Test Track
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| Test Track | |
| Epcot | |
| Land | Future World |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Attraction type | High speed simulated test track |
| Theme | Vehicle test facility |
| Soft opening date | December 19, 1998 |
| Opening date | March 17, 1999 |
| Hosted by | John Michael Higgins as Bill McKim |
| Music | "Test Track Medley" by George Wilkins |
| Vehicle capacity | 6 |
| Length | 4286 ft (1306.4 m) |
| Maximum speed | 65 mph (104.6 km/h) |
| Replaced | World of Motion (1982-1996) |
| Sponsored by | General Motors (1999–present) *Chevrolet (2012–present) |
Added by ThomasandFriendsLoverContents |
History
General Motors economy was hitting a slump. Car sales were going down, and they could only afford to sign 1-year contracts with Disney to sponsor their Epcot attraction World of Motion. However, the GM executives lobbied the idea to close World of Motion to receive a rehabilitation into a thrill ride focusing on only cars. The Disney executives liked that idea as well, and on January 2, 1995, World of Motion closed its doors to the public.
The rehab was supposed to take place in a 16-month period. In the new ride, guests would be put through the tests a crash test dummy normally went through. However, the ride was forced to open 19 months late for problems in the technology used to power the ride. The exterior track was supposed to be able to hit 95 mph, but due to Florida's speed limit being 65 and the steep banking of the corners, the top speed was lowered, causing much more testing to occur. There would have also been a section where the car's tires would lose traction, but this ate the tires up, and it had to be removed, causing new construction and more delays.
Finally, on December 19, 1998, Test Track opened to the public on a soft opening, and officially opened on March 17, 1999.
In April 2012, Test Track closed for an overhaul, and is set to reopen in the fall with a rethemed queue. Sponsorship shifted from General Motors to General Motors' Chevrolet division, and the attraction will only focus on vehicles produced under the Chevy brand.
The Ride
These are the ride sequences from beginning to end, all sequentially.
- Welcome Center (Queue)
- Hall Of Dummies (Queue)
- Briefing Room (Queue)
- Load/Unload (Queue)
- Dispatch
- Seat Belt Check
- Hill Climb Test
- Suspension Test
- Non-ABS/ABS Brake Test
- Environmental Chambers: Hot chamber 140°F; Cold chamber 40°F, Corrosion test.
- Ride & Handling: 20-25 mph
- Evasive Maneuver Test
- Barrier Test
- High-Speed Test (Victory lap): 52 degrees banking at 65 mph
- Thermal Scan
- Load/Unload (Exit)
- On-Ride Photo Display/Order (Exit)
- Production Facility (Exit)
- Fuel For Thought (Exit)
- Product Display Area (Exit)
- Gift Shop (Exit)
Attraction facts
- Grand opening: March 17, 1999
- Soft opening: December 19, 1998
- Construction started: September, 1995
- Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering and General Motors Engineers
- Sponsor: General Motors
- Top speed: 65 mph
- Track length: 2,486 ft
- Show building area: 150,000 sq. feet
- Height requirement: 40"
- Ride duration: 5:04
- Previous attraction: World of Motion
- Ride system: High speed simulated vehicle test track
- Actor John Michael Higgins is featured in video sketches throughout the ride
- Extra Options: This ride is featured with both Single Riders lines and Fastpass lines.
- The attraction is going to close for a revamp.
See also
| This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Test Track. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with DisneyWiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |