VIDEO: Jurassic World VelociCoaster begins testing with human riders
ORLANDO, Fla. - Multiple sources have confirmed through photo and video that Universal Orlando Resort's upcoming coaster, Jurassic World VelociCoaster, has begun testing the attraction with human riders.
The rollercoaster, which will be located in the Jurassic Park area of Islands of Adventure, is scheduled to open in summer 2021. It is said to feature more than 4,700 feet of track and reaches heights of up to 155 feet.
Universal Orlando Resort described the thrill ride as "a series of intense maneuvers that will send guests catapulting up to 70 mph and more than 150 feet in the air with the swiftest of prehistoric predators."
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"This is going to flip you upside down with nothing but a lap bar and physics holding you into your seat," Seth Kubersky, co-author of the Unofficial Guides book series, previously added. "The ride is going to have two high-speed launches and from what I hear at least one of them is going to have special effects involving velociraptors," said Kubersky.
According to Universal Orlando Resort, be prepared to:
- Accelerate through two pulse-pounding launches, the fastest reaching 70 mph in 2.4 seconds
- Encounter a one-of-a-kind, 360-degree barrel roll right above the Islands of Adventure lagoon
- Experience a zero-gravity inverted stall that will send riders upside down across 100 feet of track in a jaw-dropping maneuver that is the first of its kind
- Go airborne during the towering "Top Hat," which propels riders 155 feet in the air and then immediately into an 80-degree drop – Universal’s steepest drop yet
- Brace for a total of 12 heart-pounding seconds of airtime – the thrilling sensation of weightlessness riders feel when they’re lifted from their seats – throughout the entire adventure
Midway Mayhem, a source for amusement industry news, posted on Monday that the attraction has started test runs with humans aboard.
Theme park Youtube channel 'Theme Park Stop' also spotted the test runs and took video.
The Jurassic World VelociCoaster will be the world’s first coaster based on the blockbuster franchise and will feature an original story "that expands upon the thrills, dinosaurs, and environments fans have seen on the big screen.
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Guests will reportedly join the cast of the films -- Chris Pratt as Owen Grady, Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing and BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu -- on a high-speed chase alongside a nimble Velociraptor pack.
Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest updates on VelociCoaster's opening.