29yrswithaGApass Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 Source: TIME Newsfeed Amusement Park Supremacy Six Flags Losing Roller-Coaster Crown to Ferrari? By: Chris Gentilviso May 20, 2010 New Jersey — prepare to say goodbye to the gold-medal position. Abu Dhabi claims it has taken over as the home of the world’s fastest roller coaster. The New York Times reports that Ferrari is designing a new thrill ride called Formula Rossa, which is set to top out at 150 miles per hour. According to the official website of Ferrari World, the indoor theme park based in the United Arab Emirates, the launch date is set for Oct. 28, 2010. That 150-mile per hour speed would knock Six Flags Great Adventure and Wild Safari’s Kingda Ka to second place, as the American coaster tops out at 128 miles per hour. Six Flags currently dubs Kingda Ka as “simply, the tallest, fastest roller coaster on Earth.” For a video of the new coaster, visit the Formula Rossa’s official page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted May 22, 2010 Report Share Posted May 22, 2010 It was bound to happen sooner or later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterPrince Posted May 22, 2010 Report Share Posted May 22, 2010 150 is pushing it...faces are getting ripped off. LOL. Ka is still better and we had the record for 5 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertDavid Posted May 22, 2010 Report Share Posted May 22, 2010 Ka will still hold the record in the United States. I don't see a lot of people flocking to the United Arab Emirates to ride a roller coaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warnerleroy Posted May 22, 2010 Report Share Posted May 22, 2010 I do wonder if this will be a "real", longer than 25 seconds roller coaster like Nitro and not just a "quick enough ride to show you how fast we can go" like Kingda Ka or Top Thrill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbolt Posted May 22, 2010 Report Share Posted May 22, 2010 (edited) Kingda Ka continues to be a formidable beast. While the launch feels less intense than 2005 (more like I've become acclimated to it), I don't think the idea of a faster version diminishes Great Adventure's "rocket" one bit. Kingda Ka remains an icon and a draw regardless. Edited May 22, 2010 by Thunderbolt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted May 23, 2010 Report Share Posted May 23, 2010 If Dubai isn't doing as well as they expected (I thought I remembered reading about that a few months ago), the park may not end up lasting long and unless another park were to purchase the ride, KK could get the record back. Ring Racer tried to take the record away, and it looks like they never got to overtake KK as being the fastest since it barely operated before closing again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafreak Posted May 23, 2010 Report Share Posted May 23, 2010 well, its been a few years since ka was built, and people have tried to beat it, i dont see it happining here, in an article i red a few moths back they claimed it can go 150 but they werent going to run it at those speeds, my guess is its a bs claim, look how hard it was to get ka to go 128, we will be the champs for a few more years still i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CablesEric Posted June 18, 2010 Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 (edited) Some information on Ferrari World, click the link below. Ferrari World Edited June 18, 2010 by CablesEric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnus12 Posted July 3, 2010 Report Share Posted July 3, 2010 ^ Looks like some alien spaceship landed on a farm or something. lol 150mph pretty dang fast for a coaster, that's like a mid-range EF3 tornado blasting you in the face! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafreak Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 ill belive it when they actually beat Ka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scipiomask Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 If Dubai isn't doing as well as they expected (I thought I remembered reading about that a few months ago), the park may not end up lasting long and unless another park were to purchase the ride, KK could get the record back. Ring Racer tried to take the record away, and it looks like they never got to overtake KK as being the fastest since it barely operated before closing again. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are two seperate Arab Emirates - Dubai is the one doing worse. (I'm there now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted October 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 World's fastest rollercoaster: Could you stomach it? By Olivia Lang and Cat Koo BBC News Abu Dhabi's Ferrari World will be the largest indoor amusement park in the world Climb aboard the world's fastest rollercoaster. Be prepared to reach speeds of up to 240 km/h (149mph) and enjoy a feeling similar to a Formula One racing driver. That is the hype from those behind Abu Dhabi's Ferrari World, the largest indoor theme park in the world, which opens on Wednesday. The Formula Rossa rollercoaster boasts acceleration from 0 to 60mph (97km/h) in 2 seconds, and takes the title from the Kingda Ka in New Jersey, US, which reaches speeds of 128mph. But could you stomach such speeds? Why are some people so risk-averse, while others seek to find the highest, most adrenaline-filled activity they can find? 'Thrill gene' We are all predisposed in some way to seek thrill," says Brendan Walker, an aeronautical engineer and thrills expert. "Thrill is the very stuff of life. It's what motivates us to stay alive and it rewards us to evade danger, or to have fantastic sex, and rewards us when we feel extreme hunger and thirst." The response is a series of chemical reactions in the body, he says, with "thrill" essentially being the release of adrenaline and dopamine. "The closest man-made substance is cocaine, which is why it is so addictive and why some people get more addicted to thrill," he explains. Some people, he says, are genetically more predisposed to the effects of dopamine - a link found by scientists in the 1990s who found the D4DR gene. The difference lies in the number of repeats of the sequence of this D4DR gene: the larger number of repeats, the less receptive a person is to dopamine. Although the popularity of theme parks has soared in recent years, the concept of such thrill-seeking is nothing new. The rollercoaster has been around for centuries - it is believed their roots are found in Russian ice slides, amusement devices developed in the 17th Century, consisting of carts which were pushed down wooden slopes. These are said to have inspired the first rollercoaster in 1884, in Coney Island in the US - a ride which is down in the history books as a great success. Technological advances brought steel coasters, instead of wooden ones, but some enthusiasts said the unpredictability of wood gave traditional ones an extra edge. 'Sensation-seeker' Some, such as Professor Marvin Zuckerman, claim there is a particular personality that goes with the enjoyment of theme park rides. In a renowned 1971 study, Prof Zuckerman concluded that being a "sensation-seeker", as he calls it, means you are far more likely to take risks for novel experiences. Such people likely enjoy high-intensity rock music, watch sex and horror films, travel to exotic places, and party, as well as take part in adventurous activities and extreme sport. But how far can we go? Rollercoasters may create a perception of feeling like you are in danger, but how much faster and extreme can you go without actually being open to injury? Studies show that extreme gravity can have an impact on the flow of blood to our brains and eyes, but design checks on rollercoasters ensure this is kept within safe limits. Alberto Minetti, a professor of Physiology in Milan, Italy, says that normal people can sustain a G-force (gravitational force) of 3, although levels above that are safe, depending on duration. For the Formula Rossa, the G-Force - in other words, its acceleration relative to free-fall - is 1.7Gs. "Everybody knows that it is a scary experience - but it is a safe experience," Prof Minetti says. To protect passengers' eyes, Ferrari World says it will require passengers to wear goggles - something which Prof Minetti says is important. "When you are travelling at 240km/h, even dust that is not normally harmful is. Even dust like when you are sitting at your desk, it's like a bullet in a way," he says. He says that constant speed will not have the same physiological effect on the body as varied movement. "Speed isn't exciting by itself, so it's the way you get to that speed that's exciting. If the roller coaster is going from 0-100km/h in 2 seconds, it's that excitement," he says. 'Visual spectacle' So while the high speeds of Ferrari World and Kingda Ka are headline-grabbing, are the fastest rollercoasters really the best for thrill-seekers? Andy Hine, chairperson of the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain (RCCGB), says generally "speed is important but not the be-all and end-all" in rollercoaster design. "What they have to be is start being more clever," he says. He cites Nemesis, a ride at Alton Towers, where "you're only inches from rocks so you get the impression you're going to get your legs ripped off". As Mr Walker points out, as human beings, we like variety. You could stick someone on the end of a rope and swing them round very fast for a long time, but that person might only have fun for the first 3 seconds, he says; it is the creativity in rollercoaster design which is key, not the height or speed. "A rollercoaster choreographer is more like a musician or conductor and sort of leads the rider through his score, script," he says. "Ride sensation is only one part. There's also the visual spectacle". In his opinion, the future is something more theatrical, something that is able to entertain the mind as well as the body. But for the "sensation-seekers" of the world, will it ever be enough? "We are all predisposed in some way to seek thrill," says Brendan Walker, an aeronautical engineer and thrills expert. "Thrill is the very stuff of life. It's what motivates us to stay alive and it rewards us to evade danger, or to have fantastic sex, and rewards us when we feel extreme hunger and thirst." The response is a series of chemical reactions in the body, he says, with "thrill" essentially being the release of adrenaline and dopamine. "The closest man-made substance is cocaine, which is why it is so addictive and why some people get more addicted to thrill," he explains. FIVE FASTEST 1. FORMULA ROSSA, 149mph; Formula World, Abu Dhabi 2. KINGDA KA: 128mph; Flags Great Adventure, New Jersey, US 2. TOP THRILL DRAGSTER, 120mph; Cedar Point, Ohio, US 3. DODONPA, 107mph; Fuji-Q Highland, Yamanashi, Japan 4= TOWER OF TERROR, 100mph; Dreamworld, Queensland, Australia 4= SUPERMAN THE ESCAPE, 100mph; Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California, US 5. STEEL DRAGON 2000, 95mph; Nagashima Spa Land, Nagashima, Japan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Since the opening is delayed a week, at least Great Adventure gets to finish the season with Kingda Ka as the tallest and fastest coaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterPrince Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 It's going to suck not to see Ka at number 1 anymore. We can still brag about Toro and Nitro..and even Green Lantern, if it's any good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafreak Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 atleast wr can say we have the tallest and fastest in all of north america Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertDavid Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 atleast wr can say we have the tallest and fastest in all of north america Exactly. How many people can go to Abu Dhabi to ride a roller coaster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 I wonder if that is how they are going to market the ride now, or will they say tallest in the world, fastest in North America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrceagle Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 I doubt they will make an effort to change out the signs. I have seen SFI loose records in the past and take years to change signs to be requested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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