Dodonpa

, formerly known as , was a steel roller coaster located at Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. Manufactured by S&S – Sansei Technologies, the launched coaster used compressed air to propel its trains. It opened on 21 December 2001 as the fastest roller coaster in the world with the fastest acceleration, reaching a top speed of in 1.8 seconds. The ride was refurbished in 2017, removing its top hat element in favor of a vertical loop, as well as increasing its speed and acceleration to in 1.56 seconds. In 2021, the ride was closed down indefinitely after multiple complaints of riders sustaining broken bones were raised. The ride's permanent closure was officially announced on 13 March 2024.

History

Dodonpa opened on 21 December 2001, and was marketed by Fuji-Q Highland as the fastest roller coaster in the world. The fastest speed record was previously held by Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Tower of Terror at Dreamworld, both of which accelerated to in 7 seconds. Reaching top speeds of in 1.6 seconds, Dodonpa retained this title for nearly a year and a half before Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster overtook it in May 2003.

Dodonpa closed in 2016 for a major renovation. The ride's top hat was removed and replaced with a vertical loop, announced in a February 2017 press release from the manufacturer. Steel fabrication was provided by Intermountain Lift, Inc. Dodonpa reopened on 15 July 2017 as Do-Dodonpa. The renovated and revamped ride featured an increased acceleration and maximum speed, which changed from in 1.8 seconds to in 1.6 seconds. The track length also increased from . The renovation made Do-Dodonpa the world's first air-powered coaster to feature an inversion, as well as the fastest coaster in the world with an inversion.

On 13 March 2024, Fuji-Q Highland announced Do-Dodonpa's permanent closure.

Ride experience

The name of the ride stems from the drumming sound that was played from the speakers in the ride's queue. This repetitive percussive music is created by taiko drums, an old traditional Japanese drum that was used to demonstrate power and influence in pre-modern Japanese villages. These drums were supposedly used in warfare to rally troops and scare off the enemy with their thundering sound.

Once passengers boarded the ride, the train moved them from the loading station to the launch pad, where it waited, allowing time for the compressed air to build up. When the ride was ready to launch, a voice in English said "Launch time!" and began a three-second countdown to launch.

After the coaster launched at , it entered a wide-radius curve followed by a vertical loop (a top hat prior to 2017). The train then entered a slight left turn before hitting a brake run. A second left turn followed by a right U-turn, both taken at slower speeds, brought the train back to the station.

The ride had a total of 4 trains with 4 cars per train. Each car sat 2 riders side-by-side, resulting in a total capacity of 8 riders per train.

Characteristics

The 55 second ride took the rider across of steel tracks, and peaked at a maximum height of . This gave the ride an acceleration at launch of , and up to 3.3 ''g''. By comparison, astronauts only experience 3 ''g'' at liftoff, though for a duration substantially longer than 1.6 seconds. While the ride has operated at speeds of up to , its rubber tires prevented it from performing reliably at these speeds, so engineers capped the speed at prior to the ride's renovation.

Before Do-Dodonpa's initial opening, only two roller coasters reached or went beyond the barrier. As of 2024, that number stands at five (excluding Do-Dodonpa): Superman: Escape from Krypton, Red Force, Top Thrill 2, Kingda Ka, and Formula Rossa. Tower of Terror II, which was previously known as Tower of Terror, once traveled at least as well, but it is no longer in operation.

Incidents

Since its opening in 2001, Do-Dodonpa has had several incidents resulting in injury to passengers.

On 15 May 2007, a 37-year-old man sustained a minor injury when a plastic cover at the front of the train came loose and hit his right knee. The man was not badly injured because the plastic cover disconnected near the end of the ride when the train had slowed down significantly. Fuji-Q Highland stated that the cover likely came off due to cracks created over time by vibrations in the train. Further inspection of the other trains showed no similar damage.

From December 2020 to August 2021, there were 18 injuries sustained while riding Do-Dodonpa, which included nine incidents of broken bones. Fuji-Q Highland owner Hiroaki Iwata apologized for the injuries at a press conference speech on 31 August 2021, stating that an official investigation of these incidents had been ongoing since December 2020. On 13 March 2024, the park officially announced the permanent closure of the ride.

References

External links

Official site

{{Fuji-Q Coasters

Fuji-Q Highland
Thrust Air 2000
Roller coasters in Japan