On board the world’s fastest rollercoaster where thrillseekers have to wear googles on 149mph ride

THE world’s fastest rollercoaster reaches such high speed that thrillseekers have to wear safety goggles when they board it.

Formula Rossa, located at Abu Dhabi‘s Ferrari World theme park, hits 240 km/h (149mph) in just 4.9 seconds.

Formula Rossa reaches 149mph in just a few seconds

WikipediaThe track was inspired by the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza[/caption]

It is so fast that passengers have to wear goggles to protect their eyes from impact with insects or sand.

The rollercoaster was designed to emulate the Formula 1 experience – and it even has a cart shaped like an F1 supercar. 

The track was inspired by the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, a historic circuit in the north of Italy.

Formula Rossa can accommodate up to 16 people at a time – and everyone has to wear protective goggles.

Claus Frimand, director of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, said: “The rollercoaster’s goal is to bring the sensation of what a Formula One driver is experiencing.

“The incredible speed you’ll be taken to, you’ll be flying through the landscape.

“Starting in an air conditioned environment, shot outside the building, running around and coming back inside the building again.”

The rollercoaster was officially opened in October 2010 and has been the fastest in the world since then.

However, it may lose its title when Falcon’s Flight, a new rollercoaster being built at Six Flags Qiddiya, outside the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, opens in 2023.

Falcon’s Flight will travel about two and a half miles at speeds of up to 155 miles per hour.

Another popular rollercoaster is Kingda Ka in New Jersey, US, which can reach speeds of 128mph.

It was the fastest in the world until Formula Rossa opened, although it is still the tallest in the world.

Red Force at Ferrari Land in Spain, which opened in 2017, is the fastest ride in Europe, measuring 112mph – the same speed as Do-Dodonpa, in Yamanashi, Japan.

And a new rollercoaster will open next year on the Iron Mountain in Colorado, which is 1,300 feet above the Colorado River.

It is being built at the Glenwood Cavern’s Adventure Park, and only the brave will want to try it.

The ride will feature an 110ft freefall drop down the mountain at beyond-vertical 102.3 degrees.

To get to the freefall drop, passengers will climb 75ft and get panoramic views, 7,132ft above sea level, before plummeting into a ravine.

The theme park’s manager Nancy Heard told USA Today: “The view will be absolutely phenomenal. And the drop will take your breath away.”

Even scarier, is the eight ride trains won’t have the standard over-shoulder restraints, with just a lap bar keeping passenger in the carts.