FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   October 23, 2000   CONTACT:  David M. Escalante PHONE:  (415) 643-3843 Email:  descalante@ACEonline.org

AMERICAN COASTER ENTHUSIASTS SHATTER GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

 

SAN FRANCISCO, California – Seven members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) annihilated the Guinness World Record for “Most number of different roller coasters ridden in a 24 hour period” from October 14 – 15, 2000.

 

ACE Public Relations Director David Escalante planned the event with help from fellow ACEer David Curley.  The project code named GRP! (Guinness Record Project!) took nearly six months to organize.  “I really wanted to draw attention to ACE, its preservation efforts, and our proposed ACE Roller Coaster Museum and Archives,” said Escalante.  “We received national news coverage during the attempt which will certainly help the cause.”

The group of seven ACEers (five men and two women) along with a support crew started their journey at precisely 5:00pm Saturday, October 14th on Coaster #1 the GIANT DIPPER at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.  They covered 8 parks in Northern and Southern California.  The team rode Coaster #39 GOLIATH at Six Flags Magic Mountain with a half hour to spare.  They bested the old record set in the fall of 1999 by a team of British riders by a whopping 10 coasters.

 

The entire event was filmed for a one-hour Discovery Channel documentary set to air next Memorial Day.  Nine separate film crews followed the team as they traveled from park to park in specially rigged vans complete with cameras and microphones.  Every moment of the grueling “competition” was captured on film.

 

Homemaker Denise Lau Cortopassi from Pleasanton, CA invited family members out to cheer her and her fellow GRP! Team Members along.  When asked what it felt like to be a new Guinness World Record Holder, Denise replied, “It’s icing on the cake.  The big thrill for me was riding the coasters, bonding with the team, and learning to love the camera.”

 

“This is truly one of those miraculous moments that is simply too big for mere words,” added Curley.  “This is nothing short of a dream come true.”

 

Escalante and Curley must now submit evidence of their successful world record attempt to the Guinness World Record Organization in London.  Verification of the attempt may take up to a few weeks.

 

 

GRP! Riders:                 GRP! Support Team:

 

Pat Byron                    Tania Gardner (photographer)

Denise Lau Cortopassi        David Hempling (videographer)

David Curley                 Laurie Lu Longway (diarist/notekeeper)

David Escalante              Stan Maletic (driver)

John C. Green, Jr.           Al Nulty (assistant/security)

Steven Wilson                Gerry Watt (driver)

John Sutherland              Rob Young (driver)

 

 

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GRP! rider and support team photos and information along with a complete itinerary can be found at the official GRP! web site.  http://www.davidcurley.com/grp/

 

 

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ACE was founded in 1978 as a non-profit organization to foster and promote the conservation, appreciation, knowledge and enjoyment of the classic wooden roller coaster and the contemporary steel coaster.  It is the world’s largest organization of amusement ride enthusiasts, featuring nearly 7,000 members nationally and internationally. 

 

To learn more about the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) visit http://www.ACEonline.org