Thrills and Speed

Where is the scariest roller coaster in the UK?  Which drop will double your heartbeat? The Stealth at Thorpe Park. This coaster thrills you with a combination of height and acceleration; riders’ heartbeats usually double to 170bpm (beats per minute) and stress hormone levels triple.

The Stealth is a steel roller coaster built by Intamin AG of Switzerland. The coaster is located in the Amity Cove area of Thorpe Park in Surrey, England and was the park’s newest roller coaster in 2007. The ride reaches a maximum height of 62.5 metres (205 ft), which makes it the tallest launched coaster in Europe and the third tallest roller coaster in Europe after the Silver Star and the Pepsi Max Big One. The ride originally reached speeds of around 130 km/h (80 mph) in 2.3 seconds, however an upgrade in 2007 reduced this to 1.9 seconds. They tweaked the nitrogen boosters for a super acceleration of 0-80 mph in less than two seconds. Stealth was the fastest roller coaster in Europe, although it lost this record when Furius Baco opened in 2007 at Port Aventura in Spain. The ride produces G-forces of up to 2.02g and is thought to have cost £12 million.”

Scientists who were surveying the G-forces and acceleration speeds of coasters must have enjoyed their research.  They actually issued a Top 10 list of scary roller coasters, with names like “Rita, Queen of Speed” and “Nemesis Inferno.” The tenth coaster on the list, Velocity, wins the prize for the amusement park with the funniest name: Flamingo Land, in North Yorkshire.  Sounds almost better than the scariest roller coaster!

For coaster enthusiasts, you can join in the fun at The Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain.  They organize trips, have the latest updates on coaster news, and you can meet members from all around the UK and Europe.

Just click the link for information: www.rccgb.co.uk/RCCGB%20New%20HTML/home.htm

Take a virtual ride on the Stealth at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGXLJwWC5WQ

If roller coasters are your thing, then there are plenty in the UK where you can get your thrills.  Happy coastering!