Want to be the next Ken Block or Tanner Foust? Want to learn how to drift like Vaughn Gitten, Jr.? Want to see if you can out-drive Brian Deegan on a rallycross track? Ford is giving you the chance to prove yourself in an upcoming promotion called the “Octane Academy”. Entrants need to submit a video of themselves in action, describing (or better yet, demonstrating) why they should make the cut.
Participants selected from their videos will be chosen to attend one of four “Octane Academies,” which include:
Also, don’t forget that you can get discounted new car pricing with a free quote through qualified local dealer partners.
– An off-road academy in the Ford Raptor, led by Brian Deegan
– A gymkhana academy in the Ford Fiesta, led by Ken Block
– A drift academy in the Ford Mustang, led by Vaughn Gittin, Jr.
– A rallycross academy in the Ford Focus, led by Tanner Foust
Winners collect prizes along the way, and the best driver from each academy gets a Ford vehicle customized by Deegan, Block, Gittin or Foust. Those picked for the academies also get some world class instruction from the biggest names in extreme sports.
What’s in it for Ford? Lots of attention from the demographic known as “millennials,” but also commonly referred to as Generation Y. There’s no rule limiting contest entrants to a specific age group (which would undoubtedly be illegal), but I’d say your chances of making the cut if you were born before 1980 lie between “slim” and “none”. Ford sees Gen Y as the most important market segment after Baby Boomers, despite the fact that most in Gen Y don’t have the same obsession with the automobile that Boomers did.
Look for Ford to kick off the Octane Academy at the summer X Games, scheduled for July 28 to 31. In the mean time, check out the video below for Ford’s take on the program.
Source: Ford
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
