RAGING
BULL IS WORLD'S FIRST 'HYPER-TWISTER' COASTER
January 1, 1999
PARK'S 10th ROLLER COASTER
WILL BE ITS TALLEST, FASTEST AND LONGEST
(Gurnee, Ill.) In keeping with Six Flags' reputation for leading
the amusement industry in introducing state-of-the-art thrill
ride technology, Six Flags Great America announces its plans to
open Raging Bull, the world's first steel "hyper-twister"
roller coaster, in the Spring of 1999.
Featuring a towering 200-foot drop that plunges riders 65 degrees
into an underground cavern at more than 70 miles per hour, Raging
Bull will be the first roller coaster in the world to combine
the unparalleled thrill of a steel "hyper-coaster" with
the tight, intense twists and turns common to a wooden "cyclone-style"
roller coaster. The ride features six "inclined loops"
- steep, high-speed turns banked as much as 50 degrees (or, loops
lying horizontally) - plus a combination of towering hills and
gut-wrenching drops that comprise nearly a mile of track.
The multi-million dollar attraction will span the entire length
of the Park's Southwest Territory, wrapping behind the Stunt Show
Arena, paralleling the guest parking lot and rising over the queue
line for the Viper roller coaster. Featuring a bold orange track
and wine-colored support structure, Raging Bull's lift will dominate
the Park's "skyline," dwarfing its neighboring roller
coasters, the Viper and the American Eagle, whose maximum heights
are 100 and 127 feet respectively. The next tallest roller coaster
in the Park is ShockWave, the seven-looping mega-coaster that
opened in 1988 at 170 feet. The addition of Raging Bull brings
the Park's roller coaster tally to 10.
"Raging Bull is more than just another 'speed coaster' due
to its unique design. The combination of speed and exhilarating
track configurations will make this a must-ride experience for
roller coaster enthusiasts worldwide," says Jim Wintrode,
Vice President and General Manager of Six Flags Great America.
"Raging Bull is the most exciting addition to the Park since
we opened Batman The Ride, the first ride of its kind in the world,
in 1992. This giant addition also represents the sizable commitment
of Premier Parks toward building and expanding the entertainment
product at this Park."
Raging Bull is named after a ferocious beast that terrorized
the citizens of the old Southwest Territory until they fled the
town and built the beautiful courtyards and mission seen today.
The raging bull still lurks in the ruins of the old mission, which
today serves as the loading station for this unpredictable, wild
roller coaster.
Upon entering the old mission, riders will be ushered into one
of three unique, side-less, 36-passenger trains. Riders will sit
high up in these open-air trains, with their feet barely brushing
the floor. A simple T-bar style restraint will extend from the
floor between each rider's feet, with the bar resting across the
rider's lap. Vivid teal, red and yellow trains will feature a
bovine animal print motif as well as bull's horns on the front
of each train.
"The Raging Bull train will be very different from traditional
roller coaster trains because these 'side-less' trains take away
a feeling of protection around the passengers," comments
Wintrode. "The sense of vulnerability will make this ride
even more thrilling for our Guests."
When the train leaves the station, it will begin its 76-second
ascent up the lift hill. From there, it will plunge 200 feet at
73 miles per hour down a nearly straight drop into an underground
cavern. The train will roar out of this tunnel and soar, practically
sideways, through an inclined loop 159 feet off the ground. This
will be followed by more soaring hills, steep drops and wildly
banked turns before returning to the station. This non-looping,
wild ride on 5,057 feet of track will last more than 2½
minutes.
Raging Bull is being designed and manufactured by Bolliger and
Mabillard, the acclaimed Swiss roller coaster design firm that
brought Iron Wolf to Six Flags Great America in 1990 and introduced
the inverted outside-looping roller coaster to the world at Six
Flags Great America with the opening of Batman The Ride in 1992.
In recent years, the pursuit of greater thrills and higher adrenaline
rushes has resulted in the construction of roller coasters that
deliver increasing speed. Often called "speed coasters"
or "hyper coasters," these rides traditionally incorporate
towering lifts and super-steep drops to achieve speeds in excess
of 70 miles per hour. Typically, speed coasters feature long straight-aways
of track and a series of small hills that gives riders exhilarating
"air time." Raging Bull's design is unique even among
speed coasters, due to the twists, switchbacks and "inclined
loops" incorporated in a way that sustains speed and delivers
a breathless ride.
Construction has already begun on this powerhouse roller coaster
and will continue throughout the winter months. The ride is expected
to open to the public in the Spring of 1999.
Six Flags Great America is owned by Premier Parks Inc., the world's
largest regional theme park company with 31 parks, including parks
serving nine of the ten largest metropolitan areas in the United
States and six locations in Europe. The company annually hosts
nearly 40 million guests. A publicly held corporation with corporate
offices in New York City and Oklahoma City, Premier trades on
the NYSE under the symbol: PKS. |