Busch Gardens Unveils Ride Car For Tallest, Fastest Coaster

TAMPA, FL — Busch Gardens Tampa Bay unveiled the ride car for the Iron Gwazi Tuesday at the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, the attractions industry's premier trade show. Opening next spring, the Iron Gwazi will be North America's tallest and the world's fastest and steepest hybrid roller coaster.

The unveiling took place on the opening day of the trade show attended by more than 38,000 industry professionals from around the world.

Additionally, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, which owns Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Williamsburg, revealed details of SeaWorld Orlando's much-anticipated Ice Breaker ride, featuring the steepest beyond-vertical drop in Florida.

Industry leaders also got a preview of the planned Solar Vortex at Adventure Island in Tampa, America's first dual-tailspin water slide, and the Riptide Race at Aquatica Orlando, Florida's first dueling water slide.

Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, Iron Gwazi will be 206 feet tall, feature a 91-degree drop and reach top speeds of 76 miles per hour. The journey will include three inversions and 12 airtime moments as it races along more than 4,075 feet of purple steel track.

While elements of the former wooden roller coaster at Busch Gardens will be integrated into the new ride, the steel track and reimagined layout of Iron Gwazi will provide a unique experience. Iron Gwazi will offer the classic nostalgia of a wooden coaster and the bold innovation of a steel coaster.

Also making its debut this spring, the Ice Breaker will be SeaWorld Orlando's first launch coaster. It will feature four launches, both backward and forward, culminating in a reverse launch into the steepest beyond vertical drop in Florida — a 93-foot-tall spike with a 100-degree angle. The ride, constructed by Premier Rides, travels along 1,900 feet of track at a maximum speed of 52 mph.

Located near the Wild Arctic Attraction, the ride is a nod to Ice Breaker’s conservation partner, Alaska SeaLife Center, dedicated to marine research, education and wildlife response in the Artic.

Like Iron Gwazi, the 48-inch rider height of the Ice Breaker makes it a family-friendly ride.

Thrill seekers can also look forward to the opening of the Solar Vortex at Adventure Island this spring.

This family raft slide combines high-banking rotations and rapid descents, sending sliders on a swirling journey through two open tailspin features.

Manufactured by Whitewater, Solar Vortex will also include three dynamic AquaLucent™ elements — harnessing the power of the Florida sun into colorful patterns that shine through the slide as riders reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour.

Aquatica Orlando will offer its own thrills in the new year with Riptide Race.

Starting atop a 68-foot tower, riders will be able to grab a raft and take their mark in side-by-side racing lanes at top speeds. Each raft holds a team of two, so every rider will have a partner as they plunge toward a hopeful victory. Riptide Race rafts feature low walls to ensure full view of the competition. Dueling face-to-face, racers will navigate tight loops and accelerations through indoor and outdoor sections.