FORD AND DISCOVERY DEEPEN PARTNERSHIP WITH LAUNCH OF NEW CONTENT ANALYSING BRAIN POWER IN MOTORSPORT

The innovations powering a new age of motorsport will be explored with the launch of new and exclusive documentary content produced as part of a renewed partnership between Ford and Eurosport, Discovery’s leading multi-sport brand.

Short and long-form content titled ‘Racing Minds’, developed by Eurosport with innovation studio Unit 9 and WPP media agency Mindshare, showcases the ground-breaking technology encased within Ford’s new EEG helmet. The technology delves deep into the nexus of mental racing performance behind the wheel by delivering never-before-seen insights into how the brain reacts to intense pressure and ever-changing scenarios during races.

Tested by some of the most talented up-and-coming Ford racing drivers and filmed at the iconic multipurpose Motorland track in Aragon, Spain – home of the Spanish MotoGP – the film demonstrates how Ford is pushing the limits of motorsport to determine how technology can truly enhance the final frontier of racing performance for the driver.

The unique content, created by Eurosport's Motorsport Editorial team and Discovery’s Creative Solutions Studio, sees Eurosport bring its expertise in motorsport storytelling to help showcase the innovative technology behind Ford’s EEG helmet with localised content available to viewers across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Discovery will harness the full scale of its comprehensive portfolio of channels and platforms to bring the content to the broadest audience possible in Europe, reaching more than 200 million viewers via Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 alone; across Ford’s ‘Bring On Tomorrow’ subsection on Eurosport.com – Europe’s leading digital sports destination; through the Eurosport App; and via Eurosport’s YouTube channel. A 20” TV Racing Minds promo will also air on Discovery’s payTV and free-to-air channels in key markets to drive further awareness of Eurosport’s YouTube channel by reaching Discovery’s curious technology, science and lifestyle audiences.

Ford will gain brand exposure during its 8-week campaign between January and March and will capitalise on huge audiences across Europe including during some of the year’s biggest global sporting events such as the Australian Open tennis (17-30 January) and the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 (4-20 February).

Mike Rich, Head of Sports Marketing Solutions at Discovery Sports, said: “Ford is at the forefront of innovation within motorsport and is truly changing the game when it comes to analysis of technology and driver performance.

“Discovery and Eurosport’s sports marketing and bespoke content solutions offering is best-in-class and we are excited to leverage our proven motorsport expertise and storytelling ability, coupled with our commitment to producing world-class content for different audiences that transcend sport, to ensure Ford’s mission to define the future of motorsport is showcased to the broadest possible audience through the unrivalled scale and reach of our channels and platforms.”

William May, European Marketing Manager at Ford, said: “For Ford, motorsport participation is all about excitement. This partnership has enabled us to tell an exciting story about the performance of our drivers – a story rooted in motorsport but one that has interest beyond motorsport fans. To anyone who is interested in human endeavour, this is a must-watch. It also reflects the spirit that exists within Ford as we shape the future of personal mobility and commerce with our electrified range of vehicles”

Sam Gayton, Partnerships Director at Mindshare, said: “We’re thrilled to see the launch of the “Racing Minds” documentary and supporting campaign between Ford and Discovery. The development of Ford’s EEG racing helmet has been a long-term project and to finally see it being tested on the track with some of the most exciting up-and-coming racing drivers from Ford’s stable is incredibly satisfying, and really demonstrates the exciting technological advances that Ford are bringing to motorsport and the overall automotive world.”

Viewers can enjoy ‘Racing Minds’ on Eurosport’s channels on platforms from January to March with the documentary deepening the partnership between Ford and Eurosport as part of Ford’s ‘Bring On Tomorrow’ campaign, which has explored the future of motorsport via Eurosport since 2020.

Visit https://www.eurosport.com/motorsports/ford-bringontomorrow/ to access the series and to find out more information.

Professional drivers involved in the documentary include:

• Fergus ‘Gus’ Smith: British 26-year-old rally driver for M-Sport team, racing in the World Rally Car Championship since 2014.
• Adrien Fourmaux: French rally driver for M-Sport and former champion Junior French Rally Championship winner (2018)