+Ford Türkiye recently brought champion rally drivers Murat Bostanci and Buğra Banaz together with some invited guest for "Drift Extreme" taking to the snow and ice with the Ford Mustang and Focus RS.

10 social media influencers were invited to the event to experience part of the Ford Performance line up.

How far would you travel in search of the perfect road?

After naming seven of Europe’s Greatest Driving Roads, +Ford Europe expanded their search to bring you something from China to add to your bucket-list – a lost track in the mountains of Guizhou province.



Climbing 350 metres in just over four kilometres, and with a dizzying 24 blind hairpin bends, Stilwell Road was the perfect road to put the 350 PS Focus RS to the test.

During World War Two, this road was a vital Allied supply route, but it lay forgotten for half a century.



These days, its loose gravel hairpins are mostly empty, making it the perfect playground for the Focus RS and expert driver– once safely closed off to other traffic, of course.

Ford announced the Drift Stick in the tail end of last year. A rally-inspired electronic handbrake, developed and designed for Focus RS and approved by rally and stunt star +Ken Block.

Here's some brand new footage. Looks like a lot of fun!

It’s the ultimate track showdown: Eight models from the Ford Performance global line-up pushed to their limits on a circuit together for the very first time.

A post shared by Ford Europe (@fordeurope) on Jan 29, 2018 at 9:21am PST

The sequence was filmed in partnership with Castrol Edge during a tight four-hour window, during which all eight Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team drivers took time-out from a pre-season Ford GT race car tyre test to shoot.

Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell, Olivier Pla and Stefan Mücke from the World Endurance Championship, and Dirk Müller, Joey Hand, Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, each took the wheel of a Ford Performance model – setting off at intervals and culminating in an eight-way battle through the final bends and finish straight. The time trial was the first and probably only chance to find out if a Fiesta ST could beat a Le Mans-winning Ford GT race car.




At the Motorland race circuit near Barcelona, Spain, the Ford F-150 Raptor; Fiesta ST, all-new Fiesta ST, Focus RS, new Mustang GT, Mustang GT350R, Ford GT road car and Ford GT race car go head-to-head in a staggered time trial around one lap of the 5.345 km circuit.

As far as school runs go, Evald Jåstad’s son Martin enjoys a twice daily trip that takes some beating – a 16-kilometre round-trip to his local nursery through breathtaking Scandinavian scenery in a high-powered hot hatch.



This is the first job of the day for cabbie Evald Jåstad who plies his trade in a Ford Focus RS.

Regulars have nicknamed the car – capable of 0-100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds –“Blue Lightning” and visitors to the Trolltunga cliffs, Odda, in Norway, are spreading its fame far and wide.

Evald Jåstad

“There are not many people who can say they live their dream. But I am definitely one of them.” 

The 36-year-old father-of-two has covered 127,000 kms in the Focus RS in just 18 months.

“When I drive him to nursery, all the way there, Martin shouts out ‘Bånn gass! Bånn gass! – More gas! More gas!”

Model	Focus RS	London TX4 Taxi	Toyota Prius
0-100 km/h	4.7 seconds	N/A	10.6 seconds
Top speed	268 km/h	N/A	180 km/h
Engine	2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol engine	2.8-litre diesel engine	1.8-litre petrol hybrid engine
Power	350 PS	110 PS	122 PS
Special feature	Drift mode	7.62-metre turning circle	Electric driving mode

Forget romance, fine dining or an epic boxset – new preliminary research reveals that driving a sports car on a daily basis is among the best ways to boost wellbeing and fulfilment.

The study measured “buzz moments” – peak thrills that play a vital role in our overall wellness – as volunteers cheered on their favourite football team, watched a gripping Game of Thrones episode, enjoyed a passionate kiss with a loved one or took an intense salsa dancing class.

Only the occasional highs of riding a roller coaster ranked higher than the daily buzz of a commute in a sports car.

Working with neuroscientists and designers, we brought the research to life with the unique Ford Performance Buzz Car: a customised Focus RS incorporating wearable and artificial intelligence technology to animate the driver’s emotions in real time across the car’s exterior.

Dr Harry Witchel, Discipline Leader in Physiology

“A roller coaster may be good for a quick thrill, but it’s not great for getting you to work every day. This study shows how driving a performance car does much more than get you from A to B – it could be a valuable part of your daily wellbeing routine.”

Study participants who sat behind the wheel of a Ford Focus RS, Focus ST or Mustang experienced an average of 2.1 high-intensity buzz moments during a typical commute; this compared with an average of 3 buzz moments while riding on a roller coaster, 1.7 while on a shopping trip, 1.5 each while watching a Game of Thrones episode or a football match, and none at all while salsa dancing, fine dining or sharing a passionate kiss.

For the research, we took one Focus RS and worked with Designworks to create the Buzz Car:

From concept, design and installation to software development and programming, the Buzz Car took 1,400 man-hours to create. Each “buzz moment” experienced by the driver – analysed using a real-time “emotional AI” system developed by leading empathic technology firm Sensum – produces a dazzling animation across almost 200,000 LED lights integrated into the car.



The Buzz Car also features:

• High-performance Zotac VR GO gaming PC
• 110 x 500-lumen daylight-bright light strips
• 82 display panels with 188,416 individually addressable LEDs

Driver state research

Our researchers in Aachen, Germany are already looking into how vehicles can better understand and respond to drivers’ emotions. As part of the EU-funded ADAS&ME project, our experts are investigating how in-car systems may one day be aware of our emotions – as well as levels of stress, distraction and fatigue – providing prompts and warnings, and could even take control of the car in emergency situations.

Dr Marcel Mathissen

“We think driving should be an enjoyable, emotional experience. The driver-state research Ford and its partners are undertaking is helping to lead us towards safer roads and – importantly – healthier driving.”

Activity	Buzz Moments *
Roller Coaster	3
Driving	2.1
Shopping	1.7
Game of Thrones	1.5
Football Game	1.5
Kissing	0
Salsa Dancing	0
Dining	0

* Average number of high-intensity buzz moments per participant

+Andreas Bakkerud might be an experienced rallycross driver, but that doesn't mean he'll pass up the offer of some free driver safety training. And also give a couple of other lucky Driving Skills for Life attendees the drive of a lifetime. 

Ford has announced the all-new Ford Performance Drift Stick. A rally-inspired electronic handbrake, developed and designed for Focus RS and approved by rally and stunt star +Ken Block.



For final sign-off, professional rally driver +Ken Block was consulted on the Ford Performance Drift Stick. He pushed for the electronic handbrake to provide every-day drivers with the quickest possible way to get the Focus RS sideways for large-angle drifts.

Ken Block

“I think it’s really cool that Ford Performance is offering customers a way to create large-angle drifts in the Focus RS. Obviously it’s something that I’m really passionate about having been a part of the development of the production vehicle, so it’s exciting to see it come to life. It definitely makes the car even more fun to drive."

Since a hydraulic handbrake would have required substantial modifications to the car that couldn’t be easily reversed, the Ford Performance Drift Stick was developed as an entirely electronic technology. Once the wizardry began, a Ford Performance engineer noted the many similarities in its electronics with a part Ford already sells on a regular basis – the professional calibration tool. Integrating this existing technology resulted in easily plugging a USB cable into the Ford Performance Drift Stick to pull select diagnostic data and upload powertrain calibrations for the Focus RS.

The digital design enables a number of key benefits:

• Instantaneous engagement and release – just five to six pounds of pressure is required to operate the Ford Performance Drift Stick – significantly less than a hydraulic handbrake – for easy, precise use
• Installation and removal is easy, as there is no welding, hole drilling or calipers as necessary in a hydraulic kit
• It also connects to the onboard diagnostics port on the car, allowing it to function as a professional calibration tool

Like the RS’s exclusive drift mode, the Ford Performance Drift Stick is intended for track use only. It is currently available for customers in the United States and Canada. The kit includes the Drift Stick lever, mounts and circuit board with professional calibration functionality. The car’s warranty is unaffected by its installation.

After picking up his Focus RS and taking it to HELL (that's a track) +Andreas Bakkerud took to the public roads for a drive through some of Norway's most spectacular scenery.



Watch how the trip went here.



Also don't miss the Ford GT on the Atlantic Ocean road in Norway.

+Andreas Bakkerud picked up his brand new Focus RS and drove the 11 km directly to the WorldRX track in Hell to test out the most exciting features! Launch control - trackmode and DRIFTMODE!

Fun? Hell yeah!

The UK leg of "Go Faster" isn't over yet and there will be further events happening across Europe, but what do you get when you go to one? What's the whole experience like?

For those who can't get to Go Faster here are some updates from the UK event: where not only will you have a unique Ford Performance driving experience with demonstrations and training from +Paul Swift Stunts, but you'll also take away your own movie poster and your own unique Go Faster movie trailer!

Take a look at +Ian Strachan's Go Faster movie trailer and other "Go Faster" videos at the end of this article.

#GoFaster

Winners from +Ford Europe's Gamescom #TameTheTrack challenge arrived by helicopter to experience the Focus RS for real!






The original challenge concept was to use the exact same track on which people had been competing, on the Ford stand at Gamescom, in Forza Motorsport. But the F1 was taking place at Spa that weekend, so the Focus RS experience took place at the Aldenhoven Testing Center, which is located just a short helicopter ride away from Cologne.



There were two Focus RS cars on duty for the six guests to use over the day: one would be driven on the handling track, the other was to be used for drifting on the vehicle dynamics testing area.





After a short safety briefing the winners started their activities. First being given an overview lap driven by World Endurance Championship racing driver Harry Tincknell, after which they were to go out solo!

It was pretty punishing for the RS's, being driven hard back-to-back, but not as punishing as it was for the tyres on the RS which had been set aside for drifting: look at those tyres!

Both vehicles started out spick and span, but as the drifting surface was wetted down on a regular basis the drift car soon became covered in a mixture of track and fine rubber particles!



Time flies when you're having fun and before long it was time for the helicopter ride back to Cologne.


A huge thanks to the attendees Devin, Tobias, Thomas, Felix Piechotka, Felix Laden and Maxime Pain for competing in our #TameTheTrack challenge!

+Felix Laden made a great video, you can watch the sexiest snippet below or watch the full video (in German) on YouTube.

People heading to Gamescom this year can take part in a racing challenge on the Ford stand which could transport them (in style) from the area to a real world track for a full on track experience.

To win Ford’s Tame the Track challenge, gamers must try to keep pace with the real-world Focus RS hot-hatchback lap-time set at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Belgium, by Ford Chip Ganassi Racing driver, Harry Tincknell.

Ford's @maikl_builder talking to @FordPerformance driver @HarryTincknell at #Gamescom2017 about #TameTheTrack!
👉 https://t.co/dPOLgNsfNx 🏁 pic.twitter.com/J1P79iZ9qq

— Ford in Europe (@FordEu) August 23, 2017

The fastest Tame the Track competitors on August 23, 24 and 25 will be flown by helicopter to drive the Ford Focus RS on track for real, with coaching from Le Mans 24 Hours racer, Tincknell.

Winners will also receive a pair of +Recaro seats and prizes from +B&O PLAY.

If you are not a world class virtual racing driver don't despair!

There are additional ways to 'win' at Gamescom including sharing selfies on social media from Ford’s on-stand GIF station using the hash tag: #TameTheTrack.

Watch this 360 practice lap with Harry and the Focus RS!


#TameTheTrack

Performance cars on the stand at Gamescom will include the Focus RS the new Fiesta ST-Line and the Ford GT supercar, so make sure to pay us a visit!

+Andreas Bakkerud spent a day up in the mountains close to Barcelona filming with the Focus RS.

Here's +Andreas Bakkerud own video covering the day.



Now watch the video he was filming for +Ford Performance.

As part of their extended partnership with Team Sky for 2017 and the Tour de France Ford Europe have supplied this striking one-off version of their acclaimed hot-hatch.

Continuing the role as the elite cycling team’s exclusive supplier of cars and vans for a further two years, the Focus RS Option Pack pictured sports a new white livery that matches Team Sky’s special edition Tour de France jerseys, and will lead the team’s fleet for the Tour, which starts on July 1 in Dusseldorf, Germany.



Equipped with a mechanical limited-slip differential, the Team Sky Focus RS Option Pack has a specially designed custom made bicycle rack and Recaro seats. These are flatter to enable the driver and support team more freedom to move inside the car – and safely lean out when helping riders at high speeds. Non-shell seats also make it easier to quickly get in and out of the car in race situations.

The performance and handling of the Focus RS will be essential for following the riders as they negotiate the 14-kilometre time trial course. During race stages, it will be the daily recon car, scouting in front of the riders to recce the road ahead.


As with the Mondeo wagons used by Team Sky’s sport directors and managers, the Focus RS has been modified to handle ever-changing race scenarios, road conditions and weather. The cars are also prepared to cope with more than 350 kilograms of added weight, including team members, spare bikes and wheels, drink bottles, tools, and even a large coolbox. Team carers and VIPs use AWD equipped Ford S MAX sports activity vehicles and Edge sports utility vehicles.

Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe

“Racing on two wheels is increasingly capturing the imagination of sports fans across Europe – and is underpinned by the best possible support on four wheels. We are excited to continue to support Team Sky in their pursuit of further cycling success.”

A post shared by Ford Europe (@fordeurope) on Jun 27, 2017 at 1:10am PDT

The fleet also includes white liveried Mondeo wagons featuring Ford Intelligent All Wheel Drive (AWD), as well as S-MAX, Edge and Transit vehicles, which Team Sky has been using since the partnership was first announced at the start of 2016, since when the team has enjoyed 51 wins and the cars have covered more than 40,000 kilometres.

Sir David Brailsford, team principal at Team Sky

“We’re delighted to be extending our partnership with Ford – a company with the same principles of tackling challenges that we at Team Sky have. Ford vehicles play a vital role for Team Sky and their knowledge and support makes them an integral part of our team.”

Regular YouTube fav' Justin, aka +Fezza, recently took his Focus RS to the track .... with his kids.



Their reaction? "That was good ..."
Kids eh, what can you do ..... 😄

The multi-award-winning Ford Focus RS has won praise from all quarters for its ability to grip the road around corners.

The high-performance hot-hatchback has a clever all-wheel drive system that can split power between the front and rear wheels – earning high praise for both the car and the engineers who developed it.



There are subtle and exclusive styling details, too. The matte black roof, mirror caps and roof spoiler for the Nitrous Blue body – and racing-style seats with Nitrous Blue leather applications – mean the Focus RS Option Pack doesn’t need to be going fast to stand out from the crowd.