Gamers Drive Ford GT in Forza Motorsport 6 for 48 Hours at Le Mans to Set New GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Title

• Five Gamers each race Ford GT in Forza Motorsport 6 for 48
  hours 29 minutes to set a new Guinness World Records title for
  “Longest video marathon on a racing game”
• Surviving on power naps, sweets and energy drinks, the gamers set the
  record while racing around the simulated circuit used for the Le Mans
  24 Hours, where the real-life Ford GT race car won earlier this year
• GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title presented on Microsoft stand at Gamescom,
  Europe’s biggest interactive games trade fair. Earlier this week, Ford
  released a video that shows drone pilots tackling course with a
  drifting Focus RS, smoking Mustang, and a robot

COLOGNE, Germany–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Five bleary-eyed gamers each completed a mammoth two-day stint at the
wheel of a virtual Ford GT race car in Forza Motorsport 6 to set
a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the “longest video marathon on a
racing game.”

Gamers Cara Scott, 25, from the U.K.; Hélène Cressot, from France;
Johannes Knapp, 30, from Germany; Andrea Lorenzo Facchinetti, 42, from
Italy; and Jesús Sicilia Sánchez, 23, from Spain, took on a simulated
version of the La Sarthe circuit used for the Le Mans 24 Hours, where
the real life Ford GT race car achieved a historic victory earlier this
year.

Driving for 48 hours, 29 minutes and 21 seconds, and completing a
combined 41,004 virtual kilometres and 3015 laps, the gamers survived on
power naps, sweets and soft drinks as they broke the previous record of
48 hours 1 minute.

The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title was later presented on the Microsoft
stand at Gamescom, Europe’s biggest interactive games trade fair, in
Cologne, Germany.

“They did an amazing job. Just like driving at the real Le Mans, this
achievement required extreme levels of concentration, attention to
detail, and most importantly endurance – because they had to keep going
for twice as long as we did,” said Ford Chip Ganassi Racing driver
Stefan Mücke, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship in
the Ford GT, and started the virtual race.

Compared with Mücke’s 136 laps of Le Mans – completed during 9:05.40
hours of real world driving – the five gamers averaged 603 laps each
over 48:29.21 hours of virtual driving during the challenge with Forza
Motorsport 6 for Xbox One, at Ford’s European headquarters, also in
Cologne.

Their combined 41,004 kilometres is equivalent to driving once around
the world. To stay awake for two nights straight, they drank 32 energy
drinks, 146 bottles of water and 47 bottles of soft drinks, and consumed
more than 3 kilograms of sweets.

“For me, it’s incredible to see anyone stay up all night, whether it’s
for a bumper car marathon or four days of watching television,” said
Lena Kuhlmann, official adjudicator, GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS. “Two days
of race gaming is a superlative effort. The endurance of the gamers is
remarkable. They were engaged, concentrating and having fun even after
the record was broken. It’s also great to have the actual Ford GT in
view, to keep the gamers from getting completely immersed in the virtual
world.”

Ford GT and Forza Motorsport 6

Ford engineers worked closely with Microsoft’s Turn 10 Studios to ensure
the virtual driving experience of the cars in Forza Motorsport 6
is as realistic as possible, from the look and feel of each vehicle to
distinctive engine sounds and handling styles. With the Ford GT, certain
performance aspects were first revealed through the game, such as the
active rear wing, which automatically changes its angle in different
conditions. The Ford GT is now one of the top five most raced cars in
the game and has racked up almost 71 million kilometres – nearly as far
as the distance from the Earth to Mercury, when at its closest.

Ford and Microsoft have combined forces again with Forza
Racing Championship, the largest Forza racing competition in
history. Open to elite gamers and aspiring amateurs, the championship,
running until Sept. 4, will crown the best Forza player in the world,
with the ultimate prize a brand new 2017 Ford Focus RS.

“Dronekhana”

Ford this week also premiered the new “Dronekhana”
video showing expert drone pilots tackling a unique and challenging
course – involving a Focus RS, a smoking Ford Mustang, and a robot, also
filmed nearby at Ford’s European HQ.

World Drone Prix champion Luke Bannister, 16, and fellow Tornado XBlades
team member Brett Collis, 22, both from the U.K., raced the drones over
an obstacle course that also included flying through a Ford B-MAX car,
under a Ford Ranger pickup and bursting through smoke-filled balloons. A
rig of 36 GoPro cameras captured the lightweight racing drones
mid-action in a style made famous by the 1999 film The Matrix.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company based
in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 203,000 employees and 67 plants
worldwide, the company’s core business includes designing,
manufacturing, marketing, financing and servicing a full line of Ford
cars, trucks, SUVs and electrified vehicles, as well as Lincoln luxury
vehicles. At the same time, Ford aggressively is pursuing emerging
opportunities through Ford Smart Mobility, the company’s plan to be a
leader in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer
experience, and data and analytics. The company provides financial
services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information
regarding Ford, its products worldwide or Ford Motor Credit Company,
visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and
servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs
approximately 53,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and
approximately 68,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated
businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford
Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 24
manufacturing facilities (16 wholly owned or consolidated joint venture
facilities and 8 unconsolidated joint venture facilities). The first
Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor
Company was founded. European production started in 1911.

For news releases, related materials, photos and video, visit www.fordmedia.eu
or www.media.ford.com.
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www.twitter.com/FordEu
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Contacts

Volker Eis
Ford of Europe
+49 221 901 90 96
veis@ford.com