Epcot Test Track

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Test Track Overview

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Test Track is the first public-access automotive proving ground in the global network of General Motors vehicle testing facilities. This ride allows guests a rare sneak peek inside the long-restricted world of automobile testing. Passengers in each "test" vehicle experience a firsthand look at how GM cars and trucks are tested before being brought to market. Test track is the longest and fastest ride inside Walt Disney World®.

Test Track History

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General Motors was the first company to sign with Disney to sponsor an EPCOT pavilion. The company signed a 10-year contract in December 1977. The World of Motion opened on October 1, 1982. Its grand opening with GM executives and the press was held on October 5, 1982. When the contract ran out in 1992, GM was facing cutbacks and layoffs because of the slumping economy. The company could not decide whether to renew its sponsorship or to simply end its association with Disney and EPCOT.

GM decided to renew its sponsorship for one year. They felt that would give them time to figure out if their EPCOT presence was beneficial to them and at the same time not let a competing company take their place. It also gave them another year to see if the industry turned around so they would have money to spend on a new attraction. At the end of the year, GM met with Disney and signed a new . World of Motion would remain open while a new ride was developed by Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) and General Motors.

This time, GM wanted to show guests something that focused specifically on the automobile end of transportation. They went back to one of WDI's original concepts for the Motion pavilion; one that would let guests experience how cars are tested before being manufactured for the public. Imagineers remembered their trip to GM's Milford Proving Ground in 1976 and thought that it had potential for an attraction. WDI re-visited GM's proving grounds in the early 90s and along with GM created a Test Track that would put guests in the seats of the test car instead of test dummies.

On January 2nd, 1996 The World of Motion pavilion at Epcot's Future World closed, and all it's contents where stripper to allow Disney to start creating the new GM attraction Test Track.

An amazing amount of work was going into the attraction so that it would be finished in time for Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary Celebration. Construction teams worked around the clock.

When the spring 1997 opening date came and went, a multitude of disappointed guests hit Epcot Guest Relations in masses. The highly touted opening failed to materialize amidst reports of vehicle re-designs and computer problems.

The first problem encountered was that the wheels would not stand up to the wear and tear of going from a complete stop to accelerating up a hill or around the loops in a matter of seconds repeatedly. The tires were redesigned and strengthened to meet the ride's demands. That problem solved, attention was turned to a larger problem. Being a highly complex, sophisticated, and high-speed ride, there was no room for error. Each ride vehicle was programmed to stop if it entered the safety zone of another vehicle for safety reasons. Unfortunately, the computer program written to run the show could not handle more than about six cars running on the track at the same time without shutting down. The number of cars needed to meet the capacity requirements was twenty-nine. This required designers to rewrite the computer program and continually test the ride. The number of cars was steadily increased until everything worked. This process took another year and a half.

Rumors began to circulate about a late summer opening--then delays pushed back plans to the first week in November. Finally, goaded by the press and pressured by dismal guest relations, Disney issued an official statement regarding the status of Test Track and its anticipated debut. Tourist guides and publications began stating "Test Track-Coming Soon", instead of projecting for an opening date.

In the fall of 1997 it was suggested that Test Track would be open for the early spring of '98, providing an opening date coinciding with the opening of Disney's fourth theme park, Animal Kingdom, but that still wasn't a reality.

Rumors continued to circulate about problems. It was now past the summer of 1998, Animal Kingdom had opened on schedule and Test Track was still not open. Some people predicted that it simply would never open.

In December 1998, the ride was finally ready. GM executives tried out the ride first, followed by Epcot and Disney marketing cast members (Dec. 11), and then all other WDW cast members were invited to preview the ride (Dec. 12 through 16). The attraction opened to the public for limited previews during certain hours of the day on December 19, 1998. The ride was still prone to breakdowns as the kinks were worked out of the system.

Finally on March 17th, 1999 Test Track officially opened to the public. The east side of Future World was closed early that night. Starting the engine to officially open the ride were car racer Richard Petty and supermodels Christie Brinkley, Angie Everhart, Carol Alt, and Frederique. Fireworks burst overhead while special guests and the press enjoyed musical groups Earth, Wind and Fire and The Spinners.

Test Track Testing Stages

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Guests begin their testing adventure by boarding a six-passenger Test Track vehicle. The testing experience is divided up into different stages.

Hill Climb Test - Guests begin their test with a tire-squealing, engine-roaring, three-story ascent up a hill.

Suspension Test - Passengers descend to the second level over a series of harsh variable road surfaces.

Brake Test - Two passes through a circular set-up of traffic cones shows how a wildly-out-of-control skid can become a manageable steer with ABS brakes. Rolling to a stop, guests view an instant replay of themselves performing both tests.

Environmental Chamber Test - Vehicles are exposed to extreme heat, bone-chilling cold and a "corrosive" mist sprayed by industrial robots in a series of enclosed environmental chambers.

Ride Handling Test - Exiting from the chambers, vehicles accelerate quickly up a switchback "mountain road" to a dark tunnel full of surprises.

Barrier Test - Guests feel what it's like to be a crash-test dummy.

High-Speed Test - Outside the building, vehicles scream around a steeply-banked loop turning them back toward the 50-degree banked curve hugging the building's massive circumference. Heading back inside, each vehicle is tested on the thermal imager, a device allowing guests to see the areas of heat generated on the vehicle.

Test Track... coming (not-so) soon...

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An original EPCOT Center pavilion in Future World, the GM-sponsored World of Motion attraction which promised that "It's Fun to be Free," closed on January 2, 1996. This slow-moving attraction took guests on a ride through a number of 2D and Animatronic-filled exhibits that chronicled the history and mysteries of transportation. When it closed with little fanfare after the busy holiday season, the building which housed the attraction was almost completely gutted. During this time, a track was being constructed both through and outside of the building. To give curious visitors an indication of what was coming, Disney opened the "GM Test Track Preview Center" on February 13, 1996. There, guests could see concept art and models depicting Epcot's new thrill ride. Most visible was an enormous mural painted by French artist Catherine Feff outside the building which was 30 feet high, 100 feet wide, and took her two months to design. The Preview Center promised an opening date of May, 1997.... Continue reading this column in our Disney Column section.

Test Track Trivia

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• Test Track is the longest delayed attraction after the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland
• The original concept for the "victory lap" at Test Track had the vehicles doing closer to 95mph (they're capable of 150 mpg), which would've increased the angle of the bank to nearly 70 degrees. However, during stops and evacuations, hanging sideways can become uncomfortable, especially for disabled guests. Therefore, the angle was decreased, and the speed slowed to 65 mph
• Throughout the entire attraction the pictures are of the Imagineers' kids.
• Each test vehicle was designed to last 1 million miles! Enough miles to make a trip from the Earth to the Moon more than four times.
• The test vehicle go from 0-65 mph in 8.8 seconds.
• The test vehicle have three computers each of which have more processing power than the entire Space Shuttle.

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Test Track Hidden Mickeys

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• The giant billboards out front contain photos or pictures of the globe, well just off the west cost of Africa is a newly formed island chain, its at where the equator would be, and it form's a hidden mickey.
• In the Cold Room there is a Mickey in frost on the back wall.
• In the Corrosion Room there is a Mickey in rust on both sides of the room.
• On the very last white car on the left in the first area (just before you get to the barrier wall) that vehicle with the serial number C10861 painted on the door has a hidden Mickey on the rear right corner panel on the gas tank door made by three crash test stickers.
• When you are about to hit the wall, there is a hidden mickey on the floor right next to you. If you purchase the picture you will see it on the upper right hand side.

Test Track Reviews

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8/11/2008

Reviewer: Adriana, Miami, FL, USA
I love test track! Its an exhilarating ride and its sooo much fun!!!

5/22/2008

Reviewer: Brandon, MI, USA
This is another one of my favorite attractions ever. They take a very clever idea and turn it into a fun 4 minute experience.

9/24/2006

Reviewer: E. Hicks, Jarratt, VA, USA
This labor day my son and I visited Epcot for the very first time. Test Track was awesome! You can rest assured that the next time we are in Florida, Epcot will be the first stop and Test Track will be the first attraction we ride.

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