Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Race the Ford GT in ‘Forza Motorsport 6’ before it races for real at Le Mans

Stephen Edelstein
By

Ford GT Forza Motorsport 6
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Next week’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is a big one for Ford. It marks the 50th anniversary of the Blue Oval’s storied victory over Ferrari at the French endurance race, and Ford hopes to make a big splash this year with its new GT. It’s a racing version of the road-going supercar inspired by the GT40 that won Le Mans back in 1966. So yeah, no pressure.

Before the GT takes the green flag at Le Mans a week from Saturday, though, drivers all around the world will get to see what it’s like. That’s because Ford is releasing the GT race car as a free download in Forza Motorsport 6. Starting today, codes for the download are being sent to the inboxes of players on Xbox Live. Ford notes that it may take a few days to send out all of the codes.

Recommended Videos

It’s not surprising that Ford would use Forza to promote it’s upcoming Le Mans assault. The GT road car is already the cover car for the game and available for players to use, despite the fact that Ford no one outside Ford has driven the real thing. The company is currently vetting potential GT customers, and only plans on building 250 cars per year.

Related

Read more: Audi’s 2016 R18 hybrid is ready to take on Porsche

The GT race car is equally fresh. This marks its first season of competition, and conventional wisdom holds that any race win, let alone the grueling and hyper-competitive 24 Hours of Le Mans, should be out of reach for a newbie team. The original GT40 didn’t win on Ford’s first attempt, after all. The GT is racing on both sides of the Atlantic, including the U.S.-based IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the European FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

For Le Mans, the two teams will unite for a four-car shot at glory. The two WEC cars will keep numbers 66 and 67, while the two IMSA cars (which also race as numbers 66 and 67 in the U.S.) will be numbered 68 and 69. The numbers signify the original Ford GT40’s four straight Le Mans victories at the tail end of the 1960s.

The GT40 was able to claim overall wins, but today’s GT can only hope for a class win in the category for production cars; it doesn’t have the speed to compete with the top-level hybrid prototypes from Audi, Porsche, and Toyota. A victory of any kind will be quite a challenge, though, and with so many eyes on Ford a defeat could be quite embarrassing.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Rivian R2 vs. Ford Mustang Mach-E: Will the R2 be a better buy?
Side of the Rivian R2

The Rivian R2 has finally been announced, and it could end up being the go-to EV for drivers who want a decently affordable electric car with a rugged look and feel. But when it finally launches to the public, it won't be the only option in its price range -- the Ford Mustang Mach-E could be one of its main competitors.

The Mustang Mach-E may not be quite as rugged-feeling as the Rivian R2, but it does have a lot going for it -- like an increasingly low price, sleek design, and comfortable interior. Is one of these EVs better than the other? We put the two head-to-head to find out.
Design
The first thing to note about the two cars is their design, as they’re pretty different. The Rivian R2 is built to be a little more rugged and outdoorsy, while the Mach-E instead has a sleeker and sportier look to it. Both cars look stylish and modern.

Read more
2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan gets new face, bigger battery
2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan front-quarter view.

The Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan arrived during the 2022 model year as the flagship of Mercedes' EV fleet. But now that it's been on sale for a few years, it's time for this flagship to get a refit so that it can stay competitive with other six-figure electric sedans like the BMW i7, Lucid Air, and Tesla Model S. The updated EQS sedan is scheduled to reach dealerships later this year as a 2025 model.

One of the most controversial features of the EQS has been its unorthodox streamlined shape, which makes the EQS one of the most aerodynamic sedans around, but also means it doesn't look much like a traditional Mercedes. For 2025, the EQS takes a step closer to that traditional look with a new grille featuring chrome bars like on the Mercedes S-Class. It also sports the brand's trademark hood ornament.

Read more
Best electric car charger deals: $100 off home charging stations
The handle of the Grizzl-E EV charger plugged into a vehicle.

A few years ago, electric vehicles were pretty rare or cost a fortune, but with more and more of the larger car brands getting into the game, there are a lot of excellent and even budget-friendly choices nowadays. That said, the electrical network for charging your cars might not be that widespread, so instead you'll have to rely on charging your car at home. Luckily, there are a lot of excellent car chargers at a discount, so if you've just bought an EV or want to upgrade your current charging solution, be sure to check out our favorite deals below.
Shockflo EV charger — $205, was $220

This EV charger by Shockflo is a Level 2 EV charger, which offers six times faster charging than a standard charger. It delivers 24 miles with just one hour of charging, and it can act as a mobile charger you can throw in the trunk or be mounted to a wall. It has an LCD display with useful information like charging rate, voltage, and charging time, as well as LED indicator lights that lets you know charging progress and errors.

Read more