Hot Wheels Car Jump To Precede Indy 500
INDIANAPOLIS (CBS/WBBM) -- This year's Indianapolis 500 auto race will be preceded by an attempt to break a world record jump – by a toy vehicle.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Pat Cassidy reports, just before the May 29 running of the Indy 500, Mattel is sponsoring a jump by its Hot Wheels four-wheel children's vehicle.
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The Hot Wheels brand, which produces everything from tiny cars to customized tracks, will install a 100-foot door with an attached orange ramp in the fourth turn of the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"It is a feat of engineering, and it's a jaw-dropping sight when you see it," vice president of marketing Simon Waldron told The Associated Press.
Organizers plan to suspend the large door, which will include a huge replica of the brand's so-called V-Drop off the door. It will take three weeks to put everything in place.
Company officials expect the driver, whose identity is being kept secret until after the stunt, to break Johnny Greaves' current world record of 301 feet.
The driver could make more than one attempt if necessary and if conditions permit.
Mattel is hoping to make the Hot Wheels event an annual tradition as part of the Indy 500.
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
