An open letter to Allan Mulally:

Le Mans, France --

Dear Mr. Mulally:

I am writing to you as President and CEO of the Ford Motor Company because you are someone who I believe understands the value of competition. I believe this because of what I saw you do to help the Boeing company achieve success when it was in a down cycle against European competition.

This afternoon at the 24 Hours of LeMans, one of the greatest automotive events in the world of motor racing, I walked through the pit area and wondered to myself where are the Americans. I do not wish to belittle the efforts of the American teams who are here -- but virtually none of them represent an American brand. Corvette is here, but not backed by General Motors in the states. There are several other American teams here but not in the LMP 1 class where Audi and Peugeot will do battle tomorrow and not representing an American brand.

I am writing this to you as the "new guy" at Ford -- someone who should also be looking to the roots of Ford to inspire both the members of the Ford team who will rebuild the company, and also inspire American consummers who would love for Ford to return its winning form.

When I say roots, I am speaking first of namesake of the company, Henry Ford, who virtually established the company on the premise of racing.

I am also speaking of the Ford Team who came to LeMans in 1967 with the GT40 to leave an indellable mark by topping Ferarri and carving for Ford a legendary mark in the annals of racing. The car under other leadership also won in 1968 and 1969. (Note: Ford also won in 1966, but not with a true Ford car.)

That first team included folks who would write their name in the pages of motor racing history their entire careers in the sport. Caroll Shelby, A. J. Foyt, and Dan Gurney to name a few.

I realize that Ford is hemmoraging money right now; I realize that your focus is on rebuilding the company; I realize that timing seems all wrong for any American brand to enter into the fray at LeMans -- and in other venues as well.

But I also believe that Americans want a winner.

Leadership requires boldness. I know that like me, you remember JFK saying, " We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. '

That in a nutshell sums up the reasons to remake Ford into an international brand which people look at and say "Winner".

Can they say that today?

I hope that you will choose to make the same decision that President Kennedy made in the early 1960s, and choose to put the full force and might of Ford Motor Company into going to Le Mans and returning to the shores of the United States as the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.