If you’ve ever wanted to run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, Six Flags Over Texas is offering you that chance a lot closer to home!
I will admit that, even as a huge roller coaster enthusiast, I was a little bit nervous when we got about three-quarters of the way up the initial incline on Tormenta: Rampaging Run. I’d seen the ride being built, piece by piece, over the last few months and was very much anticipating the first ride, but that first ride always comes with a little extra thrill, and Tormenta did not disappoint. As we crested the hill, my trusty coaster sidekick and I looked at each other and smiled.
The big drop was coming!
Towering above nearby Titan, Tormenta offers a breathtaking view of Globe Life Field, followed by Judge Roy Scream and then, finally downtown Dallas…before it drops you 285 feet in a ride vehicle that makes all three rows feel like the front row.
Daring villagers are carried 309 feet above the ground, giving them a breathtaking and panoramic view of Arlington, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Six Flags Over Texas far below.
Just before the terrifying 285-foot first drop, the train pauses over the edge for three seconds, giving riders a new sense of fear as they stare straight down at the world below. After what feels like an eternity, Tormenta begins its Rampaging Run, speeding through a tall and twisted layout.
Tormenta: Rampaging Run’s World Records
- Tallest dive coaster – At a height of 309 feet, Tormenta: Rampaging Run towers over every other dive coaster in the world.
- Fastest dive coaster – Reaching a top speed of 87 mph, no other dive coaster is faster.
- Longest dive coaster – The legendary bull runs fast through 4,199 feet of weightless “airtime” moments, sharp turns and drops.
- Tallest vertical loop – Rising 179 feet, the vertical loop is the highest on any roller coaster in the world.
- Highest Immelmann inversion – Riders are flipped head over heels at 218 feet in the ride’s first upside-down moment, the Immelmann – a fighter jet-like maneuver that takes the train into a half loop, then a half roll before traveling in the opposite direction.
- Highest beyond-vertical drop – Once the train is finally released from its hold, it drops riders into a 95-degree, beyond-vertical drop as they plunge 285 feet toward the earth.
Here’s our immediate reaction after the first incredible run with the new Six Flags bull:
If thrill rides are your passion, you’re going to want to make a run for the border …between Mexico and Spain … right past El Sombrero and La Fiesta de las Tazas straight into Rancho de la Tormenta Plaza, where you can find authentic food and atmosphere…but maybe wait to eat until after you’ve taken the plunge with Tormenta!
Bill Ingram is the Mayor’s Appointee and Vice-Chair of the Garland Environment and Community Advisory Board. He is a college professor, long-time journalist and contributing writer for The Garland Gazette.
