What is the deal with Test Track?

[PabloMax]

Does anyone know why this ride, more than any other, is prone to breakdowns and technical problems? I understand that it has to shut down for weather reasons sometimes, but the issues must go much deeper.

I rode the new Test Track for the first time this past week. It was a lot of fun, but there wasn't anything in it that seems incredibly complicated in a technological or engineering sense. The ride has been around for something like 18 years and the new version is close to 4 years old, so you would think they would have worked out the kinks by now.

It's really a big issue because it's such a high-profile ride in Epcot.

 

[Robo]

The cars motion and control systems are very complex and sensitive.
It has always been that way.

When originally built, Test Track had a nearly TWO YEAR delay in opening past it's announced opening date due to technical problems with the cars.
After it finally DID open, it was plagued by many, many shutdowns during the daily operation.
Many times guests would wait in hour+ queues only to get told that the ride was
not operating just before they were boarded.
Others DID board and their rides were stopped or severely slowed down during the trip.
Very disappointing!

The new (within the last 3-4 years) Radiator Springs Racers at Cars Land at Disneyland/DCA uses nearly the same kind of cars as Test Track.
They are very prone to breakdown, too.

 

[Queuing4Disney]

This is just my opinion based on personal observation with admittedly ZERO scientific, measured proof...

I am a So Cal resident so my very long history with Disney is primarily with Disneyland. Anyway, Disneyland's TomorrowLand had the original PeopleMover which, like the one at Magic Kingdom, took people on a tour of TomorrowLand in ride cars on a static track. Around the 90's, Disneyland decided to get rid of the PeopleMover ride. They did, however, leave the tracks that the ride cruised upon. Later on, they added a ride to the same track structure which was more "exciting and thrilling." It was called Rocket Rods and they were space-aged looking ride cars that "whizzed" through the same path that the PeopleMover used. The ride was ultra popular as it whisked riders from zero-to-"rocket" speed intermittently on its route. So it would breeze along on the track then suddenly speed up very rapidly for a bit of time then cruise again, then "rocket" again, etc. (Sounds familiar?) In any case, we had occasion to visit Disneyland often as we were close by and that ride NEVER really "worked" well. The lines were always long because it was, after all, a very fun ride, but the ride would "break down" constantly. Very often, guests would wait 45 minutes, get near the front of the line and have a CM come out to say "Hey, the ride's down again. You can check back later to see if it's back up." And it felt like this break down happened ALL the time during the ride's existence. We asked the ride's CMs once "What the heck is going on." We were told the ride kept dying because of the motors utilized on the ride cars. Apparently, they would install the motors on the cars and they would work fine for a while, but Disney was not able to perfect a motor design that would last for even semi-long-term - for that ride anyway. So the ride would operate, the motors would blow, the ride would get shut down, and they would replace the motors to get the ride back into "operation" but the next break down would happen after so many zip-zap motor operations and it would start all over again. At least that was what the ride CMs told us. I don't think the Rocket Rods ride lasted more than a couple of years.

Anyhow, I detailed this overly long anecdote because it feels like that's what's happening at Test Track. TT seems to be employing the same ride mechanics of a cruising speed then sudden and rapid acceleration followed by slow speed followed by lightning-fast, etc... So I almost wonder whether Disney was ever able to solve the "motor dies after so many slow-fast cycles" problem. I don't even know if Rocket Rods and TT uses the same ride mechanics, but they sure seem similar to me. Anyway, my two cents.

 

[goofyernmost]

I guess my luck has held out. I have ridden TT probably two dozen times over the years. I have never had it break down either during or before my ride. I have seen it closed, but, I was never getting ready to ride it when that happened. And yes, that is a very technical ride. It boggles my mind how people can just dismiss it as "just another ride". The damn thing is driven by a computer. The speed, the stop and go... all by computer. How can we take that so casually, like it's the same as crossing the road. It is very detailed technologically.