|
Heritage Award - 2001 Ford Racing Ford Racing began in 1901 with “the race that changed the world” and continues a century later with the most ambitious racing effort in the world. Ford Motor Co., with a history more steeped in racing than any other automaker, builds engines, supplies technology and resources or fields teams in NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck; the CART Fed Ex Championship, Formula One, World Rally, NHRA Drag Racing and the Best in the Desert Series. The “race that changed the world” occurred on Oct. 10, 1901, when Henry Ford defeated Alexander Winton, the most accomplished automobile builder/racer of the era, in a 10-lap race at the Detroit Driving Club in Grosse Pointe, MI. The acclaim from that race, the only one Henry Ford ever drove, brought him one giant step closer to achieving his dream of manufacturing a vehicle that was strong, dependable, lightweight and inexpensive. He founded the Ford Motor Co. two years later – in June of 1903 – spawning a series of advancements in automotive design, mass production and marketing that made the automobile a mainstream consumer product. “If my great-grandfather hadn't believed in the value of auto racing, the Ford Motor Co. as we know it probably wouldn't exist today,” says Edsel B. Ford II, a director of the company that bears his name. The modern era of Ford Racing began in 1952 when the company returned to racing with an official, factory-sponsored Lincoln effort for the Carreera Panamericana, the famous Mexican road race, which Ford won. With its success, the Lincoln program established the structure and climate for subsequent Ford Motor Co. racing participation. It also caught the attention of marketers because when Lincoln won, Lincoln-Mercury dealers around the country reported noticeable increases in showroom traffic. The Ford versus Chevrolet racing rivalry -- a battle for the hearts and minds of young people who were interested in performance -- began in earnest in 1955, when Ford entered NASCAR competition for the first time with the Purple Hogs of Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly. In 1956, Ford hired John Holman to manage the racing effort and before long the wins started piling up. Ford cars won 14 Grand National races that year and in 1957 won its first manufacturers championship. Today Ford powers 18 full-time teams and some of the biggest names in NASCAR; drivers like Brett and Todd Bodine, Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace. Racing took a back seat in the late '50s and early '60s, but by the end of the 1960s, Ford had achieved victories and championships in virtually every major race and series in the world. Also in the '60s, Ford joined forces with Carroll Shelby, whose AC Cobra “Powered by Ford” was invincible on the track. Cobra also won the company its first international sports car racing titles, including the GT Class win in the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans by Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant, and the 1965 FIA Sports Car GT World Championship. Ford's 20th century racing icon the GT-40 debuted in 1966 when it won Le Mans with Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon at the wheel. GT-40s went on to win four Le Mans races in a row. Mustang became a major player in the SCCA Trans Am series as soon as it was introduced in 1966, during which it won four of seven races. Ford was dominant in that series for many years. In Champ Car racing, Ford teamed with Dan Gurney in 1963 to enter the Indy Car wars. Jim Clark's victory in the Milwaukee 200 was the first by a Ford engine in that series. Clark also got Ford its first Indy 500 victory with a Lotus Ford in 1965. After more than 200 USAC, CART and IRL-sanctioned victories, Ford still is heavily involved in Champ Car racing. Today, names like Kenny Brack, Max Papis, Patrick Carpentier, Bryan Herta, Oriol Servia and Michel Jourdain are powered by Ford-Cosworth engines. In 1967, Ford entered Formula One with a 3-liter, 90 degree V8 with twin overhead cams and four valves per cylinder for Graham Hill and Clark. Clark won in his first outing with the new engine, which eventually would win 154 Grand Prix races and 12 world championships. Other drivers such as Stirling Moss, and Jackie Stewart drove for Ford in Formula One over the years. Now the company competes under the Jaguar umbrella with drivers Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa. Ford's first successful drag racing car was the Thunderbolt, a lightweight Fairlane with a high-performance 427 wedge V8 under the hood. This car powered Gas Ronda to the 1964 Top Stock Eliminator championship. Today, Ford driver John Force wins everything in sight. We at the Motorsports Hall of Fame are proud to present the 2001 Bob Russo Heritage Award to Ford Racing for its 100-year commitment to competition. |