Ultimate (roller coaster)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ultimate | |
| Location | Lightwater Valley |
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| Type | Steel |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | July 17, 1991 |
| Manufacturer | Big Country Motioneering |
| Designer | Tom Kluberton |
| Track layout | Terrain |
| Lift/launch system | Two chain lift hills |
| Height | 107 ft (33 m) |
| Length | 7,442 ft (2,268 m) |
| Max speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Ultimate at RCDB Pictures of Ultimate at RCDB |
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The Ultimate is a steel roller coaster at Lightwater Valley amusement park, near the small Cathedral city of Ripon, in North Yorkshire England. It is currently the 3rd longest roller coaster in the world, after Steel Dragon 2000 and Daidarasaurus. It was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records for being the world’s longest roller coaster for ten consecutive years from 1991 to 2001.
Set within 44 acres (178,000 m²) of woodland, "The Ultimate" takes passengers on a 5minute 50second ride along 7542 ft (2.3 km) of tubular steel track, with two lift hills of 102 and 107 ft respectively, which rest on Canadian redwood trestles.
While "The Ultimate" was designed by Big Country Motioneering, they were not involved with the completion of the project. Lightwater Valley's owner got engineers from British Rail to oversee the construction. A few sections of track on the second half of the ride were redesigned to change their banking. The track was made by "Tubular Engineering".
"The Ultimate" represented an investment of £5.2million and was designed by the park’s original owner, Robert Staveley. Construction work began in early 1990 and took eighteen months to complete before the opening to the public on 17 July 1991.
[edit] The Ultimate in popular culture
- The Ultimate was recreated in the "Katie's Dreamland" scenario in Rollercoaster Tycoon
| Preceded by The Beast |
World's Longest Roller Coaster July 1991–1999 |
Succeeded by Daidarasaurus |
