Lightning Racer

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Lightning Racer

Location Hersheypark
Type Wood - Racing - Dueling
Status Open
Opened May 13, 2000
Manufacturer Great Coasters International
Model Twin
Height 90 ft (27 m)
Length 3,400 ft (1,000 m)
Max speed 51 mph (82 km/h)
Duration 1:20
Max g-force 3.6
Lightning Racer at RCDB
Pictures of Lightning Racer at RCDB

Lighting Racer is a wooden roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Built by Great Coasters International in 2000, it is the first wooden racing and duelling roller coaster. The ride makes use of Millennium Flyer articulated trains for a smooth and comfortable ride. During the ride's first two years in operation, the park played recordings for the winning train, which sometimes included local celebrity voices. Bruce Bond had talked about his recordings publicly on his afternoon radio show.

[edit] Choosing Sides

While fans of the ride may have a particular side (Thunder/Green, or Lightning/Red) they enjoy more, both sides travel through the same elements, although at different times. However, the Lightning (red) train consistently wins most of the 'races'. Keep in mind that speed is affected not only by weight on the train, but by weather conditions (rain, temperature) and maintenance. If one track gets greased before the other, it will run faster. In this case, this probably means Lightning (red) gets greased before Thunder (Green)