Filmed by Coaster Views The Hollywood Rip Ride Rock It POV in HD ( while its raining ) in Universal Orlando, Florida. Filmed July 2013. \r
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Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is a steel roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida. With a height of 167 feet (51 m), a length of 3,800 feet (1,200 m), and a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), it is the largest X-Coaster ever built by German manufacture Maurer Söhne. It was announced on March 19, 2008 and officially opened on August 19, 2009 though originally planned to open in the spring of that year. Some of the special features of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is that riders are recorded during the entire 1 minute and 37 second ride and can choose one out of thirty songs to listen to during the experience.\r
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During the second week of January 2008, Universal Parks & Resorts filed a Notice of Commencement with Orange County, Florida indicating that they were to construct a ride system that they had code-named Project Rumble.[5] The notice also stated that the contractor was Maurer Rides GmbH, located in Munich, Germany.[5]\r
After months of rumours, the new attraction was announced by Universal officials on March 19, 2008. Unlike usual announcements, officials did not reveal the specifications of the entire roller coaster. In the original press release, it stated that the roller coasters vertical lift hill would be 167 feet (51 m) tall, and that the trains would reach a maximum speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). The press release also mentioned that each train would be equipped with a multi-media package, LED lights, built in video recorders, and the option for riders to chose a song from a list to be played during the course of the ride. The ride would also include six near miss encounters. At the time, the new roller coaster was scheduled to open in Spring 2009.[6] Also, in the months after the announcement, Universal surveyed guests on what songs they think should be included in the roller coaster. Some of the song artists that guests could chose from were: The Black Eyed Peas, The BeeGees, The Beach Boys, and Johnny Cash.\r
Construction on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit began in May 2008 with preliminary land clearing. The first track pieces were installed during the week of December 7, 2008. In February 2009, Universal launched a website for the attraction, which included a construction blog and photographs chronicling progress of the attractions construction. The track layout was completed at the end of April 2009 with the crowning of the lift hill.\r
In April 2009, Universal confirmed that the roller coaster would not open as originally planned and said it would open in the summer. Though Universal has never mentioned what the exact problem with the roller coaster was, it is believed by newspapers that issues with the anti-rollback devices on the lift hill that were not working correctly caused the delay.\r
After the issues with the ride were resolved, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit began public previews in mid-August 2009. On August 19, 2009, Universal Studios Florida officially opened the attraction.\r
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The station for the roller coaster is quite different then traditional stations. As the train enters, it slows down but does not stop. There is a moving sidewalk on both sides of the station moving at the same speed as the train so riders can load and unload. Riders have about 45 seconds to take their seat, lower the lap-bar and make their song choice. After the restraints are checked, the train immediately begins to climb the 167-foot (51 m) vertical chain lift and the song that the rider picked begins to play while the on-ride video recorder begins recording.