How Ford will fast-track hypercar development with ex-Acura signing

Tom Blomqvist believes his experience of the Oreca-based Acura prototype will help Ford “speed up the early development” of its Hypercar challenger.

The two-time Daytona 24 Hours winner will represent the American manufacturer in the World Endurance Championship’s top class in 2027, moving across from the Acura GTP programme that will be “paused” at the end of the current year.

Blomqvist has raced for Honda’s luxury brand since 2022 and has developed a strong understanding of the ARX-06, as well as a close working relationship with the Oreca engineers who collaborated on the project. 

As Ford prepares for its high-profile return to the top echelon of sportscar racing, it has also joined forces with the French constructor for the development of the as-yet-unnamed, V8-powered LMDh contender.

Blomqvist believes his knowledge of the Acura will prove invaluable as Ford prepares to roll out its car in August ahead of the start of the 2027 campaign in March. 

While he remains contracted to Acura until the end of the year, he will take part in the majority of Ford’s test programme thanks to special dispensation from Honda. 

“We have tried a lot of things over the years. Fundamentally, the spine and the suspension are all basically the same,” the British-born Swede explained. 

“I’m hoping a lot of things translate. I know a lot of things. We don’t have to bother wasting our time because I already know they might not work, or where to really hone in on or focus on, or maybe some weak areas that we can potentially improve on whilst the car is still fresh.  

“I think that’s just the stuff that kind of speeds up a lot of early development, and especially early like set-up development work that you’ll end up doing, or you won’t be able to do early on because you’re focussing on reliability of certain areas. 

“I think the foundations in that area should be pretty decent from the start, but there’s obviously a ton of work ahead of us, the software side of things is obviously something we got to do from scratch.”

Fourth LMDh project for Oreca

Blomqvist joins a star-studded line-up that also includes fellow Acura driver Nick Yelloly, reigning IMSA SportsCar champion Matt Campbell, former Formula 1 driver Logan Sargeant, Le Mans 24 Hours winner Mike Rockenfeller and rising star Sebastian Priaulx.
Yelloly joined Acura last year after a spell at BMW, where he raced the Dallara LMP2-based M Hybrid V8.

All LMDh manufacturers must build a car on a chassis supplied by one of the four licensed suppliers: Oreca, Multimatic, Dallara and Ligier.

Oreca has proven to be a popular choice among manufacturers, with Acura, Alpine, Genesis and now Ford all working with Hugues de Chaunac’s organisation for their WEC/IMSA projects.

Blomqvist hopes Oreca can help Ford hit the ground running in testing, having already worked successfully with several manufacturers since the LMDh platform was introduced in 2023.

“The Acura was the first car with Oreca and they’ve obviously had years with us,” he said. “All those small bits that maybe were not working correctly, or maybe small reliability issues, have been ironed out over the years with Alpine and Genesis.

“So, we’re hoping that it’s only going to be better with another development cycle.”

While the LMDh regulations allow manufacturers to procure several spec parts, Ford still has to design and develop the bulk of the car, including the internal combustion engine.

Blomqvist is under no illusion about the challenge Ford faces, but is optimistic about the Blue Oval’s long-term goals as it chases its first outright Le Mans win since 1969.

“Obviously, it’s more from the engine back and the electronics, the software, and developing the team and the operations,” he said.

“This is going to be a big programme. It’s going to be a lot of people. There’s going to be a lot of work in the next few months before the end of the season and the early testing. There’s a ton of work ahead of us, so you’ve got to put all the right people in place. That’s been Dan Sayers’ job over the past god knows how many months.

“So, look there’s definitely a big task ahead of us, but I’m really excited about this programme a lot.

“I think we’re just seeing the hospitality down there and the effort they’re going to put into this. They’re coming here to win. The heritage speaks for itself.

“Obviously, the first year is always going to be challenging. We’re all well aware of that, but this is not a short-term gig.”

Tom Blomqvist, Ford Racing

Photo by: Ford

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