A New Mountain Is Starting To Rise At Magic Kingdom, And There’s A Cars Ride Inside It

Concept art of the snowy summit of Piston Peak for Cars Ridge Run Rally at Magic Kingdom

Concrete is now going into the ground for Cars Ridge Run Rally at Magic Kingdom, in the same area where the tallest sections of Piston Peak will eventually rise. New aerial photos posted Sunday by bioreconstruct show freshly cast concrete for an underground section of the ride in Frontierland, along with retaining walls and the first work on two retention ponds next door at the Villains Land site.

This is concrete for the ride itself, poured in the stretch where the Frontierland boardwalk disappeared earlier this month.

Hidden Under Rock Work

This is the area that will hold the tallest sections of Piston Peak, and the ride areas visible from the air today will end up hidden under rock work.

At D23 in August, Imagineering said the ride sends racers up Piston Peak to an icy, snow-covered summit, then down a camelback descent and through a geyser field before circling the Old Tankfull geyser and sprinting to the finish, where Lightning McQueen and Mater call the race. Disney also says the ride vehicle is new, with tires and suspension that actually drive over the terrain instead of simulating it.

Cars Ridge Run Rally will share the land with Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along, a demolition-derby ride hosted by a school-bus-sized Miss Fritter animatronic. From the outside, Disney plans for trees to screen the off-road rally from the rest of Frontierland and Liberty Square, with rugged peaks rising along a waterway across from Grizzly Hall.

Retaining walls are also up near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Retention Ponds Start At Villains Land

Just beyond Big Thunder, the Villains Land site is a different picture. The photos show a lot of standing water across the property, and crews have just started building two retention ponds there.

Villains Land is the first land ever built around the Disney Villains, with two major attractions plus dining and shopping. Disney describes Piston Peak as part of the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history.

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