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| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard | ||||||||||||
| Product | Hyper Coaster | ||||||||||||
| Type | Steel - Hyper | ||||||||||||
| Track layout | Out and Back | ||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 32 | ||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1,600 | ||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||
| Height | 232 feet | ||||||||||||
| Drop | 211 feet | ||||||||||||
| Top speed | 75 mph | ||||||||||||
| Length | 5316 feet | ||||||||||||
| Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Drop angle | 74° | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 3:33 | ||||||||||||
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Intimidator is a steel hyper roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, it was the park's thirteenth roller coaster when it opened on March 27, 2010. It was the tallest roller coaster at the park until the opening of Fury 325 in 2015.
The attraction was built on the former site of the Wild Thornberry's River Adventure log flume, which was closed in 2008.
History
At the end of the 2008 season, Carowinds took down Wild Thornberry's River Adventure. At that point, it was decided that the ride had reached the end of its service life and it was time for something new.[1]
Carowinds announced the addition of Intimidator on August 26, 2009. At a cost of $23 million, it was the most costly project in the park's history.[2] Earlier that month, track pieces had arrived at the park.[3]
On October 13, 2009, the lift hill was topped off.[4] The final piece of track was installed in December 2009.[1] Testing began on February 4, 2010.[5]
Intimidator opened on March 27, 2010.[6]
Seat belts were added to supplement the lap-bar restraints in 2014.[7][8]
The coaster was given a new paint job in 2020.[9]
Design
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Ride experience
As the train is dispatched, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" is played on the speakers. Riders begin to climb up the 232 foot tall chain lift hill before dropping 211 feet. The train then heads through a 178 foot tall banked hill. This is followed by a 151 foot tall hill and a 121 foot tall horseshoe. Riders go pass a hill, which is 105 feet tall. A 90 foot tall hill leads into the block brake. After this, the train goes through a 62 foot tall hill and a helix. The last two hills lead into the final brake run. Riders turn left and return to the station.
Theme
Intimidator is named after NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt and the trains are designed to look like his 1998 No.3 car.[2] Another roller coaster with the same theme, Intimidator 305, opened in the same year at Kings Dominion.
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 trains employ staggered seating and riders are held in by lap-bars and seat belts.
Images
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Intimidator under construction
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The queue line
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The train's staggered seating
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stilwell, Andrew (July 30, 2020). "Celebrating 10 Years of Intimidator at Carowinds". Coaster101. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Intimidator Racing At Carowinds In Roller Coaster Form For 2010". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
- ↑ "B&M track arrives at Carowinds".
- ↑ "Carowinds Tops Off Intimidator". NewsPlusNotes.
- ↑ "Intimidator completes first lap".
- ↑ "Carowinds' new roller coaster The Intimidator opens today". Herald Online.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|archive=ignored (help) - ↑ "Cedar Fair Parks- Seat Belts Added to Rides". Insanity lurks inside. 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ↑ "Seat belts on Intimidator". Carowinds Connection.
- ↑ "2021 Park Improvements". Carowinds.
External links
- Intimidator on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
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