Gardaland reaches the peak of Mount Blanc with “Raptor, a chilling flight”
Alex Bellini – the man of extreme feats – brings by hot balloon, on the “Roof of the Alps” the new winged Rollercoaster of 2011 unveiling its name
The new and extreme winged Rollercoaster of Gardaland, unprecedented in Italy and making “chilling flights” its emblem, has challenged altitude and the most extreme temperatures alongside Alex Bellini, man of feats that are just as extreme, to reach and surpass the peaks of Mount Blanc (over 4,800 metres) reaching heights of over 6 thousand metres.
Bellini, a sportsman known for its solitary row-boat ocean crossings and for taking part in numerous other virtually impossible adventures, made his hot balloon hover in the air transporting, well beyond the “Roof of the Alps” the logo of Gardaland’s new ride, unveiling its name: Raptor, a chilling flight.
The army of aficionados has finally got a definite name for the most adrenalinic adventure to be enjoyed in 2011. The logo and the name of what will be the most imposing and extreme Rollercoaster ever to be built in Italy, which will be inaugurated on the first day of April, are a throwback to a terrifying creature which appear to have inspired the ride.
The track, which will span an area of over 16 thousand square metres, promises breathtaking speed, with two peaks approaching 90 km/h. Thanks to a fall from an impressive 33 metres in height and to an inclination of 65°, the lightning fast downhill section will drastically accelerate every carriage of the train, with an overall weight, when fully loaded, of over 18,000 kg distributed across 84 wheels. In addition to this there is a lifting system which will reach a maximum height of 30 metres from the starting point with an inclination of 40 degrees from the ground; 3 major “head over heels inversions”, 90° curves and a series of exciting and particular technical “subterfuges” that will leave you literally breathless.
But Alex Bellini will also face an incredible new challenge in Summer 2011: we are talking about the “Run Across America”, a running competition where participants will complete 5,000 km from Los Angeles to New York in a mere 70 days, with an average of 70 km per day. Bellini, at the moment, is the only Italian among the participants to this demanding feat which requires extreme mental and physical preparation. Accompanying him in this new challenge there will be a staff of sports coaches with great experience in breathing techniques, in motivation and hypnosis which will aid him with vital advice on how to deal with a competition of this kind, at the limit of human tolerance. Breathing and hypnosis will in fact be the key elements for a good management of energies during the race.
Alex Bellini is not new to this type of athletic performances, which require very scrupulous training of the body and of the mind. Among his latest accomplishments we can find the Marathon des Sables, 250 km long running race in the Sahara desert, the Alaska Ultrasport, a journey through ice faced in 2002 and in 2003, the first time for 600 km and the second for 1400 km and the most recent solitary row-boat ocean crossings from Genoa to Brazil and from Peru to Australia.
So we can truly say that Alex Bellini – the man of extreme feats - and Raptor – with his chilling flight – have in store for us a really exciting 2011!
