Hold on to your lunch: 'Rita' is fastest roller yet

A new rollercoaster that will propel its riders from 0 to 60mph in 2.5 seconds is about to open at Alton Towers in Staffordshire.

A new rollercoaster that will propel its riders from 0 to 60mph in 2.5 seconds is about to open at Alton Towers in Staffordshire.

Rita - Queen of Speed, which has a Grand Prix theme, subjects riders to a G-force of 4.7 and is intended to surpass the burst of acceleration in Formula One cars.

The ride, which cost £8m, lasts just 49 seconds. It will open on Friday, three weeks into the Park's spring season started, joining established rides with ominous names such as Oblivion, Nemesis, and Corkscrew.

Although Rita has the quickest start in Europe, it is outpaced by another rollercoaster designed by the same firm, Intamin of Switzerland.

The Top Thrill Dragster - a roller coaster built in 2003 at Cedar Point, Ohio - launches riders at 120 mph in four seconds.

But the world's fastest rollercoaster will open this spring at the Six Flags Great Adventure park in New Jersey. Rocketing riders from 0 to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds, Kingda Ka then catapults them 450 feet skywards, smashing all records for speed and height.