Polin introduces a unique, new Class-A signature ride: the Space Race waterslide. The ride’s geometry is similar to other bowl-type slides, such as Polin’s own Space Boat – a tube ride that launches from a tower, shoots riders down a chute and into a bowl where they gain ever-increasing velocity as centrifugal force sends them shooting around and around before they plummet through the bottom.
But that’s where similarities end between the Space Race and all other family slides.
The Space Race introduces a wholly new opportunity for fun by giving groups of riders a chance to compete as they urge their teammates to be the fastest in crossing the finish line. The slide pits two four-rider family rafts against each other. The rafts enter the bowl from opposite directions at a speed of more than 43 kilometers per hour (27 miles per hour). Separated by a patent-pending divider, the eight riders follow identical helical routes, starting at the perimeter and ending at the center of the bowl. The giant specially designed basin allows the racing teams to see each other as they careen around the bowl, providing incentive for them to lean, bend, crouch and tilt in every way possible to give them an advantage in increasing their speed to gain an edge over their opponents.
Eventually, the teams exit the bowl at the center, shooting in opposite directions as they finalize their sliding adventure via two separate but identical dry or pool run-outs.