Ford will travel to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as reigning champions and intend to defend their title in 2017. After their disappointing Le Mans in 2016, AF Corse Ferrari look to be on track to run the Blue Oval close at La Sarthe.
At Spa, the pair of Ferraris made a great start to the race from the front row and tried to build a significant lead over the Ford team. But after only a couple of laps, the Fords were hot on the heels of the red cars.
The four-way battle for the lead continued over several hours, with each team trying to gain the upper hand both on the track and through strategy. By the halfway point, the pace of the Ferraris seemed to give them the edge, with the AF Corse squad putting together stint after stint of flawless running. Ultimately the victory went to Sam Bird and Davide Rigon ahead of James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi in the sister car.
In Belgium, Ferrari showed that it is in great shape ahead of the highlight of the year in Le Mans with the 488 GTE. But Ford also appear strong and have already taken one victory this season at Silverstone. This year will see the Ferrari-Ford battle enter the next round and it will be fascinating to see how the quest for 24 Hours glory will pan out.
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