Sunday, April 26, 2015

  Largest Hot Wheels track loop: Ford breaks Guinness World Records record (VIDEO)

DEARBORN, MI, USA -- Ford engineer Matt West and his 6-year-old son Blade created every little boys dream in a 12.5 foot tall Hot Wheels loop; it was on the second try that a tiny Hot Wheels car successfully completed a loop with a diameter of 12.5 feet — beating the old Guinness World records record of 9.9 feet and setting the new world record for the Largest Hot Wheels track loop, according to the World Record Academy .

Photo: Ford set a new world record for the largest loop by a Hot Wheels car as part of its "Take Your Child to Work Day" initiative. Technician Matt West, who builds custom loops at home to help teach his son about physics, designed a 12.5-foot loop for the record-breaking attempt. ( enlarge photo )

The Guinness World Records' record for the largest Hot Wheels loop-the-loop has a diameter of 2.97 m (9 ft 9 in) and was created by Meg Hunter, Jed Hunter, and Richard Price (all USA) as confirmed at the Woodbury Elementary School, Shaker Heights, Ohio, on 24 March 2014.

  Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the longest Hot Wheels track; it measured 502.92 m (1,650 ft) and consisted of 2,100 pieces of track, held together by 2,150 connectors. The attempt was organised by Mattel Canada Inc. for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada and was completed on 7 July 2002 at Thunder Alley, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Track Dimensions: 22'x7'6"x7'

   It was on the second try that a tiny Hot Wheels car successfully completed a loop with a diameter of 3.81 metres — beating the old Guinness World records record of 3.01m Blade and dad Matt West did so to the cheers of a crowd of other Ford employees and their children at the automaker's Research and Innovation Centre in Dearborn, Michigan, in the US.

 The trick, said West, is using cars with the right dimensions and weight to stay on the track. During the formal attempt, two of the first 10 cars were successful. West had a few more successes and then invited other kids to join him and try for themselves, The Detroit Free Press reports.

   Toy maker Mattel donated some track and connectors, as well as a number of training kits for workshops to help teach kids about physics.