Focus Rally: America; Ford Focus Social Interactive Race

YOU CAN BE A REALITY TV STAR IN A NEW AMAZING RACE EVENT

by Marty Bernstein
Senior Editor
The Auto Channel

Anyone who is a Ford Facebook or Twitter member is connected to social medias, has a built-in group of friends, a big personality, can be entertaining on camera and hold a valid drivers license can be part of the nationwide casting call for Focus Rally: America. Just think, you might be a star!

Ford has teamed with the Emmy Award-winning creators of The Amazing Race to create the first interactive real-time, road rally starring the new 2012 vehicle and a select group of drivers. The Focus Rally feature six teams of two people competing against one another to complete tasks in a challenging cross-country road rally adventure and win a $100,000 prize, plus 10 new Focuses will be awarded to fans and supporters of the winning team.

The Focus Rally: America will start on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 and will run for five weeks, 5 segments per week – some long, others short -- leading up to the launch of the Focus in North America and Europe and will be streamed on Hulu.

Each of the six teams will drive the new 2012 Focus and will be required to use the new technological features of the car to complete the tasks and challenges assigned to them. Fans, friends and interested people will be able to engage in three ways: becoming fans of a team or teams on Facebook, following the daily Hulu webcasts and by playing along in the team challenges.

People interested in participating in the Focus Rally: America can submit an application two ways. First, online at www.focusrally.com where they will be asked to upload a video explaining why they would be an ideal candidate for the show. Secondly, in person as casting sessions in Los Angeles, Tampa, Austin, Boston, Denver, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Houston and Las Vegas. The schedule of these events can also be found at the special web site. Applications will end in mid-November and all finalists will meet with a casting director of the show.

While details of the new Ford 2012 Focus have been limited, there is buzz about the styling, great technological features, class leading mpg ratings and a good price too. Stay tuned, more to come.