Photos: Matech Competition

When you’re going up against the best in the world, you don’t often beat them the first time out. Adapting street cars for racing, particularly long distance endurance racing, requires development time and a good degree of patience.

Martin Bartek founded Matech Competition in 2006 and his team has been instrumental in showing a couple of Ford race cars to the world’s best. In fact, they took the Mustang FR500 GT3 through to the FIA GT3 European Team Championship in 2008.

Since 2009, they have been developing the Ford GT for FIA GT1 competition in Europe and have been campaigning a field of two cars this year. In addition, they participated in a pair of 24-hour races this year, at Spa in Belgium and Le Mans in France.

In their hands, the Ford GT has evolved into a fully track-dedicated car, with 665 hp @ 7300 rpm out of the modified 5.4-liter V8 engine, fed through an Xtrac 6-speed sequential gearbox. Other upgrades include a quick refueling system, carbon fiber brake discs and pads, 6-piston calipers, full carbon fiber bodywork and undertray.

The team is currently putting together a documentary about the Ford GT’s return to Le Mans and have released a teaser preview for it.