Due to open any day now, Universal Studios in Orlando will soon unveil “one of the most radically innovative rollercoasters ever created” – Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Built by Maurer Söhne, the ride combines a number of new coaster moves with a highly sophisticated audio and video system to offer unique ride experience.
Riders will pick their own choice of musical soundtrack to accompany them as they hurtle through 3,800ft of steel track at speeds up to 65 mph. Each rider’s song is then featured on a ride video they can purchase as they leave the attraction.
Despite announcing Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit last year, Universal Orlando has only now elaborated on some of the ride’s finer points.
It is, for example, the tallest, largest and fastest X-Car coaster yet produced by Maurer. The ride’s waist-level restraints allow riders to have a more open and exhilarating ride. That X-Car design also means Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is capable of manoeuvres other coasters are not. With several vehicles on the track at one time, it also promises non-stop movement and action.
Signature features of the ride include a vertical lift, a “double take” non-inverted loop and a “treble clef” segment shaped like the musical symbol. Both the latter elements are world-firsts, as is the “jump cut,” a spiralling negative-gravity camelback. This is followed by the “crowd surfer” over the loading platform, a “drop tuning” that takes riders underground and a final “plot twist” (inclined loop).
