Racecoaster: World’s Fastest Coaster to Be Built in Germany
Germany may soon be home to the World’s fastest roller coaster as Racecoaster at Nurburgring will shatter the current record in 2009. While Six Flags Great Adventure’s Kingda Ka tops out at a blistering 128 mph, Racecoaster will push the envelope even further with a top speed of 134 mph (217 km/h).
Unlike Kingda Ka’s hydraulic launch, this new coaster will be built by S&S Power using an air launch system (similar to the defunct Hypersonic XLC). The acceleration offered by Racecoaster will be unbelievable. It will provide a 0 to 134 mph in only 2.5 seconds. Kingda Ka doesn’t reach it’s top speed until 3.5 seconds. The bottom line is that this is going to be one intense launch.
Racecoaster will be built along side an actual race track at Nurburgring. Below are some excerpts from a translated article about the ride:
“Acceleration more powerful than on any race car: “Racecoaster” offers a more authentic version of this experience than any other. The strained feeling before the start, the rising adrenaline, the driver being pushed back into his seat as the traffic light turns to green and the race begins.”
“After the passengers enter through a railway station in the new indoor attraction, Racecoaster’s launch runs parallel to the Grand Prix stretch on the race track, with its starting point aligned to the starting line of the track. Here, the vehicle accelerates to its top speed of 217 km/h, travels 480 meters (1574.8 ft) along the race track then sharply curves to the left. The coaster’s route leads back through the Boulevard and ends again in the railway station. Each of the coaster’s two four-car vehicles is capable of transporting eight passengers. Altogether, the coaster travels 1.2 kilometers (3937.01 feet) in its adrenaline-packed course.”
Like Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka it sounds like pretty short ride. Racecoaster won’t even offer any kind of top hat or hill. But the point will be the launch and the speed and that will likely bring enthusiasts and thrill junkies from all over the world. The full translated article can be found here. Props to CoasterForce for translating the article. It’s a great site, especially for information on international theme parks and coasters.
UPDATE – It looks like this coaster has been renamed, ring°racer according to the RCDB listing. It’s set to open June 11, 2009 in Rhineland-Palatinate Germany. Also, check out this new Ring°Racer on-ride video.
Other Car Themed Roller Coasters
Ring°racer’s not the first coaster to incorporate cars/automobiles. The Italian Job coasters at three of the former Paramount parks featured Mini Cooper-like trains. Check out my full review of Italian Job at Kings Island. Maximum RPM!, which just opened at the new Hard Rock Park features British convertible sports cars and on-board radios. More on Maximum RPM, including a video. A small park in New Market, Maryland has an old steel coaster called Wildcat. It’s cars are designed to look like 60′s muscle cars including: Yenko Camaro, SS Camaro, 340 Cuda, 1960′s Police Cruiser, Mustang.
Aside from cars, there are also a number of coasters that feature motorcycle-like trains. This year, Darien Lake opened Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster. Check out more information on the motocoaster and its Pony Express and OCC versions.
What’s Your Take?
What do you think of this new record breaking roller coaster? Leave a comment below.
May 12, 2008 at 10:14
i think that this coaster will be bad for a couple of reasons. 1 because it may be the fastest coaster but its not worth being the fastest if there isn't anything cool about it. it should have a inversion of some sort. 2 the launch will be way to intense. and 3 because im not traveling all the way to germany to ride a ride that wont be longer than 45 seconds
May 20, 2008 at 07:30
Who cares if it doesn't have a hill? Its the lauch which makes it so awesome. If you can't handle the speed then don't ride it!
July 2, 2008 at 22:32
brilliant idea….shame about location….germany….not best for parks now is itand to go here for one ride….that would be itno other rides or attractionswould of been brilliant in the uk where we cant build high but still go fast
August 20, 2008 at 03:34
I'm not sure if I'm a huge fan of this ride. I've been an enthusiast for quite a while now, I've been in the front seat of both "Kingda Ka" and "Top Thrill Dragster." From what I gather, it launches, makes a turn, and then is over. The only thing that make KK and TTD worth it are their top hat elements, other. In terms of the speed, I'm not sure that we want to go all that much faster. From the front seat of KK and TTD, I remember that my cheeks were being pushed back, it was hard to breath, and the wind combined with the acceleration had you completely pinned. Even my eyelids were pushed off my eye an being pulled away from my face. We can only go so much faster before it's just not practical or safe. That acceleration is also blistering. I can't imagine the amount of force between a 135 mile per hour wind and a very powerful acceleration G. And eight riders per train? Not much of a capacity.Bottom line is, I'm not sure if I'll ever even be interesting in it.
April 25, 2009 at 05:33
Re car-theme. Don't forget SpeedMonster in Norway! Inverted loop….;-)
April 27, 2009 at 19:52
Go Ring°racer!
May 10, 2009 at 15:10
I have something to say. I live right by Kingda Ka, and go on almost every weekend. I am not trying to be stubborn, but honestly, how is it a roller coaster? sure, it goes wicked fast, but it isn't a roller coaster in my book. Think about it, it goes fast at first, then some oval turn thing, and that's it. Unlike Kingda Ka, it doesn't have a real lift or incline, or a drop of somesort. It's the fastest ride in the world. But roller coaster? i'm afraid that that record is owned still by kingda Ka. Canada, out.
July 1, 2009 at 12:38
o no the same type of launch as Hypersonic!!!!!Thats the only bad part about the ride, because thats like the worst launch coaster ever!!!!But who cares its fast and i bet thats the only thing that i care about!
July 3, 2009 at 08:25
#7 Canada
May 10, 2009 pm29 7:10 pm
I have something to say. I live right by Kingda Ka, and go on almost every weekend. I am not trying to be stubborn, but honestly, how is it a roller coaster? sure, it goes wicked fast, but it isn’t a roller coaster in my book. Think about it, it goes fast at first, then some oval turn thing, and that’s it. Unlike Kingda Ka, it doesn’t have a real lift or incline, or a drop of somesort. It’s the fastest ride in the world. But roller coaster? i’m afraid that that record is owned still by kingda Ka. Canada, out
yeah he's right!!!!!
July 28, 2009 at 17:47
man kingda ka is just Not fast enough….
July 29, 2009 at 05:54
#9 & #7
This is a coaster by design. It is launched, braked, and then coasts.
Nurburgring wanted to build a ride that would make you feel like a Formula One driver with insane speed.
That, and they probably don't have 25 million to spend on a coaster. They still have to pay the drivers redicules sums of money.
July 29, 2009 at 09:41
Ya when you want to make the worlds fastest coaster, they just want it to be fast. The only thing they wanted it to be was fast. The launch was the only thing they cared about, then they had to but some turns and stuff in there
July 29, 2009 at 12:46
Kingda Ka Lover – The "turnaround" alone on RingRacer does more dynamically than anything experienced on Kingda Ka. The shaping of that element looks fantastic; done by the same guy who tackled Powder Keg.
Sorry your favorite ride doesn't hold the title anymore, but RingRacer is certainly a roller coaster.
Though I also agree that Kingda Ka is a roller coaster, your logic can easily be used to show that it's not. It goes fast at first, does some up-and-over thing, and then that's it. Like a glorified launch tower.
July 29, 2009 at 12:51
Sorry, I didn't notice the quoting done. I suppose my comment is directed toward Canada and Kingda Ka Lover.
And Matthew, don't worry about the launch. It has been perfected since Hypersonic. Powder Keg is a good example. There were also other factors that contributed to the horrible launch of Hypersonic, including the trains, restraints, and wheels.
September 13, 2009 at 02:49
Bad news from germany!!! Big accident during test phase, 7 people injured!
During a test the catapult failed and was destroyed, parts of it damaged the air tank and it burst. The explosion could be heard 3km away, windows on the sorounding bildings where destrojed and 7 people suffered under the shock wave. http://www.eifelzeitung.de/?artikel=50186 (unfortionally the article is in german)
The obening was shifted to spring 2010.
But the worst is that the responseble people tryed to cover up the howle story! And even don't bring the injured to the near hospital! (acording to: http://www.eifelzeitung.de/?artikel=50186)
I was there just yesterday and found it odd that the coster was closted and the prices decreased by 50% (which make them not cheaper!) I didn't know this befor I was there, if so I probably stayed home!
November 13, 2009 at 07:25
As another person who has Weekly Rides on Kingda Ka, I'm glad things are working out on ring racer, hopefully F1 goes slower than Kingda Ka. Go Kingda Ka!!
November 15, 2009 at 14:02
I think that "ring racer" will be criticized so badly they will have to close the coaster because people will be mad that Kingda Ka got beat, also people will get mad because there is no point to the coaster with it having no features at all, and people will be wasting their money on possibly getting injured due to an explosion in the launch system. I hope "ring racer" will close soon after it opens. I think that this is a fake because the speedometer doesn't reach 135 mph, in fact Top Thrill Dragster can sometimes go 130 mph. Kingda Ka is too awesome to be broken in speed records ring racer is a coaster for people who want to waste their money.
March 22, 2010 at 07:33
If it doesn't have a hill then what exactly is the point?