The Joker (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)
| The Joker | |
|---|---|
| Previously known as Roar | |
| Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | |
| Park section | Sky |
| Coordinates | 38°08′17″N 122°13′58″W / 38.13806°N 122.23278°W |
| Status | Under construction |
| Opening date | 2016 |
| Replaced | Roar |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Rocky Mountain Construction |
| Designer | Alan Schilke |
| Model | I-Box |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Length | 3,200 ft (980 m) |
| Speed | 53 mph (85 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Max vertical angle | 78° |
|
The Joker at RCDB Pictures of The Joker at RCDB | |
The Joker is an upcoming steel roller coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California. The ride which will open in Spring 2016, replacing Roar, a wooden roller coaster, by putting a new steel track on top of Roar's wooden support structure. The hybrid roller coaster is themed to The Joker, a villain from DC Comics.[1][2]
Joker is designed by Alan Schilke and will be built by Rocky Mountain Construction.[3] This will be Rocky Mountain Construction's first coaster themed to a superhero or villain. The wooden Roar had been constructed by Great Coasters International and opened on May 14, 1999.
History
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom announced in July 2015, that they would be closing their wooden roller coaster, Roar, giving riders about a month to get their last ride in, before closing on August 16, 2015. On September 3, 2015 Six Flags announced that they will be revamping the wooden coaster, Roar, into a steel track coaster, to be called The Joker. The renovation would be performed by Rocky Mountain Construction and would feature the I-Box steel track on all of the original wooden coaster supports, Joker-themed trains, and three inversions including the first ever ever step-up under-flip inversion. The new ride will open for the 2016 season.[1]
Roar, had been constructed in 1999 by Great Coasters International. When the coaster debuted it was the first wooden roller coaster in the park with a height of 94 feet (29 m), a first drop of 85 feet (26 m) and a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). The wooden roller coaster had a similar layout to Six Flags America's version but was shorter in length due to the location at the park. Roar consisted of two 12 car Millennium Flyer trains which helps give the sensation of a steel roller coaster utilizing the classic wooden style design.[4]
Six Flags in 2009, begun work with an Idaho-firm Rocky Mountain Construction who helped replaced the wooden track on some of the company's wooden coasters with a new steel I-Box track, retaining a wooden support structure across the United States and Mexico. With the success of the new steel roller coasters, the company looked at Roar which would benefit with the overhaul.[5]
Characteristics
The table below compares the original Roar, with the updated Joker ride. The original ride by the Great Coasters International was an approximately 94 feet (29 m) tall and the length of 3,291 feet (1,003 m). The refurbished ride by Rocky Mountain Construction features a steeper and taller coaster, thus achieving a faster speed.
| Statistic | Roar[6] | The Joker[7] |
|---|---|---|
| Years | 1999–2015 | 2016 |
| Manufacturer | Great Coasters International | Rocky Mountain Construction |
| Designer | Mike Boodley | Alan Schilke |
| Track | Wood | Steel |
| Height | 94.6 ft or 28.8 m | 100 ft or 30 m |
| Drop | 85 ft or 26 m | |
| Length | 3,291 ft or 1,003 m | 3,200 ft or 980 m |
| Speed | 50 mph or 80 km/h | 53 mph or 85 km/h |
| Inversions | 0 | 3 |
| Max vertical angle | 45° | 78° |
| Trains | Great Coasters International | Rocky Mountain Construction |
Ride experience
The Joker's trains are themed to the real Joker from Batman. Each train will have six cars, each seating four people (in two rows of two riders), for a total capacity of 24 riders per train. The Joker will depart the station and be sent through several small 'bunny hills' and turns paying homage to the original pre-lift elements that demonstrated Great Coaster International's Millennium Flyer trains that were first used on Roar, the coaster 'The Joker' is replacing. It is very reminiscent to Twisted Colossus' pre-lift elements. The train will then ascend up its first hill of 100 feet which has been re-profiled to be steeper similar to the work done on the Cyclone at Six Flags New England to become Wicked Cyclone. Dropping at 78 degrees with a top speed of 53 miles per hour through a curved drop, imitating the layout Roar's first drop. Riders will then go into the 'step up under flip' inversion and turn to the left under the inversion. The train will then go up a hill into the 180 degree stall which will have several 'head choppers'. After, the train will go into the wave turn and into air time hills. After an over banked sharp turn, the train ascends and descends two camel back hills and a then a second very sharp over banked turn. Then, the train will go into the final inversion, a barrel roll. Finally the train will go into a banked turn and an airtime hill before slamming into the brakes.
References
- 1 2 MacDonald, Brady (September 3, 2015). "Six Flags unveils new attractions for every park in 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- ↑ Glidden, John (September 3, 2015). "‘The Joker’ roller coaster set to open next year". Vallejo Times Herald. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- ↑ MacDonald, Brady (September 3, 2015). "Meet the latest contender for best new roller coaster of 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Great Coasters International trains". Great Coasters International. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ Miller, Keith (2013). "New Rides & Attractions 2013 - Wooden Coasters". Funworld Magazine (IAAPA). Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- ↑ Marden, Duane. "Roar". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- ↑ Marden, Duane. "Joker (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
External links
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