Kanaan Remains at Ford for 24H Le Mans; Lineups Finalized

Photo: Ford

Tony Kanaan will make a return visit to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, despite having switched IndyCar teams, with the Brazilian confirmed in the team’s four-car lineup for the race.

Kanaan has been named to the No. 67 Ford GT alongside full-season FIA World Endurance Championship drivers Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell, replacing Pipo Derani in the lineup.

The 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner filled in for the injured Sebastien Bourdais in last year’s race, alongside Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller, who are rejoined by the Frenchman in the No. 68 car this year.

While having driven for Ganassi in IndyCar for the past four years, Kanaan will make the switch to AJ Foyt Racing this season.

Scott Dixon, meanwhile, will again complete the lineup in the No. 69 Ford at Le Mans with full-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook, with Billy Johnson again completing the lineup in the No. 66 Ford with Olivier Pla and Stefan Muecke.

It’s unclear if Kanaan and Johnson will get additional outings in the cars at the WEC Prologue or season-opening Six Hours of Spa, as has been the case for the team’s third drivers in the previous two years.

While the May 5 race at Spa has no conflict with his IndyCar commitments, the Prologue at Paul Ricard clashes with the IndyCar race at the newly named ISM Raceway, previously known as Phoenix International Raceway.

The four-car Ford Le Mans entry makes up the expanded GTE-Pro class, which features a record 17 entries.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John