Montu

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
Montu
Busch Gardens Tampa
Location Tampa, Florida, USA
Coordinates 28°02′03″N 82°25′05″W / 28.034189°N 82.418004°W / 28.034189; -82.418004
Park section Egypt
Status Operating since May 16, 1996
Cost $20,000,000 USD
Rider height 54 inch minimum
Statistics
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Product Custom Inverted Coaster
Designer / calculations Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Type Steel - Inverted
Riders per train 32
Hourly capacity 1,710
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Height 150 feet
Drop 128 feet
Top speed 60 mph
Length 3983 feet
Inversions 7
Drop angle 50°
Duration 3:00
G-Force 3.8
HELP

Montu is a steel inverted roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa in Tampa, Florida, USA. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, it opened in May 1996 and was the park's second roller coaster built by the company after the success of Kumba in 1993. The ride opened as the world's tallest, fastest, and longest inverted roller coaster until 1997, when Alpengeist opened at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

History

Montu was announced in August 1995.[1] The ride officially opened on May 16, 1996,[2] as part of a new Egypt area. It was the first inverted coaster with seven inversions, as well as the first coaster to feature an immelmann loop. It originally contained an alligator enclosed under the ride's first turn, with guests feet dangling above the alligators in the enclosure.[3] This enclosure would be removed in 2000 after guests kept dropping items into the enclosure.

Montu was repainted in 2022 by Baynum Painting.[4]

Design

Elements

Ride experience

The ride begins with the floor retracting which leads to the front gate opening. The train leaves the station with a small dip and turnaround out of the station tracking towards the 150 foot tall chain lift hill. Once at the top, riders twist down 128 feet to the left and into a 104 foot vertical loop, reaching speeds of up to 60 mph. Following the vertical loop, the track passes through a tunnel and zooms into a 90 foot immelmann loop, providing a foot chopper element with the pylon.[5] After completing the immelmann, the train goes through a zero-g roll, where riders experience a feeling of weightlessness. Following the zero-g roll, the track hits a batwing, entering a trench at the valley between the two inversions. Leaving the batwing, the track rises up into the block brake. Following the second brake run, the track makes a dive to the right into a trench where it hits a 60 foot tall vertical loop. The track then exits the trench, making a three-quarter clockwise turn. After passing under the zero-g roll, the track makes a left-hand turn over the first vertical loop's exit and dives into another trench to hit a corkscrew, before making another right turn onto the final brake run.

Color scheme

Montu has a navy blue track and yellow supports. Prior to its repaint in 2022, the supports were tan.

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.

Etymology

Montu was the god of war in Egyptian mythology.

Images

References

  1. "Coaster tops Busch expansion".
  2. "Montu rides coaster wave _ at 60 mph".
  3. "Live crocodile and coaster".
  4. "Busch Gardens Tampa's Montu Gets a Bright New Look". NewsPlusNotes. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  5. "BUILT TO THRILL - Tampa Bay Times".

External links

  • Montu on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
Tallest inverted roller coaster
May 16, 1996 – March 22, 1997
Preceded by
Raptor
Tallest inverted roller coaster
May 16, 1996 – March 22, 1997
Succeeded by
Alpengeist
Fastest inverted roller coaster
May 16, 1996 – March 22, 1997
Preceded by
Raptor
Fastest inverted roller coaster
May 16, 1996 – March 22, 1997
Succeeded by
Alpengeist
Longest inverted roller coaster
May 16, 1996 – 1997
Preceded by
Raptor
Longest inverted roller coaster
May 16, 1996 – 1997
Succeeded by
Pyrenees


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