Ford has expanded its FIA World Endurance Championship development program to two test cars as it prepares to enter the Hypercar class in 2027.
The manufacturer is developing an LMDh prototype for its return to the top category of international endurance racing, with a nine-round debut season beginning in Qatar in March 2027.
A second car joins testing
The arrival of a second test car gives Ford more machinery for its development work ahead of the 2027 campaign. Motorsport.com described the program as hitting its milestones, following the manufacturer’s earlier shakedown at Paul Ricard.
Ford revealed its LMDh on track at the French circuit in September. The expansion to two cars comes during the testing phase rather than a race weekend, with the manufacturer still working toward its first WEC event under the new program.
The step takes Ford beyond the initial shakedown stage, although no further test schedule was publicly disclosed in the reports. Running two development cars provides another concrete marker of the program’s progress before the prototype is homologated and enters competition.
Ford’s LMDh route
Ford is building an LMDh car, one of the two technical routes permitted in the WEC Hypercar category alongside Le Mans Hypercar machinery. Its prototype uses a chassis supplied by Oreca.
The LMDh formula combines a manufacturer’s bodywork and internal-combustion engine with specified hybrid components. That common framework is also used in the top GTP category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, although Ford’s latest reported testing step concerns its WEC preparations.
The choice puts Ford on the same broad technical pathway as other manufacturers using LMDh machinery while retaining manufacturer-specific elements. The Oreca-supplied chassis and standardised hybrid system form the platform on which Ford must complete its own development work before the car can race in the Hypercar field.
The Hypercar field is growing
Ford is entering a category that already includes Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Genesis, Peugeot and Toyota in the 2026 championship. McLaren is also preparing an LMDh program for WEC competition.
The manufacturer’s arrival will therefore add to an expanding group of factory-backed Hypercar projects. Ford has not yet reached the race phase, and the addition of a second test car is part of the preparation required before homologation and competition.
That distinction leaves the current program focused on development mileage rather than direct comparison with the existing grid. Until Ford begins racing, testing remains the principal public measure of how far the project has advanced from its first Paul Ricard running.
A longer 2027 calendar awaits
Ford’s debut season is scheduled to feature nine WEC rounds. The official 2027 calendar begins in Qatar on March 27, followed by Imola on April 11 and Silverstone on April 25.
Spa-Francorchamps will host the championship on May 15 before the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 12. São Paulo follows on July 11, with the Circuit of the Americas on September 12 and Fuji Speedway on September 26. Bahrain is scheduled to close the season on November 6.
That calendar restores Silverstone and retains Le Mans as its centerpiece, giving Ford a defined timetable for completing its development work before the opening round. The sequence also places three rounds within the opening month, from Qatar through Silverstone, before the program moves into the Spa and Le Mans portion of the season.
Another benchmark before racing
Ford’s move from an initial shakedown to running a second development car marks another concrete stage in the project, but no race result can yet measure its progress against the established WEC field.
The remaining program must turn testing mileage into a homologated package ready for nine rounds of endurance competition. Its first scheduled race is less than six months before the season-ending Bahrain round, leaving a full championship of varied circuits ahead once development is complete.
The next publicly disclosed test activity will offer a further indication of how Ford is advancing toward its March 2027 debut. Until then, the second car is the latest visible evidence that the manufacturer’s Hypercar project has progressed beyond its initial Paul Ricard shakedown.
