Thorpe Park
In pictures: world's wildest rollercoasters
Why do we love roller coasters? While many people grapple with that question (just as they do when trying to understand why anybody would skydive out of a perfectly good aeroplane), to the rest of us the answer is perfectly clear: because nothing makes you feel more alive than screaming yourself silly while hurtling along a rickety funfair track at breakneck speed.
It is also why we are always looking for the next, bigger and better ride - and, for almost two centuries, coaster creators have been happy to oblige.
We've had the world's fastest rollercoaster and the world's biggest and, as of today, we've now got a new one to add to the roster of adrenalin highs: the world's steepest drop - 141ft at 62mph, subjecting brave riders to a G force like that of a jet fighter. So, whether its vertigo-inducing heights or head-spinning corkscrews, we've got it covered here. Begin our countdown of the most lunatic rides on this and possibly any other planet - ending with that latest record-breaker from Japan.
