Ford GTs Suffer Teething Issues At First Race

By  Stef Schrader

Despite months of successful testing and promising runs including some time in the lead during the beginning of today's Rolex 24 at Daytona, both Ford GTs have run into their first major issues during the race.

First, the No. 67 Ford GT got stuck in sixth gear during the first hour of the race, forcing it to go behind the wall for repairs. According to RacingNorth, it returned 17 laps down.

Its sister No. 66 car had briefly been in the lead in the GTLM class, but it, too, ran into problems. First, Sportscar365 reports that the No. 66 pulled in for brake line repairs, losing a lot of time in the pits. Later, Joey Hand pulled the No. 66 off to the side of turns 1 and 2 with no power. Two issues affected Hand's car: the kill switch kept coming on and the traction control was turning on and off. More time lost for the Ford GTs.

That being said, when the GTs work, they're stupid quick. Per Sportscar365, Ryan Briscoe in the No. 67 set the fastest lap in the GTLM class of the race: a 1:44.974.

They've got just under 22 more hours to go, though, so hopefully the Ford team's problems get out of the way early.

UPDATE: The No. 67 car had one more problem to worry about during this race. Michelin Alley reports that a broken rear diffuser was rubbing against its tire, causing tire failures during the race.

Photo credit: Ford Performance

Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com.

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