Virtual vs. Reality: Need For Speed Gamers Hit the Track

Everybody who’s ran hot laps in a video game has wondered how their skills would translate to reality, and that’s why the latest video from Ford’s Mustang ‘10 Unleashed campaign is so fun to watch. Ford held a competition to find the best Need For Speed gamers, had the top four practice driving a Mustang in the game, then took them to a track to see who could come closest to their times in a real car. From the clips of them practicing virtually—um, and why the hell are they playing with controllers instead of wheels?—I was thinking the poor Ponys selected for this stunt were going to wind up in the crusher, but the Ford folks wisely chose to do this on a course without barriers.