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Roar (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Roar is the name of two wooden roller coaster
s operated by Six Flags
. The original coaster was built at Six Flags America
in Mitchellville, Maryland
in 1998 while the other was built in 1999 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
in Vallejo, California
. Both rides were designed and built by Great Coasters International
(GCI), and have been in continuous operation for a decade.
Both rides are wooden roller coasters that operate under a chain
lift hill
system. Two trains are used by the ride, one which remains in the station and the other in the transfer brakes; the one in the transfer brakes moves into the station while the other is on the course. Each train has a capacity of 24 people; there are six cars that have two rows of two seats. The trains feature seat belts and lap bars for rider safety. The maximum height that the coasters reach is 95 feet (29 m) with a drop of 85 feet (25.9 m); the maximum speed reached is 50.5 miles per hour (22.6 m/s). The closest perpendicular angle sits at 85 degrees along the track, located on the first drop of the ride. Unlike classic out and back rides, this one is a twister that features over 3200 feet (975.4 m) length of track for a ride that last just under 2 min. Both rides are engaged by a main operator panel and a dispatch panel located at the most far end of the station, in which both operators must engage dispatch buttons to start the ride.
(the others being Superman: Ride of Steel and Great Chase
). This coaster also instead features trains designed and maintained by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. The ride is situated in America's Skull Island themed section of a pirate island.
This clone is known for delivering a ride that is rather rough on rider's head and necks, and also very bumpy. This is due to the Philadelphia Toboggan Company designed trains, which have been known to deliver rough rides on GCI coasters (see Gwazi).
Wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...
s operated by Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
. The original coaster was built at Six Flags America
Six Flags America
Six Flags America is a family theme park and water park located in Mitchellville, Prince George's County, Maryland. It is situated east of Washington D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. The park covers , 131 of which is currently used for park operations...
in Mitchellville, Maryland
Mitchellville, Maryland
Mitchellville is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,611 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Six Flags America theme park, Country Club at Woodmore, and Freeway Airport. The Capital Centre was located in...
in 1998 while the other was built in 1999 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, formerly Six Flags Marine World, Marine World, The New Marine World Theme Park, and Marine World Africa USA, is an animal theme park located in Vallejo, California. The park includes a variety of roller coasters and other amusement rides, along with a collection of...
in Vallejo, California
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
. Both rides were designed and built by Great Coasters International
Great Coasters International
Great Coasters International, Inc. is a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based roller coaster manufacturer which has created several award-winning rides since its formation in 1994. Starting in 2006 with Thunderbird in Finland, the company expanded beyond the United States and began building coasters in...
(GCI), and have been in continuous operation for a decade.
Design and operation
Roller chain
Roller chain or bush roller chain is the type of chain drive most commonly used for transmission of mechanical power on many kinds of domestic, industrial and agricultural machinery, including conveyors, wire and tube drawing machines, printing presses, cars, motorcycles, and simple machines like...
lift hill
Lift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
system. Two trains are used by the ride, one which remains in the station and the other in the transfer brakes; the one in the transfer brakes moves into the station while the other is on the course. Each train has a capacity of 24 people; there are six cars that have two rows of two seats. The trains feature seat belts and lap bars for rider safety. The maximum height that the coasters reach is 95 feet (29 m) with a drop of 85 feet (25.9 m); the maximum speed reached is 50.5 miles per hour (22.6 m/s). The closest perpendicular angle sits at 85 degrees along the track, located on the first drop of the ride. Unlike classic out and back rides, this one is a twister that features over 3200 feet (975.4 m) length of track for a ride that last just under 2 min. Both rides are engaged by a main operator panel and a dispatch panel located at the most far end of the station, in which both operators must engage dispatch buttons to start the ride.
Six Flags America
Six Flags America's Roar, known as Roar (East) by GCI, was built in 1998 as the first new attraction to the newly renamed Six Flags America (formerly known as Adventure World). Unlike its sibling in the West, this ride is shorter at 3291 feet (1,003.1 m), and as a result it has a smaller duration time, although still over 1 min. Roar is one of the three rides of America that feature an on-ride cameraOn-ride camera
An on-ride camera is a camera mounted alongside the track of a roller coaster, log flume or other thrill ride that automatically photographs all of the riders on each passing vehicle. They are often mounted at the most intense or fastest part of the ride, resulting in humorously distorted...
(the others being Superman: Ride of Steel and Great Chase
Great Chase (roller coaster)
Great Chase is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags America in Prince George's County, Maryland. This is a junior coaster that replaced the previous junior coaster, the Cannonball that ran from 1993 to 1998....
). This coaster also instead features trains designed and maintained by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. The ride is situated in America's Skull Island themed section of a pirate island.
This clone is known for delivering a ride that is rather rough on rider's head and necks, and also very bumpy. This is due to the Philadelphia Toboggan Company designed trains, which have been known to deliver rough rides on GCI coasters (see Gwazi).
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Roar, known as Roar (West) by GCI, was built in 1999 in light of adding the Six Flags moniker to the Marine World (before becoming Discovery Kingdom in 2007). This coaster is longer than its sibling in the East, at 3468 feet (1,057 m) with a duration time longer than its sibling but remaining under 2 min. The two trains used by this ride are instead designed by GCI, using its Millennium Flyer models. Roar is situated in the Sky animal themed area of this park.Awards
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best Wooden Coaster | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Ranking | |||||
| Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Ranking | |||||||||||