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Disneyland's
misfiring Rocket Rods, a ride that was the brash
new star of Tomorrowland when that aging fun zone
got a $100-million face lift three years ago, was
closed permanently Friday.
The ride's demise
was expected. Despite efforts by designers and
mechanics, the Rocket Rods had suffered
increasingly serious breakdowns. Announcing a
lengthy rehabilitation in September, Disney
posted a sign saying the ride would reopen come
spring. But the sign was removed recently.
Rocket Rods burst
forth May 22, 1998, its dragster-style vehicles
popping wheelies and taking just three minutes to
scream around a track built for the stodgy old
People Mover, a 16-minute ride. But it was
plagued with problems.
"The
high-speed attraction was never able to perform
to its designed show standards," Disneyland
President Cynthia Harriss said in a statement
Friday. The problem, she said, was a
budget-conscious decision to run the high-speed
Rods on the People Mover's unbanked track. Article from LA Times
Saturday, April 28, 2001
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