Rhino Rally

Rhino Rally
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Area	Nairobi
Status	Closed
Opening date	May 23, 2001
Closing date	September 1, 2014
General statistics
Attraction type	Safari ride
Manufacturer	Vekoma
Theme	Safari
Duration	5 minutes
Quick Queue available

Rhino Rally was a safari-themed attraction located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay an African-themed park located in Tampa, Florida. The ride was opened on May 23, 2001 in the Nairobi section of the park. The ride is a Vekoma Safari Adventure and is the only one ever made. The pretense was that guests are going on a normal safari ride which turns into a search for a lost driver named Scooter Roberts.

Guests entered the queue and learned they were going on a popular safari tour, known as the Rhino Rally, which held an annual racing event where the safari trucks must race against each other with passengers on board to make it to the finish line. As guests walked through the queue, they heard news reporters and rally drivers discussing the disappearance of a lost rally driver on the course named Scooter Roberts and their attempts to find him as well as the voice over of Scooter himself calling for help. Guests also passed a vehicle which has won the 10th Rhino Rally race, as well as a map showing their path on the course.

As guests boarded the vehicle, the safari driver welcomed them and picked one of them to be their navigator, whom they told to look out for green and black poles which showed them where to go. As the safari truck started driving, the voiceover of lost driver Scooter Roberts was heard, explaining that he has been stranded on the course after his truck broke down and that he lost three of his personal items on the course: a water barrel, gas can and his favorite hat. These items act as a mini scavenger hunt throughout the ride as they were scattered throughout the course. Guests then went past the START sign for the rally race followed by the truck going past an elephant ground. The driver then warned guests to look out for African killer ducks as they passed the next area, followed by the truck passing by exotic animals and onto the rhino ground. The truck then dropped down and entered an alligator pond, with the driver warning guests to keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle during this time. After, the vehicle traveled back onto solid ground, and the driver discovered Scooter's stranded truck with a HELP sign draped over the back of it. If staffing allowed, a Busch Gardens actor would appear in the truck and interact with guests as they drove by (this generally occurred on peak days only). If not, then the driver immediately took a path to the right, revealing the FINISH sign, and a new voiceover of Scooter's voice played explaining that he heard them driving by but was taking a nap in the back seat of his truck, and then congratulates the driver and guests. The rally driver thanked guests, who exited the vehicle.