Desert Race
| Desert Race | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Data | |
| Location |
Heide Park Resort ( Soltau , Lower Saxony , Germany ) |
| Type | Steel - seated |
| model | Accelerator Coaster |
| category | Launched coaster |
| Drive type | Hydraulic catapult start 0-100 km / h in 2.4 s |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Intamin , Ingenieurbüro Stengel GmbH (dynamics and statics) |
| costs | 15 million euros |
| opening | May 15, 2007 |
| length | 650 m |
| height | 19 m |
| Max. speed | 102 km / h |
| Max. acceleration | 4.7 g |
| Travel time | 0:49 min |
| capacity | 800 people per hour |
| Trains | 2 trains, 5 carriages / train, 2 rows of seats / carriage, 2 seats / row of seats |
| elements | 2 airtime curves, airtime hill |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Subject area | Land of the Forgotten |
| Theming | desert |
Desert Race is a steel roller coaster in the Heide Park Resort in Soltau . It was officially inaugurated on May 15, 2007 and was the first catapult launch roller coaster in Germany. A hydraulic drive system is used (see Launched Coaster ), which accelerates the car to 100 km / h in 2.4 seconds, with the roller coaster reaching a top speed of 102 km / h. The length of the track is 650 meters, which can be traversed in 49 seconds. Braking takes place on the last airtime hill and after the final bend with eddy current brakes . The maximum g-force is 4.7 g.
construction
In July 2006, the first measurements of the building area for Desert Race were made. The foundation stone for the building was laid on August 14th. Two months later, the first foundations for the pillars and the station building were poured, and the first steel girders for the maintenance building were installed, which were clad with precast concrete parts. In mid-October, the foundations began to be filled with sand. Theming elements such as the large helicopter and some old jeeps were stored in the event hall. The maintenance hall was also painted. In December 2006 the pillars of the roller coaster were delivered, which were installed first in January 2007. Rail parts were delivered in the same month and the launch section was assembled separately. The first issues of the maintenance building began. In March 2007, all rails and supports of the roller coaster were installed, so that the first test drives could soon be completed.
However, a problem with the launch occurred during the first test drive. The train was not accelerating sufficiently and so could not even negotiate the first airtime hill. The launch area of the roller coaster was then subjected to another thorough examination. Finally, four screws on the catchcar were identified as a source of error. These protruded a bit and slowed down the launch by rubbing against other components. The screws were finally exchanged for completely retractable screws, after which the train was able to successfully complete the entire route for the first time.
In April, work was mainly carried out on the photo shop and the snack bar, and the waiting area began. At the beginning of May, the waiting area, the station and the theming were finally completed, so that the Desert Race could open on May 15, 2007.
Others
The Desert Race route is almost like the Rita roller coaster in the English sister park Alton Towers , which is also part of the Merlin Entertainments Group. The difference between the two railways is that after the eddy current brake there is a very different route next to the station. At Rita there is a continuous downhill gradient with a right-hand bend and at Desert Race there is an additional descent, which is possible because the eddy current brake is a few meters higher than at Rita . This is followed by a small hill at Desert Race , which represents the beginning of a right-hand bend, which then turns into a steep bank just before the end.
The railway and the design of the environment in the desert theme cost a total of approx. 15 million euros. Since 2011, Desert Race has been part of the “Land of the Forgotten” topic.
photos
Opening on May 15, 2007
Desert Race from the panorama tower (photo from 2011)
Airtime curves
Red train in the final brake
Helicopter as race control and theming element
swell
- ↑ themeparkdokus: Heide Park - Desert Race construction documentation. September 25, 2012, accessed June 6, 2019 .
- ↑ Heide-Park World construction documentation ( archive link ( Memento from March 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive ))
- ↑ Park + Ride, issue 53 (association magazine of the Freundeskreis Kirmes und Freizeitparks e.V.)
Web links
- Desert Race on the park website
- Data and pictures at rcdb.com
Coordinates: 53 ° 1 ′ 19 ″ N , 9 ° 52 ′ 58 ″ E