Racer (Kings Island)
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| Racer | |
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| Location | Kings Island |
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| Park section | Coney Mall |
| Type | Wood - Racing |
| Status | Open |
| Opened | April 29, 1972 |
| Manufacturer | Philadelphia Toboggan Company |
| Designer | John C. Allen |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 88 ft (27 m) |
| Drop | 83 ft (25 m) |
| Length | 3,415 ft (1,041 m) |
| Max speed | 61 mph (98 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 50° |
| Capacity | 2,640 riders per hour |
| Cost | 1,200,000 USD |
| Height restriction | 3 ft 8 in (110 cm) |
| Racer at RCDB Pictures of Racer at RCDB |
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The Racer is a racing roller coaster at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Racer held the record for world's fastest roller coaster during the mid 1970s.
When built in the Coney Mall area of the park, The Racer sparked a "coaster renaissance" and a revival of wooden roller coasters. The Racer is credited with beginning the second golden age of roller coasters.
The Racer is notable for having two mirror image tracks. The cars on both tracks ran the course facing forwards until 1982. In 1982 the trains on the right track of The Racer were reversed to compensate for the frequent closure of the newly released Bat. This change was intended for the 1982 operating season only but due to its popularity the change remained. When the park opened in 2008, the Kings Island website said that the trains on the right were turned around so all four trains are going foward. In addition, Racer is also notable to its appearance in the Cincinnati Kids episode of The Brady Bunch.
The Racer is one of four wooden roller coasters at King's Island, the other three being The Beast, Son of Beast, and the Fairly Odd Coaster. Two other amusement parks also have four wooden coasters: Kings Dominion in Virginia, and Mount Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin.
Don Helbig (born 1962 in Cincinnati, Ohio) holds the world record for roller coaster riding, having taken nearly 12,000 rides on The Racer.[citation needed]
On June 18, 2007 The Racer was presented with a Coaster Landmark Award plaque by the American Coaster Enthusiasts during their 30th Annual Coaster Con celebration at Kings Island.
[edit] External links
- Kings Island Central information - Alternate source of details and stats.
[edit] References
Rutherford, Scott [2000]. The American Roller Coaster. WI: MBI, 109.
Bennett, David [1998]. Roller Coaster: Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters, and Corkscrews (in English). London: Quintet Publishing Limited, 159. ISBN 0-7858-0885-X.
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| Preceded by Cyclone |
World's Fastest Roller Coaster April 1972–April 1976 |
Succeeded by Screamin' Eagle |
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