by Angela Shambeda | More from this Blogger

Disney World sure is the park for auto buffs. First it has the already-profiled Richard Petty Driving Experience, and it also contains Epcot's Test Track. I guess Disneyland might start to compete a bit with Cars Land, but until we know more about that attraction it'll be hard to tell.

An amusement park might not be a car nut's ideal vacation, but if they're already there for other reasons, at least they'll have more to do than at another park. I almost profiled Test Track as another Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney feature, but kids 7 and older are allowed on the ride as well so I didn't want to exclude them.

What is Test Track? I didn't even know it existed until I read that its contract had been renewed (more on that in a bit). No matter how much I think I know about Disney, or even just Disney World, I keep discovering new things. Here's what I've learned about Test Track.

You can find it in Epcot within its own titular pavilion. It is, according to the official Disney World website, a "high-speed vehicle-simulation ride." It's one of Disney World's longest and fastest attractions. Guests basically run a car test, but that's more fun than it sounds.

First, you'll strap yourself in (either driving or sitting in one of the five passenger seats) ascend three stories, and then immediately blast downhill. You'll test how the vehicle's brakes and suspension do against bumpy terrain, 50 mph curves, and hairpin turns, with maximum speeds set around 60 mph.

But that's not all. You'll then proceed into environmental testing, entering a chamber to see how your vehicle does against extreme heats and colds. You (and your car) will get sprayed with water by robots, and finally, you'll have to test both your car and your skills as you evade a last-minute crash.

According to the official Disney World website, Test Track represents actual safety and quality tests that General Motors performs on all of its prototype cars. While I am suspicious that this is entirely accurate, I believe that it may have been modeled after such tests with the help of representatives at GM.

In fact, GM and Disney just reached a deal to renew their sponsorship agreement over Test Track. The agreement, and thus the attraction, was, according to the Orlando Sentinel, under doubt given the auto giant's recent woes. But in fact the Epcot attraction will undergo a redesign.

Don't worry; the redesign shouldn't moot all of the details I've just covered about Test Track. It'll just update the ride to focus more on the GM brand Chevrolet. For the most part the actual car racing aspect should remain the same. The main difference will be the addition of a "Chevrolet Design Center at Epcot," where guests can, as one might guess, design their own concept vehicles.

Test Track will close in April in order to start its renovation (one of the constant updates and construction that seem to go on at Disney World). It'll reopen in the fall with its new focus on Chevrolet. If you're a fan of the ride or like what you've heard here, make sure to plan your Disney World trip accordingly.

Related Articles:

Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: The BoardWalk

No Queue for You

Disney's Quiet Florida Escape

5 Tips for Surviving the Magic Kingdom in One Day with Little Ones

Check into a Disney Character Room

*(This image by hyku is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)

Angela Shambeda lives in southern Maryland with her engineering husband plus two rescue pets. One's a dog named Chihiro and the other's a cat named Cole.

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