Turbo Track, the newest rollercoaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, may move at almost half the speed of its Formula Rossa counterpart and come to an end in the blink of an eye, but that doesn’t make it isn’t any less petrifying.
The new ride, which opens to the public on Wednesday, throws daredevils through the glass funnel of the theme park vertically before coming back down faster “than a speeding bullet”, or at least that is what it feels like.
Turbo Track is the park’s fourth rollercoaster after Formula Rossa, Fiorano GT Challenge and Flying Aces, which opened last year. The attraction simulates a Ferrari driver’s training facility, where they are tested for speed, precision and pressure before being recruited.
The rollercoaster, which is part of a mock three-phase performance analysis, has been fitted by the Switzerland-based Intamin Amusement Rides - the developers behind the other two rollercoasters at the park.
Rollercoasters are meant to exhilarate, and Turbo Track definitely does that, but it scores above the other rides in the park in its conscientious design and construction.
The developers took about a year to create a 16-square-metre opening in the distinct red glass funnel roof of the park to allow the track to poke through and propel riders to the highest point of Yas Island at 64 metres.
But before I experience that sharp rise and plummet during our preview, there’s a pre-ride performance. As we enter the dimmed ride chamber, a cheery facility technical director dressed in a lab coat and a clipboard greets us. The actor has an amusing script that will entertain youngsters while they try their hand at the speed and precision tests.
The first of these is a number game where visitor’s reflexes are tested as they try to hit blinking lights as fast as they can in 30 seconds. The second has us move a loop through a metal wire without touching it to assess precision.
Just before we are ushered through to the rollercoaster, we are given our safety instructions, which includes emptying our pockets and leaving our phones behind. For the purpose of the preview, we were able to fit a GoPro to the front of the coach, but not without securing it with a suction cup and several pieces of gaffer tape and a couple of test-runs.
For visitors looking for keepsakes of their comical and unflattering moments during the ride, the route will be fitted with cameras and photos can be purchased afterwards.
The experience itself
The coach can take up to 12 guests at a time, half facing the front and the others facing backwards. For the first round - yes, I went on twice - I opted for the forward-facing seat.
After being strapped in at the docking station, the coach moves on to the track. And before I can even brace myself for the 102 kilometre per hour speed at which we will be travelling, we bolt with a force that catches me by surprise.
The rapidly changing velocity creates a pit in my stomach, my heart is in my mouth and I feel light-headed as the blood rushes to my brain.
Within seconds we are out of the theme park and vertically upright at a height of 64 metres, with the sun blinding me as I try and take in the fleeting view of the Yas Island from above.
Before we know it, our coach twists on the intertwined track and we are in a free fall back into the park, all in a time of less than 30 seconds.
As we approach the starting point, the coach slows down, probably to help riders regain composure. It takes more a few more seconds after it stops to orient myself.
I’m a little wobbly as I step out but immediately sign up to ride it the other way around. The experience, I am told, is different because you feel like you are being dragged at a high speed all the way to the top. This time, as we pull out, I’m jolted forward, my ponytail hitting my face. I still feel my stomach sink, but am now buzzing with the excitement of the swift flight as we descend.
As the final evaluation at the Ferrari’s training facility, drivers are assessed on their capability of coping with the adrenalin and pressure at similar speeds like the one riders witness on this rollercoaster. With my heart racing a million miles an hour and with a woozy composure even minutes later of hopping off, I’m not signing up to be a Ferrari racer any time soon.
Turbo Track opens to the public on Wednesday, March 29. For details, visit www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com
aahmed@thenational.ae
