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Worlds' fastest roller coaster takes off
by Luke Tagg
Posted Tue, 18 Dec 2001
The fastest ever roller coaster - which reaches 172 km/h in 1.8 seconds - has opened at a theme park near Tokyo, Japan, launching itself into the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest circuit roller coaster in the world.
The record was set at the Fujikyu Highland Park in Fujiyosida, when a trial run of the "Dodonpa" roller coaster, as it is known, reached a top speed of 172 km/h around the 1.6 km track. This beat the previous speed record for a roller coaster, which was 148 km/h set by the "Steel Dragon" coaster, also of Japan.
Despite a ride time of only about a minute, the Dodonpa is anything but boring. Set against the backdrop of Mount Fuji in the background, the monster coaster reaches a height of 52 metres (170 feet) at its peak, with a 90-degree angle on the upslope and a virtually vertical descent on the other side.
The secret to the incredible acceleration of the Dodonpa is a high-speed air pressure system which launches the ride
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The ride opens to the public later this week, and it will be many rides later that the construction cost of some R300-million is finally met.
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