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Filed under: Etc., Toys/Games

White Lake Formula 1

White Lake F1 Ring slot car track – Click above to watch video after the jump

Ah, enthusiasts. Damn the torpedoes, time and money; when the dedicated maven decides to make something of his own, he doesn’t just do it a little. Hence, when James-Michael Gregory Harlan of Pontiac, Michigan wanted a slot car track as long as his name, he made it himself and called it the White Lake Formula 1 Ring.

An exhibit designer by trade, Harlan brought his massive skills to the endeavor by creating a track he believes “comprised many of the challenges one might encounter on a modern F1 circuit.” Hermann Tilke should take notes. The track itself is CNC routed on the AC2car system that lets two cars run on the same slot – giving racers a chance to pass each other using the lane changers.

Built in a 20-square-foot space, the ring is 1/32-scale, the lap is 145 feet long, and it features 19 turns and 2.5 feet of elevation change. Surrounding it is a hand-built and painted environment that includes pit lanes, a helipad and crane, bleachers and viewing towers, and lights for night racing. It comes as no surprise that he’s been working on it for years. You can see the fruits of his labor in the video after the jump and the gallery of high-res photos below. Once you’re done with those, be sure to check out even more pics on Flickr.

Gallery: James-Michael Harlan’s White Lake F1 slot car ring

[Source: WLF1 Ring]

Continue reading Video: White Lake Formula 1 Ring slot car track

Video: White Lake Formula 1 Ring slot car track originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 19:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Earnings/Financials, UAW/Unions

UAW black lake resort banner image

Are you looking for 1,000 heavily forested acres in the heart of Northern Michigan? Something in the $33 million range with a world class golf course and sleeping quarters for a couple thousand? If you are, it appears that the United Auto Workers’ Black Lake resort is going to have to come off that (very) short list, because the Rank and File isn’t selling. The Detroit News reports that UAW chief Bob King and the new union board has taken the resort off the market. CB Richard Ellis Senior Real Estate VP John Carver called the decision “a matter of the new board reviewing previous policy decisions.”

That previous board said in January that the recession was a big reason that the facility needed to close. The fact that the resort has lost a reported $23 million since 2005 didn’t help much either, and declining union membership appeared to be the nail in the coffin. Guess not. UAW leadership apparently isn’t talking about Black Lake and why they took it off the market, but DetNews quotes UAW local leaders who say that events are still being scheduled there.

We’re sure there will be plenty of people out there who won’t like the decision to retain such an extravagant resort considering the fact that thousands of UAW members have lost their jobs in the past couple of years. But then again, with Bob King and his blue-collared brothers and sisters looking to make a comeback, selling off the UAW’s crown jewels probably wouldn’t serve to bring up morale.

[Source: Detroit News]

Update: King reportedly pulls famed UAW Black Lake resort off the auction block originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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