LAS VEGAS, Nev. — After several weeks extensive testing and media teasing, El Loco — the acrobatic, S&S Worldwide-designed roller coaster that is only the second of its type in the U.S. — finally cut loose inside The Adventuredome at Circus Circus Las Vegas on Feb. 18.

Filling the space formerly occupied by the indoor amusement park’s Rim Runner flume ride, the undulating, expectation-defying thriller packs a lot of action into its swift 72-second running time. Its 1,300 feet of bright yellow track include a rapid, 90-foot ascent followed by a high lateral-G hairpin turn and a greater-than-straight-down diving drop.

Sudden, outwardly banked curves and dips catch riders off-guard throughout. The coaster’s concluding element, a reverse 240-degree roll that dives into an inverted drop, provides pocket-emptying upside down hang time just before returning to the loading station.

El Loco’s four-person, open-carriage cars allow for tight, fast turns. Passengers are treated to a custom soundtrack featuring Latin, Hip Hop and rock music via a surround-sound system built into each seat.

“El Loco offers our guests something they have never experienced before and is the perfect addition to The Adventuredome,” said Tom Nolan, the park’s vice president of operations. “Riders enjoy El Loco’s twists, turns and drops in such close proximity to our other rides that, for an instant, they get the sensation that they may run into Canyon Blaster or even touch the top of the dome. It creates a truly thrilling experience.”

For more information, visit www.adventuredome.com. Look for a full report on El Loco in the April print edition of Amusement Today.

— BY DEAN LAMANNA, AT STAFF / FEBRUARY 19, 2014

• «Previous Post
• Next Post »

---