Ford recently celebrated Take Your Child to Work Day in the most incredible way possible: they built a 12-foot-tall Hot Wheels track loop, setting a world record. A fun, unique way to get kids interested in science and engineering, Ford got the idea for the project from employee Matt West and his son Blade, who have become known for building Hot Wheels track loops at their home.
When West, a Ford technician, began teaching his six-year-old son physics at home by building Hot Wheels track loops, he had no idea that someday one of his creative loops would help Ford set a world record. However, when word about West's tracks got around at the office, his fellow employees thought it would be a good idea to build a massive track in honor of Take Your Child to Work Day and attempt a world record on the national holiday. With help from other employees and TechShop Detroit, West began developing a track loop using sheets plywood. The entire project was completed in sections in then bolted together, which resulted in a 12-foot, six-inch loop.
On Take Your Child to Work Day, the track was set up in the atrium at Ford's Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn, Michigan, and tested by a Mustang Hot Wheels car. The tiny toy made it around the loop after a few tries, which cemented the new record. The previous track loop record was established in Ohio by a loop that was nine feet, nine inches tall.
Check out a video of the process below and be sure to stop by Town East Ford to test drive a real Mustang like the one used on the track loop.
Categories:
News