Busch Gardens reached a major milestone in January when a team of engineers and contractors bolted the final piece of Verbolten's 2,835 feet of steel track into place.
When it's complete, Verbolten will take riders on an adrenaline-filled adventure through two high-speed electromagnetic launches, stunning sensory effects and a dizzying array of twists and turns for an out-of-this-world coaster experience.
"Work on Verbolten is progressing on schedule," said Larry Giles, Busch Gardens' vice president of engineering. "Completing the track is a major achievement. We still have a lot of work to do on the ride's theme elements and special effects, but we anticipate the ride will be ready for a late spring opening."
The ride will be inspired by the Autobahn, the German highway system. As shown in the teaser video, a car takes a leisurely trip down the Autobahn, but suddenly lightning strikes the car and causes it to drive into the Black Forest, a "forbidden" forest in which the ride takes place. The dark forest encounters weather changes, such as lightning, as shown in the video. In addition, one launch will take place inside an indoor "event building", which will house multiple special effects.
Verbolten is going to be a Zierer multi-launching steel roller coaster scheduled and is due to open spring of 2012 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Here are the vital statistics:
- Speed: 53 miles per hour (85 km/h)
- Drop: 88 feet (27 m)
- Length: 2,835 feet (864 m)
- Duration: 3:25
- Theme: Car/Autobahn
- Launches: 2
5 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 16 riders per train.