Ford’s return campaign to the top category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is gathering pace. The Coyote-badged V-8 set to power its Oreca-based LMDh race car was finally fired up for the first time on a dyno a few weeks ago, clearing the path for a significant first test of the complete car later this month. Until then, the Blue Oval has offered a special glimpse from that dyno session.

In a video released on Monday, the 5.4-litre engine is put through a full simulated lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe. The brief clip sadly does not feature complete audio from the session, but it still explains an important stage in the development of the new powertrain. The engine can, however, be heard reaching its full 9000 rpm in the clip, delivering the kind of soundtrack naturally aspirated V-8 enthusiasts will be pleased to hear.

The short video also gives a look at the Ford Racing development team’s driver-in-loop simulator, including a small section of bodywork that may hint at the final race car’s design. While this may not have been intended as an official preview of the new machine, one of the key aims of a DIL simulator is to reproduce the eyeline drivers will have when they are at the wheel of the race car being simulated. That suggests the raised fenders and flatter nose shape visible here are likely close to what we can expect when Ford finally unveils its highly anticipated new racer.

Ford Racing has still not confirmed when the new Le Mans race car will be officially revealed, but with testing due to begin this month, its debut appears to be approaching sooner rather than later. The car is scheduled to make its racing debut when the FIA World Endurance Championship season starts early next year, with its long-awaited Le Mans return set to follow on June 12th. Unfortunately for Ford fans in the U.S., the car has still not been confirmed for the IMSA GTP grid, and it is not expected to compete in the American series any time soon.