Universal Orlando’s Fast & Furious coaster is testing on its hills

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift’s test car topped the hill over the Music Plaza stage this week. The spinning coaster replaces Rip Ride Rockit and opens in 2027 with a 170-foot spike.

Universal Studios Florida’s newest coaster is getting closer to the finish line.

The test car for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift reached the top of the hill over the Music Plaza stage on Tuesday, Oct. 20, Inside Universal reported. The night before, theme park photographer bioreconstruct posted photos of the pull test car near the peak of the coaster’s last hill before the station brake run.

Right next to it is an overbanked curve, which riders will hit right after the first launch.

What is Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift?

It’s a launched, spinning roller coaster themed to the Fast & Furious movies, with ride vehicles styled like cars that drift around turns.

Universal Studios Hollywood opened its version first, on Sept. 16, after soft openings over the summer. That ride was built by Intamin and hits 72 mph, with 4,100 feet of track and three inversions. The Orlando coaster has its own layout, so its stats may be different.

Universal Studios Florida’s version is set to open in 2027 on the former site of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, near CityWalk.

What testing has Hollywood Drift done so far?

A lot, in just a few weeks:

• Mid-August: Track installation wrapped up, and the final support went in on Aug. 23.

• September: Pull testing began, with crews using a winch and rope to slowly drag a test vehicle through sections of the course.

• Oct. 10-11: Pull-through testing was spotted on the coaster’s vertical spike.

• Mid-October: The track switch was tested. Set one way, it sends cars up the spike. Set the other, cars drop and then climb into a very tall inversion.

• Oct. 19-20: The test car reached the tops of the hills over the Music Plaza area.

Pull testing is the slow, careful step. Once it’s done, the coaster can start running on its own at speed.

What is the 170-foot spike on Hollywood Drift?

It’s a straight vertical track that shoots up into the sky and just stops. When it’s finished, it will stand about 170 feet tall, Attractions Magazine reported.

You can see it from CityWalk, which has made it one of the most talked-about pieces of construction at Universal Orlando this year.

What happened to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit?

Rip Ride Rockit gave its last rides on Aug. 17, 2025. Demolition started soon after, and the last pieces came down in late October 2025.

The coaster was famous for its vertical lift hill and for letting riders pick their own soundtrack. It opened in 2009, and plenty of Universal fans still miss it.

What else is coming to Universal Orlando?

Universal is busy on both coasts. In Orlando, Holidays at Universal Orlando starts Nov. 14, with Snoggletog back at Epic Universe’s Isle of Berk. Epic Universe is also expanding, with its Dark Universe addition now under construction.

Meanwhile, the Animal Actors show at Universal Studios Florida ends Nov. 2 after 36 years.

When will Hollywood Drift open in Orlando?

Universal hasn’t announced an exact date yet, just 2027.

New coasters usually spend months testing after the slow pull tests are done. Crews typically run empty trains first, then trains loaded with water dummies to mimic the weight of riders, and then team members get to ride before the public does.

The Hollywood version followed a similar path, with soft openings over the summer before its official Sept. 16 opening. Hollywood Drift won’t open in Orlando in time for the holidays, but with testing moving this fast, a 2027 opening is looking very doable.

Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Hat Tips:

• Inside Universal (Oct. 20, 2026), the test car on the Music Plaza hill

• bioreconstruct on X (Oct. 19, 2026), the pull test car photos and the overbanked curve

• Attractions Magazine (October 2026), the construction and testing timeline, the 170-foot spike and Rip Ride Rockit’s closing

• Disney Food Blog (Oct. 14, 2026), the track switch test

• Wikipedia (accessed Oct. 20, 2026), the Hollywood version’s stats and the 2027 Orlando opening

AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.