Racer (Kings Island)
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| Entrance to The Racer | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. | ||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | John C. Allen | ||||||||||||||
| Type | Wooden - Twin | ||||||||||||||
| Track layout | Out and Back | ||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 30 | ||||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 2640 | ||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 88 feet | ||||||||||||||
| Drop | 82 feet | ||||||||||||||
| Top speed | 53 mph | ||||||||||||||
| Length | 3415 feet | ||||||||||||||
| Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Drop angle | 45° | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2:00 | ||||||||||||||
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The Racer is a wooden racing out and back roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, USA. It opened as the world's fastest roller coaster on April 28, 1972. The ride sparked a "coaster renaissance" and a revival of wooden roller coasters. It is often credited with beginning the second golden age of roller coasters.
History
Construction of the attraction began in 1970. The first test runs were conducted in September 1971.[1] The Racer opened on April 28, 1972, along with the park.
Starting in May 1982, one of the sides ran backwards.[2] This continued until 2008, when the park's new owner Cedar Fair restored the trains to the original forward direction.[3][4]
Great Coasters International retracked The Racer during the 2018-2019 off-season.[5]
In 2021, more than 500 feet of track that stretched from the base of the first drop to the fourth airtime hill was replaced by The Gravity Group to allow a smoother ride experience.[6] That year, the original entrance sign and train logos were restored.[7]
For the 2022 season, the ride's original red, white and blue color scheme returned.[8]
Design
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The ride has two separate tracks, one carrying blue trains, and the other carrying red trains.
Color scheme
Trains
4 trains with 5 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows, for a total of 30 riders per train.
Images
The first drop
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References
- ↑ "This date in 1970: Construction of The Racer began at Kings Island". Kings Island. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2019/september/this-date-in-1970-construction-of-the-racer-began-at-kings-island.
- ↑ "Kings Island Closes The Bat", The Times Recorder.
- ↑ "No More Backwards Racer At Kings Island". https://www.fox19.com/story/8118165/no-more-backwards-racer-at-kings-island/.
- ↑ "The Racer runs forward!". Park World Online. https://web.archive.org/web/20110105190210/http://parkworld-online.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/825/The_Racer_runs_forward!.html.
- ↑ "Kings Island Racer coaster getting new track, smoother ride". https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/kings-island-racer-coaster-getting-new-track-smoother-ride.
- ↑ "Kings Island’s Racer getting 500 feet of new track, making for smoother ride". https://www.wlwt.com/article/kings-islands-racer-getting-500-feet-of-new-track-making-for-smoother-ride/35131369.
- ↑ "Kings Island brings back beloved original logo on Racer roller coaster trains". Kings Island. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2021/may/kings-island-brings-back-beloved-original-logo-on-racer-roller-coaster-trains.
- ↑ "Kings Island bringing back original red, white and blue color scheme on The Racer". Kings Island. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2022/march/bringing-back-original-color-scheme-on-the-racer.
External links
- Racer on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
