Rita opened as Rita – Queen of Speed in 2005 as the first Hydraulic Launch roller coaster of its kind in Europe. The ride lost its royal title when Ug Land, its home since being built, was rethemed to match the much darker concept of Thirteen. Located in Dark Forest at Alton Towers, Rita launches riders for a thrilling and fun ride through the trees that grow in that area of the park. Is the launch enough to make this a world class coaster? Let’s get down to the review.
Stats
Rita opened on the 1st of April 2005, costing the park £8 million. This Intamin Accelerator Coaster uses a hydraulic launch system to thrust riders from 0 to its top speed of 61.1mph in just 2.5 seconds. The track is 640 m (2,100 ft) long with 0 inversions, lasting less than a minute in total. The ride has a height of 21 m (69 ft) with the track having to be painted green in some sections to avoid being visible above the tree line. The ride sends 20 riders each train with 2 trains available, consisting of 5 cars with 2 rows of 2.
Theming
When Rita opened, it was located within Ug Land, a prehistoric area which was home to the classic Corkscrew roller coaster. The ride was loosely based on drag racing and the area was revamped to match the ride with Thunder Rock Radio playing well-known hits throughout Ug Land and many of the rides being removed or relocated to try to recreate more of racing rally area than the prehistoric vibe it had before. Rita – Queen of Speed as it was then dominated the area and had made the area’s theme a bit confusing…why would a drag race be in a caveman themed land? The racing theme was okay for the ride. It fit with the launch nicely and was bright, colourful and playful. The cheery voiceover commentated the race as you launched while the radio station played fun music which made the ride a light-hearted relief from the darkness of the rest of the park. The issue with Rita – Queen of Speed, though, was even though they had tried, it didn’t really fit in Ug Land and didn’t work alongside the other theming within the area. So it came as no surprise when Alton Towers announced the retheme of Ug Land along with the introduction of Thirteen in the place of Corkscrew.
Thirteen changed Ug Land into the Dark Forest, taking advantage of the woodland that surrounds this area of the park. The story talks of a mysterious and supernatural force within the forest that is taking control of everything in its path after excavation work to create Thirteen. The ride is an abandoned and recently discovered crypt, where wraiths have been known to wander, that houses the dark powers that have taken over. With the mystery of the evil in the area unknown, Rita is the only escape, a disused race track that powers through against the forces of the Dark Forest. The retheme saw the cheerful Rita – Queen of Speed become the much more sinister Rita. The control cabin and entrance were made to look as though the trees had taken over, covered in twisted branches. The cars of the trains were changed to look darker, worn and damaged by the forest. The voiceover during the ride’s launch was changed to be a lot more scared and panicky, telling you that you must escape the Dark Forest. The theme of the area is pretty good and I love the way they’ve used posters and physical theming to get the back story across, not forgetting about Rita’s history as the Thunder Rock Rally.
Ride Experience
The queue line for Rita is empty, boring and covered in graffiti. It isn’t well maintained and it doesn’t add anything to the ride experience. As the tracks for both Rita and Thirteen wind through the woodland, you don’t get to see much of the ride as you are waiting which is a shame. Operations aren’t often that great on Rita either with slow throughput and frequent breakdowns, so expect to be waiting quite a while to ride. Once you get to the station, you’re seated in the cars ready to take on that launch. The front is my favourite place to ride Rita since you get the best launch experience in my opinion, being able to see the lights and the voiceover. For a more intense ride, the back is probably the place to be as it will rack up that speed as you are pulled along by the rest of the train. The voiceover starts to build up that anticipation and fear as well as a row of red lights that light up one by one. The voice is scared and panicked and creates a real feeling of foreboding and you prepare to launch. “Keep your head back! Hold on tight! You MUST escape! Go! Go! Go!”…the lights turn green…and zoom! You’re off, launching into the woodland along the track with a few banked turns, hills and twists before the roller coaster ends.
Rita is a short ride. Similar to Oblivion, it is a one trick pony that relies on its star element to carry it. Unfortunately for Rita, its main attraction isn’t the best I’ve ever experienced. The launch is not particularly powerful but is rather rickety, starting to show its age when compared to newer launch coasters. The lack of any other thrilling moments after the launch doesn’t help as it feels as though you launch then spend the rest of the ride just trying to slow down before the end. It is a fairly enjoyable coaster overall but could have been a lot more if Alton Towers had applied some of their more innovative ideas.
Final Score
Rita is a pretty fun coaster which delivers a fairly powerful kick at the start followed by an enjoyable ride with some good air time but a lack of thrills after that initial launch. It is nicely themed and now works within the area quite well but I would still like to see more done with this story, perhaps some new rides could be added to really bring the theme to life. The incorporation of the trees and the forest area is awesome and I really appreciate Alton Towers using their surroundings to their advantage. Despite the nice theming, the lack of thrill elements and height on Rita does let it down somewhat for thrill seekers. It builds up anticipation, excitement and fear pretty well then after the launch, there’s little else that really wows. Alton Towers have built such extraordinary coasters before that it feels like a bit of a cop out. That being said though, not every ride has to please those searching for extreme thrills and this ride is great for those who are starting to ride those bigger coasters or are building up their confidence. It is a unique experience at the park as the only launch coaster and offers a short but fun ride through the beautiful woodland near the Towers. I give Rita a 5/10 as a good solid addition to the park that is lacking in that excitement factor after the launch.
Mission Theme Park 