The Sahara Hotel and Casino has announced the name of its new roller coaster as "SPEED--The Ride," which will soon be Las Vegas' fastest roller coaster when it opens this spring.

The launch site is located inside the new NASCAR Cafe, a great fit for SPEED and the thrill-seeking excitement that both will provide. Designed by the renowned high-tech attractions company, Premier Rides, SPEED, through state-of-the-art roller coaster technology, will slingshot passengers out of the NASCAR Cafe along a path that runs parallel to the Las Vegas Strip reaching speeds of 70 m.p.h.

"SPEED will certainly live up to its name and give riders an exhilarating experience they won't find anywhere else," says Yale Rowe, director of marketing at the Sahara. "The sudden bursts of speed along with the many dynamics of this ride-including a 90 degree incline taking riders more than 200 feet skyward-make it an intense adventure for would-be daredevils."

An extraordinary force will slingshot SPEED out of its launch site and over its first hill A steep drop follows as passengers travel 25 feet below the surface through an underground tunnel before propelling them back above the ground and then through a breathtaking loop. A second set of LIM's (Linear Induction Motors) then propel SPEED to its fastest speeds, from 35 m.p.h, to 70 m.p.h, in just two seconds, as it zips through the Sahara's 192-foot-tall marquee before curving around the porte-cochere and up a steep incline -- stopping 224 feet above the ground. SPEED then carries passengers through the same exhilarating path in.

SPEED is the first LIM roller coaster on the West Coast. This high-tech coaster is powered by 88 state-of-the-art linear induction motors which create an electromagnetic wave of energy to accelerate the coaster trains to top speeds in the blink of an eye. The sudden burst of speed creates enough momentum to zoom riders through the entire course of the ride reaching speeds of 70 mph in both forwards and reverse. SPEED has two LIM launching areas, the first in the loading station and the second between the loop and the passageway through the marquee.

The Sahara Hotel and Casino opened on the Las Vegas Strip in 1952. Featuring 1,720 recently remodeled guest rooms, a 95,000-square-foot casino, four restaurants, the upcoming NASCAR Cafe, including the Las Vegas Cyber Speedway and state-of-the-art roller coaster SPEED--The Ride, the Sahara offers exceptional amenities at value rates. For reservations, call the Sahara Hotel and Casino toll free at 1-888-696-2121.