the fans of roller coaster can already contain the anxiety: the Busch Gardens Tampapark at Florida distant about 1h30 by car from Orlandoofficially opened on Friday (11) the world’s fastest and steepest hybrid roller coaster. Call of Iron Gwaziit also carries the title of the tallest roller coaster of its kind in North America.
Its peak is about 63 meters high, and passengers experience an incline of 91 degrees. A hybrid of wood and steel, the car can reach 122 km/h and there are three inversions along the route. According to reports, despite the slopes and high speed, the roller coaster has an unparalleled smoothness, which, even so, makes the adrenaline rise in visitors.
The original idea was to open the attraction in 2020, but the opening was postponed several times mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic. March 2020 videos shared on social networks show the carts being tested along the route with dolls and employees.
On February 13 this year, the roller coaster welcomed the first enthusiasts in a planned gradual opening for members of the park’s annual pass, until it welcomes the general public last Friday (11).
Here’s a first-person video of the new Busch Gardens roller coaster:
wooden past
The attraction has existed at the park since 1999, but was closed indefinitely in 2015 after reports of high maintenance costs and a drop in visitor numbers.
Built entirely of wood, it was originally a dueling roller coaster with two separate tracks, consequently with two cars completing the course simultaneously.
The name Gwazi comes from a legendary creature with a tiger’s head and a lion’s body, and each of the clues was known for being one of the animals – today, despite keeping the name, the toy came to be inspired by crocodiles, reptiles common in Florida. Before the refurbishment, the attraction had a peak of 32 meters high and reached 82 km/h.
It was not until 2019 that plans for its renovation emerged, when a large part of the existing structure was reused. Touted by the park as a combination of the “innovation of a steel roller coaster and the nostalgia of a wooden roller coaster”, the attraction was rebuilt with “Ibox” steel tracks, patented by the US company Rocky Mountain Construction. .
According to the company, the “Ibox” rails maintain the wooden aesthetic while allowing the ride to be more extreme than that experienced on classic wooden coasters, with inversions, steeper drops and higher turns. The company also cites that the technology helps parks with wooden attractions to “modernize their rides”.
Gwazi was Florida’s first wooden dueling coaster and the only wooden one in the park. The brown and yellow colors, which previously predominated in the toy, were replaced by purple and green. At night, part of the structure is illuminated with the characteristic colors of the attraction, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
In all, the roller coaster operates with two cars, both with 24 seats each, and the minimum height to face it is 1.20m.
Source: CNN Brasil
