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Mirabilandia (Savio), Italy’s largest amusement park, opened its new €25 million Ducati World-themed section this July, featuring Desmo Race, a new steel dual coaster-track racer from Maurer Rides. On it, riders mount two-seat motorcycle-like coaster vehicles meant to simulate the excitement of driving a Ducati-brand V4 Panigale bike. (See ACE News February 2019 issue for further reporting on Maurer’s Spike Coaster system, such as the version for Mirabilandia and the model expected to be up and sailing by 2020 on a seafaring cruise ship.)
On Desmo, riders can challenge each other along two parallel 1,722-foot-long tracks for head-to-head competition. Accelerating and braking are under the driver’s control. The experience, during which riders negotiate 72-foot drops, extreme 270-degree turns and camelbacks, is all the result of each vehicle’s drive system, meaning the ride (technically) is not a coaster (as gravity plays no role anywhere) but certainly is coaster-like. Each bike has a drive system putting riders in control of their own speed. The powerful motors allow the vehicle to accelerate up to 1 G. This power is available everywhere on the racing tracks, even in the curves, and can be controlled precisely “for exciting effects.” Also, a customized sound system, video and touch screen are built into the vehicles — all thereby creating what is being promoted as “the world’s first interactive dueling coaster.”
As reported in Themeparks-EU and RideOut Coastermagazin, Riccardo Marcante, general director of Mirabilandia, remarked, “As already happened on other occasions, Mirabilandia does not follow history: it writes it. . . . We . . . chose an attraction which allows children and adults to have fun in the same way as if they were riding a Ducati. In other words, it is just as we have always said: you will not have to wait to grow up.” The attraction’s minimum age requirement is six years old, and bikers must be at least 120 cm (47.25 inches) tall to ride.
Andrea Dovizioso of the Ducati Team MotoGP, who was among its first riders, said, “Desmo Race is really very exciting! I felt like I was riding my motorcycle: you can accelerate and brake just as you do in a real competition! I am so happy I have been the first person to try it and I hope that everyone will enjoy the same experience.” Riders can achieve speeds of up to 49.7 mph on the tracks.
The new Ducati World section of the park is dedicated to the “iconic” motorcycle brand – Ducati originated in this region of Italy. Other rides and attractions in the new section include Scrambler Run, Diavel Ring and Kiddy Monster, small rides for the youngsters themed around Ducati bike names (i.e., Monster, Scrambler and Diavel cycles), plus the Experience Building, containing “cutting-edge” simulators and the motorcycle manufacturer’s models on permanent display, along with an official store (the Ducati Shop) and three food outlets.
If intrigued by all this, fans can check out Ducati World and Desmo Race with fellow enthusiasts, as Mirabilandia will be included in ACE’s Viva l’ACEtalia trip and tour slated for July 2020.
Mirabilandia is already home to seven roller coasters, including iSpeed, an Intamin 3,215-foot-long, 180-foot-tall linear synchronous motor launch multi-inversion coaster; Katun, a six-inversion Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster, boasting a 3,937-foot length, a 161-foot height along with a 4G wallop; and Divertical, an Intamin 2,514-foot-long ride claiming to be the world’s tallest “watercoaster” at 196-feet up — a truly fascinating-looking “coaster,” with quite a “[Di]vertical” straight-up elevator lift, a coaster-like track and a finale splashdown for the large Shoot-the-Chutes-style coaster cars. In addition, among Mirabilandia’s 40 attractions in its six themed lands, the park offers Europe’s second tallest Ferris wheel at 295 feet in height.
— Randy Geisler
Enjoy brief video looks at Desmo Race and Mirabilandia:
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