Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s next roller coaster has officially entered the testing phase.
Iron Gwazi underwent its first test runs Monday, offering a glimpse of the coaster trains in action on the ride’s 91-degree drop, the steepest drop on any hybrid coaster in the world. The final piece of the coaster track had gone into place a day earlier.
YouTube channel Midway Mayhem captured footage of the testing:
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay spokesperson Rebecca Romzek confirmed to Orlando Rising that Iron Gwazi was testing on Monday, but offered no update on when the new ride will open to guests outside of the previously-announced spring 2020 timeframe.
“We have not shared any further details regarding an opening date at this time, we encourage our fans to stay in the loop by following our social media channels,” Romzek said.
Iron Gwazi uses a new steel coaster track built on top of some supports from the old Gwazi wooden coaster, which closed in 2015. Conversions like these have become a specialty for manufacturer Rocky Mountain Construction, with Iron Gwazi being the first of its creations in Central Florida.
Like other RMC coasters, this one will break a few records. Along with being the world’s steepest hybrid coaster, Iron Gwazi will also be the world’s fastest (at 76 miles per hour) and North America’s tallest (206 feet).
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