AUSTIN — Downforce, a drop tower at the new COTALAND theme park at Circuit of the Americas, is scheduled to open to the public Saturday, Sept. 26. The ride lifts passengers nearly 200 feet before dropping them 173 feet at speeds advertised as up to 70 mph. The attraction has several safety features that were absent from a similar ride involved in a fatal 2022 incident in Florida: Downforce does not tilt, each seat has both a shoulder harness and a seat belt, and riders are weighed before entering the ride area. During a preview Friday, riders stepped onto a scale beside the queue. The display did not show a weight; a red or green light indicated whether a person could pass the gate. COTALAND has previously said the ride has a 286-pound weight limit. A sign at the attraction says riders must fit comfortably in all restraints. The ride was made by Austrian company Funtime Handels, which was found negligent by a jury in connection with the design, construction, manufacture and supervision of the Orlando Free Fall tower at ICON Park. In 2022, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson died after falling from that ride. An engineering investigation commissioned by Florida found he slipped through a gap between the seat and harness. The ride was later dismantled. Sampson weighed 383 pounds, according to an autopsy obtained by Florida station WESH. The seat had been adjusted to accommodate larger riders. In December 2024, a jury ordered Funtime to pay Sampson’s family $310 million. Michael Haggard, an attorney for Sampson’s mother, Nekia Dodd, said the company had not paid the judgment. “We welcome any effort to make these rides safer,” Haggard said, while criticizing COTALAND’s decision to work with Funtime. COTALAND Vice President of Marketing Griffin Tendler has said the Austin attraction is unrelated to the Orlando incident, which involved another park and operator. The park did not comment Friday on Downforce’s safety features. It also did not provide interview and filming access during the media preview, saying a separate, controlled filming opportunity would be needed. The ride’s safety measures and the unresolved judgment against its manufacturer place renewed attention on how amusement attractions are designed and operated. COTALAND’s grand opening is Saturday.