It’s been a bad few years to be a record-breaking rollercoaster. This may not be a coincidence. At the dawn of the new millennium, amusement park operators around the world bet big on the “roller coaster wars,” investing millions of dollars in efforts to build the tallest and fastest rides on the planet. Now, two decades later, we’re seeing a generation of ultra-extreme coasters begin to reach “retirement age.”
The industry has undergone two major changes – “Top 2” failed and Kingda Ka closed unexpectedly – has created a surprising new list of exactly who holds the world records for speed and height. You May Be Surprised What A Roller Coaster Is Now Ranked as the tallest and fastest on the planet…if only from a technical perspective.
record reorganization
In theory, the world’s fastest roller coaster since 2010 is Rosa’s equation Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. This Intamin Accelerator uses the same hydraulic launch system as its sister rides (Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka) to launch from 0 to 149.1 mph in 4.9 seconds. Formula Rossa is so fast that riders are required to wear goggles while on board due to its desert environment.
Although absolutely stunning Acceleration-wise, Formula Rossa isn’t a very high ride. For all the pomp and circumstance, it only rises 170 feet (and, as roller coaster experts will tell you, there are actually magnetic trim brakes on the way up, so the top speed is immediately reduced to a more reasonable level.) Although Formula Rossa has been a fastest Of the roller coasters on Earth, Jindaka remains the tallest.
Of course, Formula Rossa now has an asterisk in its name, as it mysteriously shut down in January 2024 and has been static but not operating (SBNO) since then. The park has revealed little about the ride and no one has reported any apparent progress or construction around it, so it’s possible Ferrari World has just decided to suspend operations of this ride, which is expensive to operate, or it’s waiting for a dedicated section . After all, roller coasters that use hydraulic launch systems are fast but fragile—with rapidly unwinding cables, friction-ridden systems, and pressure-fluid dynamics that make them unstable to operate. especially In the 120 degree heat of Abu Dhabi.
Like the saying “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no place to hear it, does it make a sound?”, you can’t real If you don’t work, you’ll be the fastest roller coaster on the planet, so TechnicallyFormula Rossa does not count. So the next one to break the speed record will be Jindakaaccelerating from 0 to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds. Of course, Jindaka is also temporarily “SBNO”. Park’s surprising playoff announcementEverything the park has said (or hasn’t said) so far suggests the 456-foot-tall ride is headed for the wrecking ball rather than being reimagined.
Formula Rossa and Kingda Ka are both down; Next The fastest ride on earth will be top thrill 2. Even though Cedar Point’s reimagining of the Top Thrill Dragster does away with the Intamin’s one-shot hydraulic launch in favor of Zamperla’s more progressive LSM rocker launch, it still Do That all important 120 mph required to finally reach an altitude of 420 feet. Of course, this ride also spent the 2024 “SNBO” Zamperla’s transformation didn’t turn out as well as Cedar Point had hopedso it also needs to be bypassed.
Yes, runner-up to runner-up to runner-up found themselves with the crown as the gold, silver and bronze record holders were counted. This means that the fastest roller coaster in the world right now is…
