A brand new ride experience will be unleashed at Cedar Point in 1994. Raptor, an inverted roller coaster, will use the newest concept in ride seating to turn riders upside down on the outside of its structure six times. The $12 million ride project will be the largest investment in the history of the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort.
Raptor will be the tallest, fastest and steepest inverted coaster in the world and will also feature a "cobra roll," a design element never before used on an inverted coaster that will flip passengers over, spiral them upside down into a 180-degree roll and repeat the twisting movement in the reverse order.
Raptor's seats will be similiar to ski lift chairs, suspended below its inverted track. Riders will see nothing but the sky and track above them, and nothing but their dangling feet will be below -- just a few feet above the ground. Riders must be at least 54 inches to ride Raptor.
| Physical Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Track Length: | 3,790 feet |
| Lift Height: | 137 feet |
| Vertical Drop: | 119 feet |
| Angle of Descent: | 45 degrees |
| Vertical Loop Height: | 100 feet |
| Design | |
|---|---|
| Model: | Inverted, outside looping coaster |
| Structure: | Steel tubular track supported by 300 steel columns |
| Special Features: | Six upside-down turns, more than any coaster of its kind: one vertical loop, three 360-degree barrel rolls and a new design element called a "cobra" that turns riders upside down twice; tallest steepest and fastest inverted coaster in the world |
| Time, Speed, Capacity | |
|---|---|
| Time: | Approximately 2:16 |
| Speed: | Approximately 57 mph |
| Ride Capacity: | Approximately 1,800 rides per hour |
| Vehicles | |
|---|---|
| Coaches: | Eight rows of passenger seated four-across Three 32-passenger trains |
| Design: | Single ski lift-style seating with shoulder harnesses and lap belts, the newest concept in ride seating |
| Investment: | $12 million, largest ride project in Cedar Point history |
| Ride Designer: | Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), Monthey, Switzerland |
Copyright © 1996 Russell M. Van Tassell
All Rights Reserved.