What separates elite athletes from the rest of us? We see the physical power it takes to climb a sheer rock face or navigate treacherous rapids. But the real story is often in their mental preparation, and for some, that clarity starts long before the challenge itself. It starts on the road that gets them there.
How Does a Long Drive Impact an Athlete's Focus?
Speaking with colleagues, and friends who enjoy extreme sports, one thing they all agreed on was the less energy spent leading up to an event, the more focus they had when they arrive. So, we reached out to two athletes, Matthias Weger a nd William Bosi w ith an idea.
They perform at the highest levels, where mental clarity can help give them that edge. And both athletes were preparing to take on specific challenges. Matthias was aiming to defend his kayaking title at the world's largest extreme sports event, Ekstremsportveko festival. William, a renowned rock-climber, intended to take on the Three Degrees of Separation in southeastern France, a demanding climbing route featuring dynamic movements outside his usual speciality.
What Was the Experiment?
Our idea was to follow their progress towards their individual challenges, and let them use a Ford Kuga1 and Ford Puma2 as they travelled across Europe using BlueCruise3 hands-free highway driving technology, to help make their cross-country road trip on the motorways easier and more enjoyable. BlueCruise is a Level 2 driver assistance system4 which allows you to drive hands-free on designated highways with your eyes on the road, as the system manages the steering, braking and accelerating.
To bring this to life for people on social media across Europe, we created videos of the two athletes mentally rehearsing and visualising the tasks ahead while keeping their eyes on the road, arriving focused and ready to perform at their best.
We used a series of cinematic match cuts that seamlessly transition between moments inside the vehicle and moments during performance. A tightening grip becomes a kayaking manoeuvre. A moment of concentration in the driver's seat becomes focused on the rock face. The result is a visual representation of how the mind prepares before the body acts.
Working with both Matthias and William to get those shots was a great experience. I worked around the music industry previously, and it struck me just how easy these athletes were to create with in comparison. They didn’t mind if we had to get them to repeat a shot again, they never moaned. I guess it’s because they’re doing what they love.
How Does BlueCruise Help with Mental Preparation?
As Matthias told me; “There are important decisions to make every single moment, and often those decisions determine whether we get back safely and healthy or not. Having BlueCruise assist us on those journeys helps save energy and keep a fresh mind for what’s ahead.”
For athletes like Matthias and William, the competition begins long before they reach the starting line — it starts on the road. While one journey ended in a podium place in kayaking and the other in a hard-won personal victory, both showed that arriving with a clear mind is its own triumph. By easing the strain of the drive, BlueCruise helps them do more than just get to their destination; it helps them arrive ready to push the limits of what's possible.
Ford has now loaned them BlueCruise enabled vehicles for a longer term and I can’t wait to see what feats those vehicles take Matthias and William on to next.
Yoann Collaud is a creative at Born Social, an agency that works with Ford Europe
BlueCruise FAQ
What is BlueCruise?
BlueCruise is Ford’s hands-free highway driving technology allowing customers to drive hands-free with their eyes on the road. When engaged, BlueCruise will manage the steering, braking and accelerating for the driver. BlueCruise is a Level 2 driver assistance system, meaning the driver must actively participate and be prepared to take over at any time. It’s important for drivers to always keep their eyes on the road. It is not a self-driving or crash avoidance system.
Where is BlueCruise available to use?
BlueCruise is currently approved to use on 139,000 kilometers of designated highways, called Blue Zones. It is currently approved to use in 18 European markets allowing customers to take a road trip across multiple countries including: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. It is also available U.S. and Canada.
What vehicles is BlueCruise available on?
BlueCruise is available on equipped Mustang Mach-E5 vehicles, as well as the new Puma, Puma Gen-E, Kuga and Ranger PHEV6 pickup.
Can BlueCruise be added as a standard feature?
The Kuga and Puma BlueCruise Editions come as standard with the BlueCruise Capable Driver Assistance Pack and BlueCruise functionality unlocked as a One-Time Purchase, so there’s no need for a subscription and customers can use the system straight away
1 Kuga Plug-in Hybrid homologated CO2 emissions 55-71 g/km, homologated fuel efficiency 2.8-3.9 l/100 km and homologated pure electric driving range 60-68 km WLTP Euro 6e-bis.
Kuga Hybrid homologated CO2 emissions 121-146 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 5.3-6.4 l/100 km WLTP.
Kuga 1.5-litre EcoBoost homologated CO2 emissions 144-178 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 6.3-7.8 l/100 km WLTP.
2 Puma EcoBoost Hybrid CO2 emissions 120-146 g/km and fuel efficiency 5.3-6.5 l/100 km WLTP.
Up to 417 km driving range based on full charge of Puma Gen-E. Estimated range using Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP)
3 Available in selected countries on selected Puma, Puma Gen-E, Kuga, Ranger PHEV and Mustang Mach-E models. Driver’s eyes must remain on the road ahead to enable use of BlueCruise hands-free driving. It does not replace safe driving.
4 Driver-assist features are supplemental to and do not replace the driver’s attention, judgement and need to control the vehicle.
5 Up to 600 km driving range based on full charge of Mustang Mach-E extended range. Estimated range using Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
6 Ford Ranger Plug-In Hybrid homologated CO2 emissions 143-145 g/km WLTP Euro, homologated fuel efficiency 6.2-6.4 l/100 km WLTP Euro and pure electric driving range up to 43 km WLTP. The declared WLTP fuel/energy consumptions, CO2 emissions and electric range are determined according to the technical requirements and specifications of the European Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EU) 2017/1151 as last amended. The applied standard test procedures enable comparison between different vehicle types and different manufacturers.
