Speed: No Limits
| Speed: No Limits | |
|---|---|
Speed's 97 degree drop | |
| Oakwood Theme Park | |
| Location | Oakwood Theme Park |
| Coordinates | 51°46′44″N 4°48′18″W / 51.779°N 4.805°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 13 April 2006 |
| Closing date | 3 November 2024 |
| Cost | £3,000,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Euro-Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Gerstlauer |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Track layout | Steel |
| Lift/launch system | Vertical chain lift |
| Height | 115 ft (35 m) |
| Drop | 110 ft (34 m) |
| Length | 1,970 ft (600 m) |
| Speed | 59 mph (95 km/h) |
| Inversions | 2 |
| Duration | 1:30 |
| Max vertical angle | 97° |
| Capacity | 800 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4.5 |
| Height restriction | 125 cm (4 ft 1 in) |
| Trains | 4 trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 4 across in 2 rows for a total of 8 riders per train. |
| Speed: No Limits at RCDB | |
Speed: No Limits was a roller coaster at Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, UK. It was a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter and contained a 90° chain lift hill and a 97° first drop. This drop gave it a five way record tie for the steepest roller coaster drop between itself, Rage, Fahrenheit, SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, Vild-Svinet and Typhoon. The ride was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handled all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.[1][2]
Its 115 feet (35 m) lift hill and first drop tower could be seen from a distance away. It was the tallest, fastest and steepest roller coaster in Wales.
Trains
The ride used four trains, each consisting of two rows, each with four across seating. Eight people could be carried per train. The trains used standard Euro-Fighter over-the-shoulder restraints.
In practice, the ride could operate a maximum of three trains at once, with one extra train spare, but rarely operated more than one train at once in recent years.
Ride experience
The ride began with a right turn and then a 115-foot vertical 90° chain lift hill, this was followed by a 110-foot beyond vertical 97° first drop. Cars then reached a speed of 59 miles per hour at the base of this drop, pulling 4.5 G, cars then crested over an airtime hill, pulling -1.3 G. This was followed by an overbanked turn at an angle of 110° and a vertical loop, cars then rose up into a set of brakes. Cars then descended a small dip, into a heartline roll. The train then turned left with a slight incline before entering a double helix into the final brake run (which consisted of magnetic brakes and fin brakes). The cars then turned right into the station.
Colour scheme
The ride was originally painted orange with muted teal-coloured supports, but the supports were later repainted jet black between 2023 and 2024.
Closure
Following an announcement by Oakwood, Speed's effective closure date was the 3rd of November, 2024. The future of the ride remains unclear, but is currently SBNO.
Photo gallery
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One of Speed's cars
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The first inversion, a near-circular vertical loop
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The first drop
Records
References
- ^ "Gerstlauer busy in 2011". Park World Magazine. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- ^ "Projects". Ride Entertainment Group. Retrieved 22 November 2013.