Dragon Khan
Encyclopedia
Dragon Khan is a steel
sit-down roller coaster
located in the PortAventura
theme park in Salou, Catalonia
, Spain
. Dragon Khan boasts eight inversions; which was a world record until the opening of the ten-loop Colossus
in Thorpe Park
, United Kingdom
in 2002. It is also notable for having one of the largest vertical loops in the world at 118ft.
The ride built by Bolliger & Mabillard
(B&M) opened on May 2, 1995 and was one of the two roller coasters that Port Aventura had when it opened. The track is red with white and pastel blue supports; the trains are green blue and purple (A third train is run at peak times only). After boarding the ride, riders climb to the top of the lift hill 148 ft (45.1 m), before plummeting back down to earth and straight into a 118 feet (36 m), followed by a diving loop, a zero-G roll, and a cobra roll. Riders then get a short break at the ride's trim brakes before coming back down into a smaller vertical loop and then onto the last two inversions - the interlocking corkscrews. The ride then pulls up into the brake run
before re-entering the Chinese
-themed station. The track is 4165 ft (1,269.5 m), and the ride's top speed is over 65 mi/h. The ride's duration is 1 minute and 45 seconds. The ride, thus far, has more inversions than any other B&M coaster made before or after.
The ride has a total of three trains, each containing seven cars. Riders are arranged four across in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train.
The theme for this ride is based on Chinese mythology
: the Dragon
Khan was the reincarnated spirit of the evil Prince Hu of Beijing
. His fury was unleashed each time a human dared to climb atop his back. This links in with the fact that the ride is located at the very back of the park in the Chinese themed area. Due to this ride's placement, it can be seen from anywhere inside the park, as well as from nearby hotels and the Reus airport
.
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
sit-down roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
located in the PortAventura
PortAventura
PortAventura is a theme park and a resort in Salou, Catalonia, Spain; on the Costa Daurada , approximately an hour drive south of Barcelona. It attracts around 3 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in Spain. PortAventura Park is also the 6th most visited theme park in...
theme park in Salou, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Dragon Khan boasts eight inversions; which was a world record until the opening of the ten-loop Colossus
Colossus (Thorpe Park)
Colossus is a roller coaster at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England, UK. It was built by Swiss manufacturers Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel as an adaptation of Monte Makaya in Brazil. Tussauds designer John Wardley adapted the project to include an extra two inversions as well as reducing its...
in Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded, the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 2002. It is also notable for having one of the largest vertical loops in the world at 118ft.
The ride built by Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
(B&M) opened on May 2, 1995 and was one of the two roller coasters that Port Aventura had when it opened. The track is red with white and pastel blue supports; the trains are green blue and purple (A third train is run at peak times only). After boarding the ride, riders climb to the top of the lift hill 148 ft (45.1 m), before plummeting back down to earth and straight into a 118 feet (36 m), followed by a diving loop, a zero-G roll, and a cobra roll. Riders then get a short break at the ride's trim brakes before coming back down into a smaller vertical loop and then onto the last two inversions - the interlocking corkscrews. The ride then pulls up into the brake run
Brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed...
before re-entering the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
-themed station. The track is 4165 ft (1,269.5 m), and the ride's top speed is over 65 mi/h. The ride's duration is 1 minute and 45 seconds. The ride, thus far, has more inversions than any other B&M coaster made before or after.
The theme for this ride is based on Chinese mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
: the Dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
Khan was the reincarnated spirit of the evil Prince Hu of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. His fury was unleashed each time a human dared to climb atop his back. This links in with the fact that the ride is located at the very back of the park in the Chinese themed area. Due to this ride's placement, it can be seen from anywhere inside the park, as well as from nearby hotels and the Reus airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
.