Lightning Racer

Lightning Racer
Hersheypark
Coordinates	40°17′34″N 76°39′11″W / 40.292884°N 76.653171°WCoordinates: 40°17′34″N 76°39′11″W / 40.292884°N 76.653171°W
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 13, 2000
General Statistics
Type	Wood – Racing – Dueling
Manufacturer	Great Coasters International
Model	Racing roller coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain
	Lightning (Red)	Thunder (Green)
Height	92 ft (28.0 m)	92 ft (28.0 m)
Drop	90 ft (27.4 m)	90 ft (27.4 m)
Length	3,393 ft (1,034.2 m)	3,393 ft (1,034.2 m)
Speed	51 mph (82.1 km/h)	51 mph (82.1 km/h)
Inversions	0	0
Duration	2:20	2:20
Max vertical angle	45°	45°
G-force	3.6	3.6
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Lightning Racer at RCDB Pictures of Lightning Racer at RCDB

Lighting Racer is a wooden dueling roller coaster located at Hersheypark. It is located in the Midway America section of the park. Built by Great Coasters International in 2000, it was the first wooden racing and dueling roller coaster.

The ride

The ride makes use of GCI's Millennium Flyer articulated trains for a smooth and comfortable ride. During the ride's first two years in operation, the park played recordings for the winning train, which sometimes included local celebrity voices. While fans of the ride may have a particular side (Thunder/Green, or Lightning/Red) they enjoy more, both sides travel through the same elements, although at different times. Speed is affected not only by weight on the train, but by weather conditions (rain, temperature, etc.), maintenance, the lifts' speeds, and placement of riders on train. Like most GCI coasters, both sides of the Lightning Racer's first drops curve as a way to decrease the chances of nausea, and both coasters contain an on-ride camera, located in the tunnel midway through the ride.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Thunder and Lightning are renamed Mischief and Mayhem, respectively. The ride is also dubbed "Wicked Racer" for the occasion.

A view of the Thunder train from the Lightning train during a pass.

Additional information

Lightning Racer is in the Midway America section of the park. It is the most popular attraction in that section, often dispatching full trains on the average day. Despite this, wait times for the ride often do not exceed fifteen to twenty minutes when both trains are running on each track due to high capacity and ease of dispatch. If only one train is operating on each track wait times can reach up to one hour.

When Lightning Racer opened, it was the second GCI coaster to open at Hersheypark after Wildcat, making it the only park in the world to have two GCI coasters.

During its initial season and several seasons thereafter, the ride featured Creed's hit "Higher" as its theme song.

Awards

Lightning Racer is consistently voted a top 25 wooden roller coaster by Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Ranking	13[1]	11[2]	7[3]	10[4]	9[5]	10[6]	10[7]	9[8]	12[9]	10[10]	11[11]	11[12]	9[13]	11[14]	10[15]

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster[16]
Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Ranking	19	24	22	23	23	25	32	32	30	31	34	31	35

Note: Mitch Hawker's poll lists Lightning Racer as two separate coasters (for the Lightning and Thunder sides). Every year the poll has been run, Lightning has received a higher ranking. The results above are for Lightning.

References

1. "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
2. "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
3. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 10–11B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
4. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
5. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
6. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
7. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
8. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
9. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
10. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
11. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
12. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
13. "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
14. "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
15. "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
16. "Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll 19 year results table". BestRollerCoasterPoll.com. Retrieved May 23, 2013.