Roar (roller coaster)

Roar
Six Flags America
Park section Chesapeake
Coordinates 38°54′27″N 76°46′34″W / 38.907591°N 76.775993°W / 38.907591; -76.775993
Status Operating
Opening date May 2, 1998 (1998-05-02)
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Park section Sky
Coordinates 38°08′17″N 122°13′58″W / 38.13806°N 122.23278°W / 38.13806; -122.23278
Status Closed
Opening date May 14, 1999 (1999-05-14)
Closing date August 16, 2015 (2015-08-16)
Replaced by The Joker
General statistics
Type Wood
Manufacturer Great Coasters International
Track layout Twister
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 95 ft (29 m)
Drop 85 ft (26 m)
Speed 50.5 mph (81.3 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 1:52
G-force 3.5
Height restriction 48 in (122 cm)
Trains 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Length 3,468 ft (1,057 m) (America)
3,291 ft (1,003 m) (Discovery Kingdom)
Flash Pass Available at both Six Flags parks.
Roar at RCDB
Pictures of Roar at RCDB

Roar (trademarked as ROAR) is the name of two wooden roller coasters operated by Six Flags. The original coaster was built in 1998 at Six Flags America in Mitchellville, Maryland, 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). Discovery Kingdom announced the retirement of Roar, which closed on August 16, 2015, only later to reveal that it was being renovated and transformed into The Joker with I-Box track technology by Rocky Mountain Construction.

Design and operation

Roar entrance sign for Six Flags America

Both rides are wooden roller coasters with a chain lift hill system. They feature a unique "Speed Shed" element over a large section of track, designed to enhance the sense of speed without the visual sensory loss of a traditional tunnel. Of the two trains used on the ride, each one seats a capacity of 24 people in six cars and utilize both seat belts and lap bars. The height of the roller coaster is 95 feet (29 m), and its drop is 85 feet (26 m); the maximum speed reached is 50.5 miles per hour (81.3 km/h). Unlike classic out and back rides, Roar is a twister design.

Six Flags America

Six Flags America's Roar, called Roar (East) by GCI, was built in 1998. Unlike its sibling in the West, this ride is longer at 3,468 feet (1,057 m) and has a slightly longer duration time. Its trains – designed and maintained by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters – are also different. Roar is one of the three rides at Six Flags America that feature an on-ride camera (the others being Superman: Ride of Steel and Apocalypse). The ride is situated in the park's Skull Island themed section of a pirate island.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Roar, called Roar (West) by GCI, was built in 1999 in light of adding the Six Flags moniker to the Marine World amusement park.[1] At 3,291 feet (1,003 m), this coaster was shorter than the installation at Six Flags America. The longer track length was due to the ride's location on a slanting hillside. Longer drops on the station side and lift hill increased the track length beyond its east coast counterpart. The ride consisted of two 12 car Millennium Flyer trains. This type of train helps give the sensation of a steel roller coaster utilizing the classic wooden style design.[2] Roar was situated in the Sky animal-themed area of the park. It closed on August 16, 2015.

On July 16, 2015, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom announced that Roar would be retired on August 16, 2015. The closure marked the completion of the attraction's seventeenth season. Park president Don McCoy released a statement that the ride was being removed to make room for future expansion. An estimated 11 million visitors to the park have ridden the roller coaster since its debut in 1999.[3] On September 3, 2015, Six Flags announced that the Roar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom would be transformed into a "wood-steel hybrid" named The Joker featuring three inversions.[4][5] Rocky Mountain Construction will be performing the conversion, expected to be completed by the spring of 2016.[5]

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards: Best Wooden Coaster
Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Ranking
39
48
49
39
42
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
-
28
39
48
49
46
55
57
59
60
66

References

General
Specific
  1. ↑ "Six Flags Discovery Kingdom profile". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  2. ↑ "Great Coasters International trains". Great Coasters International. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  3. ↑ Zavoral, Linda (July 16, 2015). "Six Flags Vallejo closing its Roar roller coaster". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  4. ↑ MacDonald, Brady (September 3, 2015). "Six Flags unveils new attractions for every park in 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Glidden, John (September 3, 2015). "‘The Joker’ roller coaster set to open next year". Vallejo Times Herald. Retrieved September 4, 2015.

External links

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