From the internets...
Tempesto Interrupted | New coaster at Busch Gardens
Source: http://hamptonroads.com/entertainment/751171/2015/05/tempesto-interrupted-new-coaster-busch-gardens
By: Mal Vincent
Virginian-Pilot correspondent
May 5, 2015
Being invited to be one of the first to ride Tempesto is, one supposes, an honor. But this privilege also faintly resembles being asked to a cocktail party given by the Spanish Inquisition.
We exaggerate, but, then, to be honest about it: Who really needs a headache when we can get one at plenty of other places - and with no shaken parts?
And, trust us, Tempesto will shake you.
The newest roller coaster at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg is just a few weeks old but still zips its riders at speeds up to 63 mph on a track that twists its cars upside down.
It's a daring date night endeavor, as well as a challenge to coaster fans of all ages - even a veteran journalist like myself.
And though I'm far from a roller coaster virgin - I defied the dread of decapitation on the maiden voyage of Disney World's Splash Mountain ride - the lure of Tempesto didn't pull me into its launch coaster seats.
I'm OK, kinda, with taking a dive, but a dive and an inversion at the same time? Let's think this over.
Larry Giles, the vice president of engineering for Busch Gardens, assured me that the riders don't really go 360 degrees over the loop of sanity twice, even though it looks that way. He says there are seven rotations, or inversions. Call them rotations, inversions or upside-downisms, they look pretty pummeling to me.
There are three "launch experiences," which I assume means "blasting off," with a complete inversion (there, he admits it) at 134 feet off the ground. And while 63 mph sounds reasonable by car travel, it's different in a dashing little thrill-ride vessel.
If you do get aboard, the terror won't last too long. Tempesto takes its passengers on a 55-second journey. But if you think that's short, try holding your breath for 55 seconds.
Each train contains 18 seats, which probably means long lines. I'm told to realize how lucky I am to have no line.
Still, I'm not convinced this experience has to happen - especially after hearing a younger man say, "I'll tell you bluntly: It was scary as hell."
Also overheard in the men's restroom right outside the ride: "I'm an older guy, and I asked my doctor earlier this week about going on a roller coaster. He told me he wasn't my nursemaid and I should make up my own mind. I went. Good."
But sometimes the expert source carries the more informed opinion.
Elizabeth Ringas, a ranking officer with the mid-Atlantic region of American Coaster Enthusiasts, said, "Tempesto is a special experience because it's nonstop. No pauses."
From Richmond, she's a self-described "coaster junkie" who is off to Charlotte to ride Fury 325, the world's largest Giga coaster, at Carowinds, even though, as she puts it, "they've had real trouble in the past week. It stalled three times, leaving people in the air for as much as 20 minutes."
She's not helping.
Still, Ringas said Tempesto is a real, valuable addition to the claim that the mid-Atlantic coast is the world capital of roller coasters.
So, as Roy Rogers must have said to Dale Evans, "Ride, honey. Ride." Go with my blessings.
Or not.
I'm waiting for the next Academy Awards for my real thrill. Or, maybe, the new "Avengers" flick.
