Ford has secured Matt Campbell, Nick Yelloly and Tom Blomqvist, adding them to the six‑man roster that will compete in the Hypercar discipline of the World Endurance Championship from 2027.
Expanding the Driver Cohort
The previously announced trio of Mike Rockenfeller, Sebastian Priaulx and Logan Sargeant now stands alongside the three new American‑based talents, all of whom appeared together at the live announcement held in the shadow of Saturday’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Each newcomer brings title‑winning credentials in prototype racing: Campbell and Blomqvist are former IMSA overall champions, while Yelloly has claimed GTP victories with BMW and Acura and broke the 24 Hours record in LMP2.
Origins of the Signings
Ford successfully lured the trio from competing marques amid widespread realignment within the automotive racing sphere.
Yelloly and Blomqvist depart from Honda’s Acura program, whose GTP venture is slated to cease at the close of year‑end, whereas Campbell transfers from Porsche, which exited Hypercar after 2025 but keeps a GTP presence.
Porsche re‑allocated Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor from its former WEC squad to the IMSA series, which prompted Campbell’s shift to Ford’s endurance ambition.
Building the LMDh Platform
Ford intends to launch its unidentified LMDh prototype in August, preceding the scheduled start of the 2027 season in March.
In partnership with ORECA, the sole LMP2 chassis supplier, the car will feature a 5.4‑litre naturally‑aspirated Coyote engine derived in Dearborn, coupled with a homologated hybrid module. Ford will also retain full operational control of the factory effort.
Additional details concerning driver pairings and the official vehicle name will surface once further internal refinement has finished.
Re‑entering the Le Mans Legacy
Because the LMDh project marks Ford’s inaugural factory attempt at overall Le Mans success since the 1982 C100 Group C campaign, the timing could spark renewed competitive fervor.
The company’s historic dominance of the French endurance classic in the 1960s, highlighted by four straight GT40 wins, and the 2016 GTE Pro class victory by the Chip Ganassi team, frame the backdrop of this ambitious effort.
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