Ultimate (roller coaster)

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Ultimate
Location Lightwater Valley
Type Steel - Sit down
Status Operating
Opened 1991
Manufacturer Big Country Motioneering
Designer Robert Staveley
Track layout Terrain
Lift/launch system Two chain lift hills
Height 107 feet (32.6 m)
Length 7,442 feet (2,268.3 m)
Max speed 50 mile per hour (80.5 km/h)
Inversions 0
Ultimate at RCDB
Pictures of Ultimate at RCDB

The Ultimate is a steel roller coaster at Lightwater Valley amusement park, near the small Cathedral city of Ripon, in North Yorkshire United Kingdom. It is currently the 3rd longest roller coaster in the world, after Steel Dragon 2000 and Daidarasaurus. British Rail was instrumental in its construction, after Big Country Motioneering pulled out of the project. Cynics often suggest that BR's involvement at least partly explains the poor construction of the track, which has worn substantially in the 15 years since the ride opened and is now far from smooth.

It was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records for been the world’s longest roller coaster, for ten consecutive years from 1991 to 2001.

Although upon opening the Ultimate broke the length record of the legendary Beast, it has rarely troubled any "greatest rollercoaster" lists and never came close to challenging the reputation the Beast had achieved. Many enthusiasts feel that the ride has little to recommend beyond two decent drops and a good view of the Yorkshire countryside from the first lift hill. Part of the problem may be the vast acreage available to the ride designers; it is often said that the limited space available for many other coasters, such as Son of Beast and the even more legendary Coney Island Cyclone, contributed to their tight, twisting nature, and thus the level of excitement for the rider.

Set within 44 acres (178,000 m²) of woodland, "The Ultimate" takes passengers on a 5minute 50second ride along 7542 ft (2.3 km) of tubular steel track, with two lift hills of 102 and 107 ft respectively, which rest on Canadian redwood trestles.

While "The Ultimate" was designed by Big Country Motioneering, they were not involved with the completion of the project. Lightwater Valley's owner got engineers from British Rail to oversee the construction. A few sections of track on the second half of the ride were redesigned to change their banking. The track was made by "Tubular Engineering".

"The Ultimate" represented an investment of £5.2million and was designed by the park’s original owner, Robert Staveley. Construction work began in early 1990 and took eighteen months to complete before the opening to the public on 17 July 1991.

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Preceded by
The Beast
World's Longest Roller Coaster
July 1991–1999
Succeeded by
Daidarasaurus