Test Track

Intro: Test Track replaced World of Motion in Epcot in 1999, after years of delayed openings. The former attraction, World of Motion, was a lighthearted trip through AA scenes from the history of transportation. Test Track was the highest profile update in a series of them performed in Future World in the 1990's, dubbed "Project Gemini" by some. Despite constant breakdowns lines remain consistently long at the ride, almost a decade after its initial opening.

Queue: We start off with a walk through an automotive repair shop, which, I guess just for fun, has chosen to position TVs all over, showing clips of car accidents. They also play some really annoying music, which becomes more annoying when you listen to it for the entire hour or so that you are likely to spend in line.

Preshow: We are joined by Bill McGill (what a great name) to put together our test schedule, "just like at GM." He rattles off a bunch of tests we are going to go through like hairpin turns and Belgium Blocks (sadly this does not involve waffles). Bill rambles about why car testing and safety is important. He warns us to wear seatbelts. Now its time to ride…but wait, it’s a FAKEOUT. Instead it's time for queue number two, which is a shorter winding line in front of the launch area. This thing gets absolutely inundated with people when the ride breaks down and the system is just not set up to handle long lines AND the breakdowns.

Ride: Up a hill we go and into some rough road tests that felt pretty similar to driving through Pennsylvania. Then we learn what its like to not have anti-lock breaks. Thrilling? Bill keeps rambling in our ears through all this. He lets us know its time for some “extreme test conditions” and we enter some rooms with heat lamps and air conditioning. I’d like to point out that it’s actually warmer in the “arctic” room than it is in Ice Station Cool. Then we head quickly up some hills at full speed and they tease putting us into a wall, but it’s a swerve and for NO REASON some headlights appear and a horn blows. Well, that ruined any sense of realism this ride had. We go for a fast spin around the outside of the building. If it is meant as a homage to the outside portion of World of Motion, it’s a nice homage, but otherwise it’s just sort of there. It’s like riding on the highway in a convertible. Seriously, this is a thrill ride, doing the same thing a bunch of people probably experienced on the ride to the park. Bill thanks us and its over.

Post Show: Walk out through a GM showroom featuring “cars of the future” and stuff. Really they are just cars of next year and it’s all a big ad for GM, which, really, this whole pavilion is.

Thoughts: Wow, what a letdown this is. I was going to go easy on it, but after repeat riding, this does not stand up well. Ride it if it is operational and there is not a long wait. Use Fastpass if at all possible.

Overall Rating: **