Steel Dragon 2000
Coaster Statistics
Location: Nagashma Spaland, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Year Opened: 2000
Height: 318 feet
Drop Height: 306 feet
Speed: 95mph
Length: 8,133 feet
Angle of Descent: 68 degrees
Manufacturer: D. H. Morgan
Notes: Tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster in the world.
The year 2000 was certainly a turning point for roller coasters, several parks announced their millennium projects meant to be bigger and more advanced then all the others, including Stealth, Son of Beast, and of course Millennium Force! When Cedar Point's 300 foot beast was announced, all coaster enthusiasts knew that a roller coaster this big, would be hard to beat, but just months after Millennium Force's completion, a new roller coaster took the spotlight!
Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashma Spaland in Japan went taller, faster, and longer than any other roller coaster on the planet, making Millennium Force look like a child's toy.
Nagashma Spaland was already a popular park in Japan, with over 3 million visitors in 1998, it's also one of the most beautiful, as it is set on stunning ocean front property, and includes an in-house spa, hotel, S&S Power Tower, and the amazing White Cyclone wooden roller coaster. But even with all this, Nagashma Spaland was still not a big hit internationally, that would all change in 2000!
Of course in the beginning there were problems, such as a rumoured height limit on roller coasters in Japan and numerous protests from American Millennium Force fans, but through it all, Steel Dragon 2000 opened in late July, and the event was broadcast through hundred's of news stations worldwide, one of the greatest days in coaster history.
The one's chosen for the task of creating the world's tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster was Morgan, who were already popular for their hyper-coasters and flat rides. Morgan took advantage of the oppurtunity immediatly, and frequently discussed important issues with the park.
Eventhough Steel Dragon 2000 would steal Millennium Force's record of the world's tallest and fastest coaster, it also stole the record for the longest roller coaster from The Ultimate at Lightwater Valley in England, fortunately there was very little arguing from the English
Unlike Millennium Force, Steel Dragon 2000 was to have a strong focus on 'airtime' an effect in which the rider is lifted out of their seat, the total number of bunny hops were eight. A very impressive amount compared to the typical hyper-coaster. Along with airtime, Steel Dragon 2000 would also pleasure to those who desired the speed and twists of roller coasters, in fact, the ride reaches a top speed of 95 mph after the first drop, and after the second drop it is still at 70 mph, more than some hyper-coasters. The turn-around section, perhaps the most breathtaking part, features a complex arrangement of helix's, parabolic drops, and inclined loops.
Steel Dragon 2000 has obviously become the latest figure in what will most likely turn out to be a growing trend in the giga-coaster, and some say it won't be long until complete circuit roller coasters reach the 400 foot mark, perhaps Nagashma Spaland will surprise us again when the day comes.
