Ferrari and Porsche – and successfully doing so four years in a row (66-69), the GT40 was resurrected in 2003 and was known simply as the Ford GT. It has since gone on to multiple victories namely in the European GT3 Class.

Enter Matech Competition, a Swiss racing team who has taken the GT to numerous GT3 class wins and is all set to do so again in GT1. The team ran a prototype model in the same series in 2009 and based on the lessons learnt, the team has gone on to build it’s newest GT1 competitor with upgraded everything. The team says that the two cars share nothing in common whatsoever. The new car is shown in the short video clip above, and for more information, we have posted the official press release after the jump. This evil looking and sounding GT1 Ford GT will be racing against the likes of the Nissan GTR, Lamborghini Murcielago’s, Aston Martin DB9R’s, Maserati MC12s, Ferrari F430’s, Porsche GT32’s and Chevrolet Corvette’s.

Press Release

The 2010 Matech Ford GT1 unveiled

As early as 2009, before the regulations of the new GT Championship came into force, Matech Concepts started developing a new Ford GT1 based on the prototype fielded in the previous season. On the way to the Portuguese circuit at Portimão, Matech Competition stopped in Spain at the Ascari circuit to perform the roll-out of the new car. With Thomas Mutsch at the wheel, the first metres of the Ford GT1 went according to plan, just as the driver and Martin Bartek had been hoping: “The car is completely new. Not a single element, be it the engine, the transmission system, the suspension or aerodynamics are the same as those of the Ford GT1 from 2009. The roll-out was very promising, and we are confident with regard the forthcoming season.” The next step will be the “balance of performance” at Portimão on 3 and 4 February, followed by further testing at the Alcañiz circuit where a handful of previously selected drivers will take the wheel of the Ford GT1. This first stage will then be concluded by the presentation of the vehicle to the press in Paris on 1 March.

The driver pairings…

To determine the final line-up for the cockpits of the two Ford GT1 cars, Matech Competition has invited seven drivers to participate in a comparative test in a “special” Ford GT3 on the Portimão circuit. In addition to the five men – Mathias Beche, Yann Zimmer, Borja Garcia, Casper Elgaard and Carlo Van Dam – the group also includes two ladies, Natacha Gachnang and Cyndie Allemann. ”Our goal, clearly, is to form two teams that are as strong as possible by giving young drivers, including women, an opportunity to compete. For these tests, they will be driving one of our Ford GT3 cars on which we have removed the ballast and the air-restrictor so that it will handle in a similar way on the track as the GT1,” explains Martin Bartek. After this initial evaluation, there will be some candidates for further tests, this time in the Ford GT1 at the Motorland circuit near Alcañiz. Jonathan Hirschi and Marc Hennerici will join this test as well.

Source: Autoblog

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