Have you ever dreamed of seeing several of your favorite cars racing one another? Not in a video game, but on a real racetrack with real drivers? That’s just what Ford pulled off at the Motorland race circuit near Barcelona, Spain, with eight of its performance models.
Ford Performance offers vehicles that are so capable at very different things and their strengths showed on the track. — Richard Westbrook, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Driver
“It was great to take on our Ford Chip Ganassi Racing teammates at a totally different challenge,” driver Richard Westbrook said. “It was just a blast. Ford Performance offers vehicles that are so capable at very different things and their strengths showed on the track.”
Combine eight fast Fords, eight skilled drivers, one track, and one lap and you are bound to see something cool. That’s just what Ford Performance pulled off.
In a staggered start with the F-150 Raptor leading the way, eight Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team drivers set out on a race for the finish line. Ryan Briscoe piloted the aforementioned pickup, while Dirk Müller drove a 1.6-liter Fiesta ST; Harry Tickenell drove the new, 1.5-liter Fiesta ST; Richard Westbrock drove the Focus RS; Stefan Mücke drove the 2018 Mustang GT; Joey Hand drove the Shelby GT350R; Olivier Pla drove the street Ford GT; and Andy Priaulx piloted the Ford GT race car, which started last for obvious reasons.
Anything could have happened and it almost did! —Harry Tincknell, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Driver
Ford enlisted one drone, three camera crews, and 16 GoPro action cameras to document the action, while a custom Ford Fiesta ST camera-tracking vehicle captured additional wheel-to-wheel, 4K footage.
While the results are what you might have expected, it sure was fun to see eight of the fastest Fords battling it out for one lap around the 5.345-kilometer Motorland race circuit near Barcelona, Spain.
“It was a hilarious shoot,” Harry Tincknell said. “Eight racing drivers all given a car to go flat-out in for a race. Anything could have happened and it almost did! It was amazing to be one of the first people to drive the all-new Ford Fiesta ST, one of the most popular cars in the world, and it handled like a dream.”
As cool as the video looks, its even cooler to hear what these legit racing stars had to say about driving these street-going performance cars, which must have seemed slow compared with the Ford GT racer.
It got very close in the final corners as everybody wanted to be first. — Stefan Mücke, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Driver
“Driving the all-new Mustang GT road car on the race track was great fun,” Stefan Mücke said. “It was very special to see all the Ford Performance cars on the track at the same time, and quite brave, too, to do this with a group of competitive racing drivers! It got very close in the final corners as everybody wanted to be first. Great fun and an awesome lap!”
The results also showed that the Shelby GT350 still has a slight edge over its upstart 2018 Mustang GT little brother, even though the cars got a little cozy on the track.
The Ford Chip Ganassi Race drivers already pilot some of the fastest Fords around, so its fun to hear their reactions to this experiences in street-going vehicles.
“Some of the coolest cats out there drive Mustangs and I love horsepower, so I was crossing my fingers I’d get the GT350R,” Joey Hand said. “Things got a little wild on the track, but it was a great time. I’d take them on again.”
Things got a little wild on the track, but it was a great time. — Joey Hand, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Driver
It was definitely wild seeing the Ford GT racer and street machine squaring off on the same race track, but even the race drivers love the street car.
“Obviously driving the Ford GT was great around Motorland,” Olivier Pla said. “You can clearly feel and it is obvious to see how fast this car is. Driving the Ford GT at the limit is very special. The car is a work of art!”
And so was this video. While it was a scientific test, it sure was fun to watch.