Fury 325

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
Fury 325
Carowinds
Location Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Coordinates 35°06′20″N 80°56′33″W / 35.1054542°N 80.9425467°W / 35.1054542; -80.9425467
Status Operating since March 28, 2015
Cost $30,000,000
Rider height 54 inch minimum
Statistics
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Product Hyper Coaster
Type Steel - Giga
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Height 325 feet
Drop 320 feet
Top speed 95 mph
Length 6602 feet
Inversions 0
Drop angle 81°
Duration 3:25
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Fury 325 is a steel giga roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. The ride officially opened on March 28, 2015. It was built by Bolliger & Mabillard.

History

Elements

Carowinds officially announced the addition of Fury 325 on August 21, 2014.[1] That same month, track pieces arrived at the park.[2]

Vertical construction officially began in September 2014 with the addition of the first track piece.[3][4] In November 2014, the lift hill began rising.[5] The highest point of the ride was topped off on December 4, 2014.[6] In January 2015, construction was completed when the last track piece was installed.[7]

On February 23, 2015, a lighting package was installed in the station and on the lift hill.[8]

Fury 325 performed its first test runs on March 4, 2015.[9]

Seats on the first three trains were auctioned to raise money for charity. The media day was held on March 25, 2015 (or "3/25" in shorthand).[10] Fury 325 then opened on March 28.[11]

Ride closure

On June 30, 2023, a crack was discovered on one of the supporting columns, near where it met the track.[12] In videos shared online, the upper section had become completely severed from the rest of the column and moved as the train passed over it. The coaster was closed after staff were made aware of the crack.[13] The cracked support was subsequently wrapped in plastic.[14]

Fury 325 reopened on August 11 after repairs were complete and the ride had been inspected.[15]

Design

The Fury 325 Layout and Stats

Fury 325 passes over and under two walkways from the parking lot to the park's new main entrance. During the construction of Fury 325, the park entrance was rebuilt.[10] It was built at a cost of $30 million.[16]

Trains

3 trains with 8 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 4 across in a single row, for a total of 32 riders per train. The front car from one of the trains was on show at B&M's booth during IAAPA 2015.

Significance

Fury 325 is the tallest roller coaster with a traditional lift hill, standing 325 feet tall (thus the namesake). It is tied with Steel Dragon 2000 as the fastest roller coaster without a launch. It is the longest steel roller coaster in North America. It is the tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster built by Bolliger & Mabillard.

Trivia

Like Millennium Force at Cedar Point, the amusement park sim game Planet Coaster has a B&M-type giga coaster called Rage inspired by Fury 325.

Images

References

  1. "Carowinds Announces Fury 325 B&M Giga Coaster for 2015". Coaster101. August 21, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  2. "First pieces of track arrive for new record-breaking roller coaster coming to Carowinds".
  3. "Fury 325 Steel Rises at Carowinds". Coaster101. October 2, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  4. "First Pieces of Fury 325 Now In Place at Carowinds". NewsPlusNotes.
  5. "Fury 325's Lift Hill Going Up + New Entrance Work". NewsPlusNotes.
  6. "Fury 325 Topped Out at Carowinds". NewsPlusNotes.
  7. "Fury 325 Completed at Carowinds + New Culinary Event". NewsPlusNotes.
  8. "Fury 325's Impressive Night Look + First Rider Auction". NewsPlusNotes.
  9. Stilwell, Andrew (March 5, 2015). "Fury 325 Completes First Test Run". Coaster101. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Stilwell, Andrew (March 26, 2015). "Fury 325 Media Day Report". Coaster101. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  11. "World-record-breaking coaster catapults Carowinds to new heights (w/video)".
  12. Croft, Jay; Razek, Raja (2023-07-01). "Roller coaster at Carowinds closes after discovery of a crack in a support pillar". CNN. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  13. Marusak, Joe (2023-07-02). "Carowinds roller coaster shut down days after a crack appeared while people were riding Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article276928683.html#storylink=cpy". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 2023-07-02. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  14. "[Fury 325] [Carowinds] Looks like some kind of plastic wrap around the crack…Very sad day!". Reddit. 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  15. "Fury 325 REOPENS At Carowinds, Official Statement Released!". themeparktourist. 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  16. Macdonald, Brady (2014-10-29). "Carowinds' Fury 325 joins an elite club of world's tallest coasters". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-08-28.

External links

  • Fury 325 on the Roller Coaster DataBase.


Articles on Carowinds