No longer do you require several years’ worth of physical racing experience (and the six-figure backing to get you through it) to become a Ford factory driver; the marque today announcing an alternative, virtual path to glory. It comes in the form of a new eSports team for Europe – set to be made up of the fastest virtual drivers from national Ford teams in France, Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy – which will race under the Fordzilla banner in online championships, including those of the globally-popular Forza Motorsport.
Few PHers ought to need convincing of the significance of eSports these days – PH’s gaming section has over half a million posts - but Ford justifies its investment with some pretty convincing stats. It says the global eSports market is on course to generate revenues of $1.1 billion in 2019, a 26.7 per cent increase on last year, while the audience is set to surpass 450 million people. And no, it’s not just a load of kids, the average gamer is now in their mid-thirties.
That, of course, means Ford’s growing presence online will be seen by a lot of people who can actually buy its cars, which must be a big motivating factor. But there’s clearly more to it, as evidenced by the growing number of major automotive players involved in eSports, including the Renault, Williams and McLaren F1 teams; even Fernando Alonso has launched his own squad. Virtual racing has certainly come a long way since Nissan first launched its Gran Turismo Academy, so much so that Ford even chose to launch its new Ranger Raptor pick-up at Gamescon, rather than a traditional car show.
Ford’s European director of design, Amko Leenarts, added further justification to the investment: “Top gamers challenge professional race drivers in real life and many of our day-to-day activities are ‘gamified’, from using fitness apps to collecting loyalty points for a free coffee. Harnessing the passion and expertise of the gaming community will help evolve our thinking around what future journeys will look like – something that we are all committed to and really excited about.”
If you fancy your chances at joining the likes of Sebastien Bourdais and Richard Westbrook as a Ford factory driver, then you’ve not long to prove your worth. Ford will be choosing its drivers before the end of 2019.
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