Today In Disney History ~ March 17th

March 17, 2017

Today In Disney History ~ March 17th

Test Track is a high speed giant slot car attraction at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The ride is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Motors uses to evaluate its concept cars, culminating in a high-speed drive around the exterior of the attraction. It closed for refurbishment on April 15, 2012 and re-opened on December 6, 2012. It is now sponsored by the Chevrolet brand rather than General Motors as a whole, who sponsored the attraction from 1999 until the refurbishment.
Test Track soft-opened to the public December 19, 1998 after a long delay due to problems revealed during testing and changes to the ride design which prevented the ride from opening on its original date, May 1997. Instead, the attraction officially opened on March 17, 1999. Test Track replaced World of Motion, though it uses the same ride building.
Before the 2012 refurbishment, guests rode in “test vehicles” in a GM “testing facility” and were taken through a series of assessments to illustrate how automobile prototype evaluations are conducted. The highlight of the attraction was (and still is) a speed trial on a track around the exterior of the Test Track building at a top speed of 64.9 miles per hour (104.6 km/h) making it one of the fastest Disney theme park attractions ever built. After the 2012 refurbishment, guests design their own car in the Chevrolet Design Studio. Then they board a “Sim-Car” and are taken through the “digital” testing ground of the “SimTrack”. Throughout the ride, guests see how their designs performed in each individual test. After the ride, guests can see how their car did overall, film a commercial, and race their designs.



TMSM Today in Graphic by Sherry Rinaldi DeHart; Wiki

 

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Michele Atwood Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The Main Street Mouse
Michele Atwood is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Main Street Mouse, one of Florida's leading Disney and theme park news sources since 2010. A credentialed Disney Partner and media professional, Michele serves as a theme park contributor and insider for Fox 35 Orlando and WDBO radio covering Disney and Central Florida attractions. Michele has also contributed to the Orlando Sentinel, WESH 2, and Spectrum News 13. Michele is the published author of four books — "Moving to Main Street U.S.A.," "How Many Sleeps Till Disney?," "How Many Sleeps Till Disneyland?" and "Daydream Believing: Confessions of a Grown Up Princess" and is co-owner of the House of Mouse Expo and Lost Princess Apparel. With over a decade of hands-on coverage of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Central Florida theme parks, Michele brings firsthand expertise and media access to every story she covers.



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