Takabisha
Japanese roller coaster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Takabisha (高飛車) is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter steel roller coaster located at Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan.[1] It opened on 16 July 2011, and is known for having a drop angle of 121°. It was the steepest coaster in the world before it was overtaken in 2019 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".
| Takabisha | |
|---|---|
Takabisha's record-breaking 121° drop. | |
| Fuji-Q Highland | |
| Location | Fuji-Q Highland |
| Coordinates | 35.485340°N 138.779958°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 16 July 2011 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Launched – Euro-Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Gerstlauer |
| Model | 1000 |
| Lift/launch system | Linear motor launch, chain lift hill |
| Height | 43 m (141 ft) |
| Drop | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Length | 1,000 m (3,300 ft) |
| Speed | 100 km/h (62 mph) |
| Inversions | 7 |
| Duration | 1:52 |
| Max vertical angle | 121° |
| Acceleration | 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 2 seconds |
| G-force | 4.4 |
| Height restriction | 125 cm (4 ft 1 in) |
| Trains | Several trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 4 across in 2 rows for a total of 8 riders per train. |
| Takabisha at RCDB | |
History
On 11 May 2011, Fuji-Q Highland announced 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 invited guests allowed to ride Takabisha early.[9] The ride officially opened to the public on 16 July 2011.[3]
Ride
Takabisha is a custom Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster. The 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 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 two airtime hills. The ride is slowed on a set of block brakes and returns to 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 121° beyond-vertical drop. Once the car is released from the top of the hill, it falls down towards the ground and enters a dive loop, an inverted top hat, and the seventh inversion, an immelmann loop.[5][8][10][11] The ride is approximately 2 minutes long.[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 took the world record from Fraispertuis City's Timber Drop 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]