Ford has decided against its long-standing partner Multimatic and in favor of Oreca for the construction of its LMDh racing car – but what is behind this decision?
Ford will enter the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2027 with an LMDh racing car. A start in the US IMSA series is also considered very likely. Since the LMDh cars are based on an LMP2 chassis, the blue oval had to find a partner. Surprisingly, the choice fell on Oreca and not Multimatic, even though the company co-developed the Ford Mustang GT3 and fields it as a works team.
Ford Performance boss Mark Rushbrook explains why the French company was chosen and why he believes Oreca is the right partner for the Hypercar era. “Multimatic is a great company and a great partner with whom we developed the Mustang GT3 and GT4,” “We also developed many racing projects together before that, such as the Ford GT program from 2017 to 2022 and the current Mustang GTD.”
“That’s why many saw it as an affront to Multimatic when we decided to go in a different direction with the Hypercar, but that wasn’t the case at all,” said Rushbrook. “Every program looks independently at the options, and we at Ford Performance recognized that Oreca offers the best opportunities in the hypercar program because the company has enjoyed so much success in LMP2.”
There are other LMP2 chassis manufacturers besides Oreca, including Dallara from Italy. Dallara, for example, builds the LMDh base for Cadillac and BMW. Multimatic also offers an LMP2 chassis. However, in LMP2 racing, the Oreca base has clearly prevailed in recent years and established itself as the top dog in endurance racing.
“It was a competition between the different chassis manufacturers,” Rushbrook clarifies. “And with our goals for the hypercar, we think Oreca is the right partner.” According to the Ford Performance boss, Oreca came out on top in the competition for the contract – not only because of its success in LMP2 racing, but also because of the package it offered, which is designed to make Ford competitive.
Rushbrook did not want to go into details. “As in all other racing series, you have to look at all the options,” said the American. “We also compared the LMH and LMDh bases. If you decide on the LMDh base, you have to choose one of the various chassis manufacturers.” In the end, the choice fell on Oreca and not Multimatic.
