Takabisha
Takabisha's record-breaking 121° drop.
Fuji-Q Highland
LocationFuji-Q Highland
Coordinates35°29′07″N 138°46′48″E / 35.485340°N 138.779958°E / 35.485340; 138.779958
StatusOperating
Opening date16 July 2011 (2011-07-16)
General statistics
TypeSteel – Launched – Euro-Fighter
ManufacturerGerstlauer
Model1000
Lift/launch systemLinear motor launch, chain lift hill
Height43 m (141 ft)
Drop42 m (138 ft)
Length1,000 m (3,300 ft)
Speed100 km/h (62 mph)
Inversions7
Duration1:52
Max vertical angle121°
Acceleration0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 2 seconds
G-force4.4
Height restriction125 cm (4 ft 1 in)
TrainsSeveral trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 4 across in 2 rows for a total of 8 riders per train.
Takabisha at RCDB

Takabisha (高飛車, Takabisha) is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter steel roller coaster located at the Fuji-Q Highland theme park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan.[1] It is famous for having a drop angle of 121° – the former steepest coaster in the world before being replaced by TMNT Shellraiser at American Dream in New Jersey.[2][3] The Japanese name Takabisha translates to "high-handed" or "domineering" in English.[4] The name is a pun, in that the three kanji in the name literally mean "high fly car".

History

On 11 May 2011, Fuji-Q Highland announced to the world that they would be opening Takabisha – the world's steepest roller coaster.[5][6][7] Testing for the ride began around 8 June 2011[8] with media and special invited guests being able to ride Takabisha one month later.[9] The ride officially opened to the public on 16 July 2011.[3]

Ride

Takabisha is a custom Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster. The no 1,000-metre (3,300 ft) ride begins with a sudden drop into pitch black darkness before entering a slow heartline roll. In just two seconds, the car is launched by linear motors down a 63-metre (207 ft) long tunnel to a speed of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). It then exits out of the station building and directly into a large corkscrew. Immediately following the exit of this inversion the car goes into a banana roll, another corkscrew and then two airtime hills. The ride is slowed on a set of block brakes and returns into the station building. The track then turns a sharp 180° turn to the right before going back out of the building and onto the vertical chain lift hill. This hill takes riders up to a height of 43 metres (141 ft). Once at the top, the car slowly inches towards the record-breaking 121°, beyond-vertical drop. Once the car is released from the top of the hill, it hurtles back down towards the ground and enters a dive loop, an inverted top hat and finally the seventh inversion, an immelmann loop.[5][8][10][11] The whole ride is over within 2 minutes.[1]

Records

When Takabisha opened on 16 July 2011 it gained the Guinness World Record for the steepest roller coaster made from steel.[2] It officially took the world record from Fraispertuis City's Timber Drop S&S Worldwide El Loco roller coaster, which had gained the record only two weeks earlier.[12][13] Timber Drop's record was set at 113.1° while Takabisha's drop measures at an angle of 121°.[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Marden, Duane. "Takabisha  (Fuji-Q Highland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  2. 1 2 Steepest roller coaster made from steel Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Guinness World Records. Last accessed July 2011
  3. 1 2 Schneider, Kate (11 July 2011). "First look at world's steepest roller coaster the Takabisha". The Australian. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Denshi Jisho — Online Japanese dictionary". Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  5. 1 2 Fuji-Q Highland (11 May 2011). "Guinness Record Pending Steepest Drop At 121° – A New Roller Coaster" (PDF). Press Release. Japan National Tourism Organisation. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Takabisha, World's Steepest Rollercoaster, To Open In Japan (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  7. ↑ Midena, Kate (16 June 2011). "Japan builds world's steepest roller coaster, Takabisha". News.com.au. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  8. 1 2 Qneighbor (11 June 2011). "Takabisha-test-run.mp4". Video. YouTube. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  9. ↑ "World's steepest roller-coaster opens in Japan". The Telegraph. 8 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  10. ↑ purplefinale (8 July 2011). "TAKABISHA onride 1 (front row) 高飛車". Video. YouTube. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  11. ↑ "Takabisha - Gerstlauer Amusement Rides". Gerstlauer. July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  12. 1 2 TechCrunch (12 July 2011). "Takabisha: Japan Gets World's Steepest Roller Coaster (Videos)". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  13. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Timber Drop  (Fraispertuis City)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
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