2010 Unleashed Winner Takes '10 Mustang For a Spin (Literally!)
We blogged about Roger Keeney's first video, where we are introduced to the 62 year old blind man and the 2010 Unleashed contest he won. The second and third videos of the series are now online and we get to see him drive a '10 Mustang with Tommy Kendall. It's very inspiring and worth the few minutes of your day to watch. Check out the blog for more.
Since Roger Keeney, 62, of Athens, Ga., lost his sight, he’s dreamed of driving again. But being visually impaired meant that he never thought he would experience the handling of the vehicle as it takes a turn at 80 MPH or the smell of burning rubber as the engine roared. But Roger’s dream is about to come true.
Roger had the chance to live out his dream in a 2010 Ford Mustang as part of Ford’s “The ‘10 Unleashed” campaign, which is awarding 10 people an experience of a lifetime. The contest is continuing this summer and folks are being asked to submit their own Mustang dream experience in 250 words or less via Ford’s 2010 site at www.the2010mustang.com.
“Without a doubt, his essay caught our attention,” she said. “His submission hinted that he may be blind, so we had to talk to him to learn more. Upon speaking to him we knew he would help us see the Mustang from a different point of view.”
On May 7, 2009, Ford flew Keeney down to the expansive Ford Proving Grounds just outside of Phoenix, Ariz. With safety their number one concern, the Mustang team arranged for former professional racer Tommy Kendall to ride shotgun in the car.
"Tommy said, 'When you were a teenager, did you ever do donuts?' And I said, 'Yeah.' So I got it rolling a bit in first gear, cranked it hard to the left and revved it up and popped it and did three donuts before we stopped. When we stopped, we could hear the camera crew cheering from clear across the field. I was in awe of both the car and the experience, it was truly a dream come true.”
“The most life-changing thing you can do for folks with disabilities is put them in a situation that everyone else has told them is impossible. The experience for me in the Mustang with Tommy Kendall next to me and driving that wonderful automobile was really great,” Keeney added.
The second and third chapters of Roger’s experience are now live at www.the2010mustang.com for you to watch his incredible story. Check out the Point of View (POV) section for all of Roger's videos.