MAGIC MOUNTAIN'S SUPERMAN SET TO SOAR : VALENCIA PARK'S THRILL RIDE BROUGHT UP TO SPEED - 100 MPH.

Byline: Amy Collins Daily News Staff Writer

With the kryptonite banished after nine months of delays, Magic Mountain will open its 100-mph Superman The Escape ride March 15.

``It's . . . incredible, I can't even describe the feeling of that acceleration,'' said Bonnie Rabjohn, spokeswoman for Six Flags California.

Billed as the first 100-mph thrill ride in the world when it was announced in January 1996, Superman was lolling along at 70 mph in June, 89 mph by July and finally gunned at 95 mph in November when season pass holders were allowed a sneak preview of the ride.

Superman now averages speeds from 96 mph to 103 mph, depending on the load, Rabjohn said.

``We are elated to be able to finally announce the opening of the ride,'' she said.

Superman riders will rip out of the boarding station up a 41-story tower, reaching 100 mph in seven seconds - a pace much quicker than the mere mortals who own a Turbo Porsche 911, which takes all of 9.4 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 mph, Rabjohn said.

At the top of the 900-foot track, riders in the 15 cars will experience 6.5 seconds of weightlessness as they drop back toward Earth. Technicians were recruited from the aerospace industry to help develop the ride's prototype technology, linear synchronous motors, to reach the high speeds.

But the delays pushed Six Flags out of the running to be the first ride to break the 100-mph barrier, according to Tim O'Brien, an editor at Amusement Business, a trade publication in Nashville.

``It's rather anticlimactic at this point,'' O'Brien said. At Australia's Dreamworld park, the appropriately named Tower of Terror is already reaching speeds of 100 mph, but not consistently, he said.

Both rides were designed by the Swiss company Intamin.

Rabjohn said she is familiar with the Aussie ride, but disputed that it's as fast as Superman. ``To our knowledge, it's not reaching 100,'' she said.

O'Brien said the delays may end up working to Magic Mountain's favor when tickets are tallied. ``There's no other major attraction opening in your area this summer,'' he said.

Had the ride opened on schedule, it would have competed with Universal Studios' splashy new Jurassic Park ride and Disneyland's Indiana Jones, which still was making brisk business from its debut in 1995. Magic Mountain was able to keep its sales level last year despite Superman's no-show.

``We hope to have the biggest year in our history with Superman and the expansion of Hurricane Harbor,'' Rabjohn said.

Cheryl Adams, the tourism bureau commissioner for the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the new ride helps push Six Flags over the top; there are too many things to do in one day, so tourists are more likely to plan a two-day trip to the area.

``I can see them staying over,'' patronizing the hotels, restaurants and theaters, Adams said.

Based on attendance, Magic Mountain is the 14th-largest theme park in the country.