Progress has been speeding along over in Florida with two new rollercoasters both installing in their final track pieces. Set to start thrilling riders this summer, Mako at SeaWorld Orlando and Cobra’s Curse over at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay are both now nearing completion.
SeaWorld Orlando has installed the final piece of Mako’s nearly mile-long steel track – completing the footprint of what will be Orlando’s longest, tallest and fastest coaster. When Mako opens this summer, the hypercoaster will reach 200 feet and speeds of 73 mph. Riders will feel weightless as they reach the top of each hill.
Following tradition, the 5,669kg final piece of track was topped with a waving American flag as it was lifted high in the air by a giant crane, and then bolted into place by workers. The moment finished off a track that is 4,760 feet (length of 16 football pitches) of pure thrill.
Meanwhile over at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the final track piece has been installed for the park’s most anticipated family thrill attraction, Cobra’s Curse.
The track piece weighing 2,029 kg (almost as heavy as a Land Rover) was bolted into place on Saturday 19th March, marking the end of track construction and the beginning of the testing phase.
The spin coaster will be the only one of its kind in the world, featuringa menacing 13,600 kg snake king icon and a 70-foot vertical lift that will take riders within inches of its 4-foot-long fangs. The three-and-a-half-minute ride will then spin forward, backward and then freely, taking riders on a whirlwind of exciting explorations.
Additionally, even before boarding the new ride, guests will be just inches away from a 400-cubic-foot snake exhibit in the queue which will include Jameson’s mambas, Angolan pythons and rhinoceros and gaboon vipers. This multi-level exhibit reflects the theme of the ride while featuring several animal husbandry and enrichment components designed with the snakes’ welfare in mind, including naturalistic design elements, controlled heat sources and humidity control.
For more information, visit SeaWorldOrlando.com and join the conversation using #NothingFaster.
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