Drayton Manor Theme Park's highly anticipated new thrill ride, Air Race, was officially airborne on July 5, with the help of pop band, The Vamps.

Band members opened the UK theme park's £1.2m ($2.1m) attraction, accompanied by a confetti cannon display, before fastening their seatbelts for the first flight, alongside competition winners.

Following the official launch, visitors to the park had the chance to take a place in one of the six, four-seater aeroplane carriages and experience banks, loops, dives and accelerations of almost 4G.

Developed by Zamperla, Air Race is the latest addition to the existing line-up of exhilarating rides at the Staffordshire-based attraction, including thrill-seeker favourites Maelstrom, G-Force, 54-metre tower drop, Apocalypse, and Europe's only stand-up rollercoaster, Shockwave.