Hot Laps at the M1 Concourse

Imagine... You. In the passenger seat of a Dodge Hellcat on a 1.5 mile performance race track. Flying through turns, switchbacks and straightaways. With nothing but trust for your professional driver as the landscape blurs by.

THAT WAS ME

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of joining the Marketing and Sales Executives of Detroit (MSED) for their Skills for Thrills Fundraiser at the M1 Concourse. Not only did I get a ride of a lifetime on the racetrack but the event also benefited scholarships for students interested in pursuing education and training in the automotive skilled trades. 

Although the cause for the event is one that I feel very strongly with (our talent pipeline here in Michigan is very important to the auto industry), I was completely wrapped up in the interesting history of where I was visiting.

As it stands now, M1 Concourse is an 87-acre playground for auto enthusiasts that includes a secure community of 250+ Private Garages and a state-of-the-art 1.5-mile Performance Track with its own private Motorsports Club. However M1 Concourse sits on a site that has been home to a series of auto manufacturing facilities for more than 100 years. In 1905, a large portion of the property was developed into a factory by the Rapid Motor Company for the production of municipal vehicles. In 1908, a combination of Rapid, Reliance Motor Truck and Crescent Motors became General Motors Truck Co. During the decades GM owned the property, it was home to a variety of manufacturing plants and testing/quality assurance facilities. The facility was decommissioned in 2008 and all but one building on the property was demolished. After completing a significant amount of due diligence on the suitability of the property for the intended development and obtaining the proper clearances and approvals from the Environmental Protection Agency, State of Michigan, Oakland County and the City of Pontiac, M1 Concourse acquired the land on August 6, 2014 and now the property has been reconnected with its century-long automotive history.