Hold on to your seat at Spain’s Ferrari Land
Ride Europe’s fastest coaster, change tires on F1 cars and admire vehicles at simulator
TARRAGONA, SPAIN— There’s something disconcerting about knowing I’m seconds away from being propelled from zero to 180 km/h in five seconds. But that’s exactly what happens on Red Force, a Ferrari-themed thrill ride which became Europe’s highest, fastest roller-coaster when it opened in April.
There are no twists or turns; passengers are simply fired along a track consisting of one long, flat section that transforms into a 112-metre vertical ascent. The ride is part of Ferrari Land, a super car-themed world tucked inside Spain’s sprawling PortAventura World theme park. It’s Ferrari’s second theme park — the first one is in Abu Dhabi.
I wedge myself into the seat and give the safety bar a shake. I’m handed the eyewear, which must be worn by front-row passengers. I doubt Lewis Hamilton ever donned eyewear like this — tight-fitting goggles designed to protect my peepers from bird strikes as I soar above Tarragona. I’ve never been a fan of those automatic photos taken on rollercoasters and certainly won’t be purchasing this one.
The sense of trepidation is compounded by the lack of over-theshoulder seat restraints. My survival relies on the kind of lap-level restraints found on spinning teacup rides.
The carriages move slowly out of the building, lulling me into a false sense of security. It’s a ploy designed to enhance the experience of the spectators filling the grandstandstyle, track-side viewing areas. There are hundreds of them, cameras raised to capture the moment their loved ones discover what it’s like to go from zero to 180 km/h in five seconds.
When it happens, I feel more like a fly squashed against the windscreen of an F1car than a passenger in one. I feel my face being contorted by G forces, and although I know the view of Tarragona is probably breathtaking, I can’t find the strength to turn my head. It’s over relatively quickly, but it’s certainly worth the wait: a brief but thrilling, terrifying adrenalin rush for Ferrari fans with a need for speed.
But Red Force is merely one jewel in Ferrari Land’s crown. At Racing Legends, I’m able to experience what it feels like to drive a Ferrari around famous racetracks, and at the simulator-style Flying Dreams, I can admire the brand’s super cars on a hightech journey around the world.
Next door to Red Force, a mock-up of an F1garage allows visitors to wear overalls and perfect their pit stop technique by changing tires on F1 cars. The area’s filled with parents cheering on kids, secretly hoping this is the moment little Johnny decides to pursue a career in F1.
There’s plenty for F1 geeks, includ- ing signed overalls once owned by Kimi Räikkönen, the Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver who visited the park shortly after its opening.
One of the most spectacular areas is the Ferrari Gallery.
Beneath a roof shaped like the bonnet of a Ferrari are some of the brand’s most famous models. I spot a tiny kid being shoehorned into an F1 car by his father. He’s so small he can’t see above the chassis, but I’m pretty sure his proud parent sees this as his first step toward a podium finish at a future Grand Prix. Other exhibits aren’t such hands-on affairs — guarded by security guards who politely but firmly deter visitors from getting too close.
There’s the Ferrarri166 F2 that won its first Grand Prix in Florence in 1948, and the 166 Inter, the brand’s first road car. Outside the gallery, exhibits include a rare 612 Scaglietti that undertook Ferrari’s 24,000-kilometre Red Miles tour of China, and the 612 Scaglietti that went on a 13,000-kilometre tour of India in 2008.
The attention to detail is astound- ing. Ferrari Land is a Renaissance Italian town with an almost-life-size model of Enzo Ferrari’s mansion, a downsized version of Rome’s Coliseum and a beautiful replica of Milan’s La Scala theatre.
The park is within PortAventura World, Spain’s largest theme park. There are six themed areas, inspired by destinations such as Polynesia and China. For younger visitors, there’s Sésamo Aventura, a Sesame Street-themed zone with a Spanish twist (I was sorely tempted by the merchandise, purely because of the cute Barrio Sésamo logo). Some of the best theming can be found in the hotels. Mine was Hotel Gold River, which is in a mock-up of a Wild West town complete with wood-panelled, U.S. flag-draped saloons and hotel rooms filled with faded “wanted” posters.
On paper, it sounds surreal: a Wild West-themed hotel in a Spanish theme park where the latest attraction is a Ferrari-themed ride in a replica of an Italian town. But it works. When I watched the Grand Prix Montreal, I found myself shouting at the screen when mechanics took a little too long screwing in wheel nuts, sympathizing with drivers when they talked of bonecrushing G-forces.
Ferrari: if you need a replacement for Kimi Räikkönen, I’m your girl. Tamara Hinson was hosted by PortAventura and the Spanish tourist board, which didn’t review or approve this story.