Apollo's Chariot

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Apollo's Chariot

Location	Busch Gardens Europe
Type	Steel
Status	Open
Opened	March 27, 1999
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Hypercoaster
Track layout	Out and Back
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	170 ft (51.8 m)
Drop	210 ft (64 m)
Length	4882 ft (1488 m)
Max speed	73 mph (117.5 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	2:15
Max Vertical Angle	65 degrees
Capacity	1750 riders per hour
Cost	$20,000,000 USD
Max G force	4.1
Apollo's Chariot at RCDB
Pictures of Apollo's Chariot at RCDB

Apollo's Chariot is the first Bolliger & Mabillard Mega Coaster, located at Busch Gardens Europe. Opened in 1999, it soon became a favorite roller coaster of many enthusiasts and riders. The roller coaster uses an out and back design with a helix. Notably, the first drop is actually bigger than the ride itself, the drop being 210 feet, and the height of the roller coaster only 170 feet high.

1 Ride Experience
2 Awards
3 Trivia
4 See also

[edit] Ride Experience

Riders start by climbing a 170 foot lift hill. At the peak, riders drop down a few feet in a pre-drop. The pre-drop serves to reduce the stress and pull of the chain. After the pre-drop, riders drop 210 feet (21 stories) into a water-filled ravine at a 65 degree angle and reaching speeds of 73 mph. At the end of the ravine, riders go up a second airtime hill with a 131 foot drop. The riders then enter a short tunnel at the bottom of the second drop. Then after the third hill, rides go down a left curved 144 foot drop. Then, there is a large, upward helix which pulls 4.1 Gs. Coming out of the helix, there is a small drop, then another hill into a brake run. A sudden dive off of the brake run leads into a series of bunny hills. At the end of the ride, rides drop into a ditch where the on-ride photo is located. Then the train hits the brakes and the riders return into the station.

[edit] Awards

Voted #4 Best Steel Coaster (Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards for 2005)

Golden Ticket Awards: Best Steel Coaster
Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Ranking	8	7	5	5	5	4	5

[edit] Trivia

On March 30, 1999, on Apollo's Chariot's Media Day, the model Fabio was struck in the face by a goose while riding. He had an awful gash on his nose, breaking it.