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20 Years of Raging Bull

Talk about anything that has to do with Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor here.
Postby RBullFan97 on May 1st, 2019, 10:47 am
Believe it or not, twenty years ago on May 1, 1999, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America opened to the public as the first B&M hyper twister coaster. To honor this milestone, I thought in this thread we could share our thoughts, reviews, and greatest memories that this coaster has provided. If you have any opening year stories that would be extra awesome!

Happy 20th Bull!
SFGAm Ride Count 2018: 286
SFGAm Ride Count 2019: 252
SFGAm Ride Count 2020: Well, ya know...
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Postby UnclePennybags on May 1st, 2019, 12:17 pm
RBullFan97 wrote:Believe it or not, twenty years ago on May 1, 1999, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America opened to the public as the first B&M hyper twister coaster. To honor this milestone, I thought in this thread we could share our thoughts, reviews, and greatest memories that this coaster has provided. If you have any opening year stories that would be extra awesome!

Happy 20th Bull!


My favorite coaster. Smooth. Nice initial rush. Long ride.
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Postby CoasterNick3157 on May 1st, 2019, 12:32 pm
Sitting in line haring the girls freak out over them hearing the screams of the riders going down the first drop.

Epic back row drop. It was great.
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Postby B&MGuy35 on May 1st, 2019, 12:38 pm
My memory is that after twenty years the theming still isn’t finished! It would have been so much better if those barns were done for the end of the ride like originally planned. But all joking aside one of my favorites in the park. Back Row All The Time!


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Postby coasterkidd100 on May 1st, 2019, 12:45 pm
I was a Rides Lead on Raging Bull for two seasons and just loved working this coaster. Watching people be scared to death all day long is just awesome. Also having to ride this coaster three separate times with no guests in the park every morning was an amazing time.

I have to say that the back row on Bull coming off the first drop is still one of favorite things about this coaster. Yes it is great because it's the longest coaster in the park but that first drop makes me fall in love with the coaster again and again every time I ride it.

Happy Birthday Raging Bull! I hope you keep thrilling the guests in our park for many more years to come.
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Postby hoju74 on May 1st, 2019, 1:13 pm
Favorite coaster in the park. It was magical taking my son on it for the first time last season.
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Postby Muck Finnesota on May 1st, 2019, 2:22 pm
I remember watching the media day stuff on some morning tv show. It's still my favorite coaster in the park, even though I think Batman The Ride *might* be the better overall ride. First drop last row is far and away the best thing SFGAm has to offer. I wish they had kept that awesome original ride entrance sign.
Keep Eurofighters in Europe
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Postby gottastrata33 on May 1st, 2019, 2:28 pm
Happy 20th Birthday Raging Bull! I remember seeing it for the first time, I was too terrified to ride it. So I started at Shockwave for my first “big boy coaster” which btw I bawled my eyes out on in the station & when it hit the brakes, my obsession kicked in. So onto Raging Bull it was & It felt like flying it was so smooth. I thought (& still do) the colors were incredible. I think it still delivers to this day & I hate How much hate it gets to be honest. It’s a fantastic coaster. What I love most about it is how long it is. Clearly, rides aren’t made like that much anymore.
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Postby UnclePennybags on May 1st, 2019, 3:02 pm
CoasterNick3157 wrote: Epic back row drop.

B&MGuy35 wrote:Back Row All The Time!

coasterkidd100 wrote:I have to say that the back row on Bull coming off the first drop is still one of favorite things about this coaster.

Muck Finnesota wrote:First drop last row is far and away the best thing SFGAm has to offer.

I've never ridden back row. Clearly, I know where my priority is for this summer.
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Postby JackGlass on May 1st, 2019, 4:42 pm
wow. Raging Bull is 20. Sprocket Rocket is 21. Little Dipper is 69. Whizzer and Demon are 43. Vertical Velocity is 18. Viper is 24. Batman is 27

Great America is becoming a nostalgic/preservationist park. lol
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Postby ernstwhere on May 1st, 2019, 6:12 pm
I agree the color scheme, placement, landscaping, theming are just excellent. Second last row outside seat is my favorite. For a fun, well-paced, exciting ride I think it's the best, people still break out in applause hitting the brake run. HBRB!
Last edited by ernstwhere on May 1st, 2019, 6:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Chirojon on May 1st, 2019, 6:16 pm
I first went on Bull in 2000 with my two cousins from Belgium...I was terrified of the drop (I get nervous with heights and dropping like that also is terrifying). Shockwave, as mentioned prior, was my first "big" coaster as well and I couldn't believe how tall that was; at least the drop being sideways helped defray the terror for me.

In 2017 I took my now 13 year old daughter on that for the first time. Her favorite coaster in the park.

Last Sunday, I took my 9 year old son for his first ride on it (he is finally tall enough ;). His new favorite coaster in the park...now that he's over 54" he is experiencing a plethora of new rides.

But back to Bull...I've never ridden in the back; only near and at the front. I'll have to do that as well given the glowing reviews of it. The coaster is very unique like the Eagle in that they aren't made that 'long' anymore at SF given various constraints. It has so many drops, turns, twists...and is truly great in that it is so smooth. Feels like you are gliding in many directions. Love love love this coaster and it is and was such a great addition to the park.

Happy birthday Raging Bull!
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Postby SFGAM_Hog on May 1st, 2019, 6:26 pm
So many people like to hate on Bull for apparently not having as much airtime as other B&M hypers. I don't agree. What people don't really realize is that this was their second hyper and they were experimenting with the twister type layout. I think the ride has great floater in any row I usually sit in. My favorite at the park because it's just so much fun! I love Raging Bull and it still runs amazing at 20 years old!
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Postby ernstwhere on May 1st, 2019, 6:43 pm
SFGAM_Hog wrote:So many people like to hate on Bull for apparently not having as much airtime as other B&M hypers. I don't agree. What people don't really realize is that this was their second hyper and they were experimenting with the twister type layout. I think the ride has great floater in any row I usually sit in. My favorite at the park because it's just so much fun! I love Raging Bull and it still runs amazing at 20 years old!


I completely agree. I was living in NYC when Nitro debuted 2 years later and it's not an apples to apples comparison. Nitro is an incredible coaster with insane forces but what Bull does in a more compact layout is completely different.
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Postby RBullFan97 on May 1st, 2019, 9:57 pm
Back in the 2000s, Raging Bull was THE coaster to do at Great America. It was undisputed. When I talked with other kids at my school about Great America, this was the coaster that all the big boys had to go on. Starting around 2007 or so I was finally starting to go on some of the larger coasters. I did Eagle, then Demon, then Superman, Iron Wolf, and it was all building up I knew to Raging Bull. In the summer of 2009, interestingly enough during the tenth anniversary season, I finally got the nerve to go on it. I must confess I was a little terrified climbing that lift hill. But once I hit that first drop I was hooked. I think I went on it two more times that day and it instantly became by favorite ride in the park and still is to this day.

Over a hundred rides on it later, I still love Raging Bull and it's become a tradition of mine to end every season with a night ride on Bull. It's honestly hard to imagine the park without it, and here's to many more years. Happy 20th Raging Bull!
SFGAm Ride Count 2018: 286
SFGAm Ride Count 2019: 252
SFGAm Ride Count 2020: Well, ya know...
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Postby gottastrata33 on May 2nd, 2019, 4:06 am
To all of you who have SOMEHOW never been in row 9, do it your next visit!! It’ll change your entire perspective on the ride, guaranteed.

My go to on any coaster is the back before any other seat/row. There are very few coasters I find the front to be better but RagingBull is def a back seat coaster.
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Postby CoasterRiderSC on May 2nd, 2019, 11:24 am
I remember first going on this ride in 1999 or 2000. I looked at it and to be honest was a little intimidated by its height and first drop. (I was not as much into coasters as I am now)
After riding it in back row I instantly fell in love with this coaster!

X-Flight and Raging Bull are my 2 faves at our park! I love the first drop and all the other subsequent drops (even the camel back hill with the trimbrake). As the train pulls into the station, I almost always think or say aloud the same thing: Still a Great Ride!

I really love the long, relaxing climb to top of the lift hill. It's probably my fave lift hill of all the rides for that reason.

I only ride in the last couple of rows. I took my 8 yo on this last year and she was intimidated by it, and was worried she wouldn't make the height check. But she loved it and we went again! I also took my nephews (11 yo and 8 yo) on this ride during their FIRST ever trip to ANY amusement park! One really loved it and the other said it wasn't too bad.
Last edited by CoasterRiderSC on June 10th, 2019, 3:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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---- "Here we go, kids!! Here we go!!"
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Postby Jacklw6499 on May 2nd, 2019, 7:54 pm
When I was younger, Raging Bull was the one coaster that really intimidated me. I had been on all of the other B&M's in the park but couldn't muster the courage to take on the Bull. Finally, in 2011, I took my first spin ALONE (my buddy at the time was too afraid to ride). That first drop was the coolest thing I had ever experienced on a coaster, so much adrenaline.

The park was empty when I first rode and I later encouraged all of my friends to conquer their fears with me. We lapped Bull around 16 times that day without leaving our seats (crazy right!?!).

At the end of the day even with the trims pissing me off to oblivion, I will always have a soft spot for Bull. If it weren't for that first ride I wouldn't have become an enthusiast in the first place! Looking forward to it thrilling riders for many years to come.
Favorite Coasters I've Ridden:
Steel: 1. Maverick 2. Steel Vengeance 3. X2 4. Storm Chaser 5. Twisted Colossus
Wood: 1. The Voyage 2. Renegade 3. Mystic Timbers 4. The Legend 5. The Beast
Great America: 1. Maxx Force 2. Goliath 3. Raging Bull 4. Batman: The Ride 5. X-Flight

Coaster Count: 118
Go Hawks!
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Postby tp41190 on May 2nd, 2019, 8:32 pm
I've had some great memories on riding Raging Bull.

I actually rode Superman Ride of Steel at Darien Lake before I rode Raging Bull (both opened in 99). Even at 9 years old, I remember telling my parents how Raging Bull was a let down because it wasn't as crazy as Superman.

Like most people have said, the back row on the first drop is great. My favorite part of the ride has always been the upward helix around the first drop into that quick pop of airtime. I used to like to run to get first dispatch in the front row to experience a trimless ride (at least that used to be the case 10 years ago).

I will say...the first bunny hill into the pointless high turn over the station is one of B&Ms most worthless sections of layout on any coaster :o
[read]
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Postby UnclePennybags on May 15th, 2019, 9:16 pm
CoasterNick3157 wrote: Epic back row drop.

B&MGuy35 wrote:Back Row All The Time!

coasterkidd100 wrote:I have to say that the back row on Bull coming off the first drop is still one of favorite things about this coaster.

Muck Finnesota wrote:First drop last row is far and away the best thing SFGAm has to offer.


I rode the back for the first time and, WOW! Nice ride. It's still Raging Bull, but with a kick.
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Postby Necropolis on June 10th, 2019, 11:42 am
This was the first roller coaster I ever rode at Six Flags Great America. I am glad to have lost my "coaster virginity" to Bull. :lol: :wink: I am surprised to see that it never got it's scenery finished. I still love this ride many years later and it will probably be my favorite ride at the park forever. It still is. :D
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