Speed - The Ride

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
Speed - The Ride
Nascar Café
Location Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Status In storage
Operated April 28, 2000 to May 1, 2011
Cost $7,000,000 USD
Rider height 54 inch minimum
Statistics
Manufacturer Premier Rides
Product Shuttle Catapult Coaster
Designer / calculations Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Type Steel - Launched - Shuttle
Riders per train 24
Propulsion 2 LIM launches
Height 224 feet
Top speed 70 mph
Length 1356 feet
Track inversions 1
Rider inversions 2
Drop angle 90°
Duration 0:45
G-Force 3.5
HELP

Speed - The Ride was a Premier Rides launched shuttle roller coaster located at the Nascar Café at Sahara Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Opened in 2000, it was known for being the casino's star attraction. A portion of the ride ran through the interior of the casino building including the loading area. It sat on the Las Vegas Strip, which was intercepted by Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. The ride closed on May 1, 2011 and is currently lying in storage.[1]

The ride was designed and manufactured by Premier Rides and fabricated by Intermountain Lift, Inc.

History

In 1999, Sahara Hotel & Casino announced that Nascar Café would open in 2000 as part of a renovation. The Nascar Café would feature a restaurant, an arcade and a Premier Rides Shuttle Catapult Coaster named Speed - The Ride.[2] The ride was scheduled to open on March 2, 2000 along with Nascar Café, but its opening was delayed to April 28, 2000. Upon its opening, it was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Las Vegas. Plus, it was the first Premier Rides coaster to include a vertical loop.[3]

In August 2008, the ride was shut down with no information from the venue. However, the ride reopened in February 2009.

On March 11, 2011, it was announced that Sahara Hotel & Casino would close on May 16, 2011.[4] Speed - The Ride operated for the last time on May 1.[5] Dismantling of the coaster began in April 2012.

According to the contractor dismantling the ride, Speed was set to reopen at Akita Plaza, a small shopping center across the street from Mandalay Bay, which also plans to add new restaurants and a concert venue. As of 2014, the Akita Plaza development has been stalled and Speed - The Ride remains dismantled and in storage at the site. By 2019, a portion of the ride was reportedly recycled for scrap.[3] However, the attraction remains for sale on used rides website Amusement-Rides.com.[6]

Design

Elements
The second half.

Although the station was located inside the building while the layout ran outside, the transfer track remained outdoors with a large door that opened when it was needed.

Ride experience

Speed - The Ride starts with an LIM launch that blasts the train from 0-45 mph in 2.0 seconds. The train heads outside and passes through an over-banked curve over the walkway, diving through a tunnel underneath. After that, riders approach a 92 foot tall vertical loop. Then, the train heads straight into an LIM boost that catapults from 35 mph-70 mph in 2.0 seconds while running past the 192 foot tall Sahara archway. The archway shows some different advertisements and signs. Riders move through an s-curve near the casino entrance before launching up a 224 foot tall vertical rollback. The train falls down and goes backwards through the course, while slowing down on the LIM boost. Riders head back into the building and return to the station.

Color scheme

Speed - The Ride had a blue track and tan supports.

Trains

Single train with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders

Images

References

  1. "The Abandoned Speed: The Ride - The Best Roller Coaster in Las Vegas (Expedition Extinct)". YouTube. Expedition Theme Park. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  2. "Premier Rides To Build New State-Of-The-Art Coaster". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Stilwell, Andrew (2020-11-15). "20 in 2020: Speed: The Ride". Coaster101. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
  4. "Sahara's closure on May 16 will mark 'the end of an era'".
  5. "Speed: The Ride rollercoaster closes at Las Vegas' Sahara Hotel and Casino".
  6. "LIM Shuttle Loop - Premier Rides". Amusement-Rides.com. Retrieved 2023-09-11.

External Sources

External links