Gwazi
| Gwazi |
A view of Gwazi's entrance and the Lion lift hill. |
| Location |
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay |
| Park section |
Bird Gardens |
| Type |
Wood- Dueling |
| Status |
Operating |
| Opened |
June 18, 1999 |
| Manufacturer |
Great Coasters International |
| Lift/launch system |
Chainlift |
| Track name |
Tiger (Blue) |
Lion (Yellow) |
| Height |
105.89 ft (32.3 m) |
105.89 ft (32.3 m) |
| Drop |
91.57 ft (27.9 m) |
91.57 ft (27.9 m) |
| Length |
3508 ft (1069.2 m) |
3508 ft (1069.2 m) |
| Max speed |
51 mph (82.1 km/h) |
51 mph (82.1 km/h) |
| Inversions |
0 |
0 |
| Duration |
2:30 |
2:30 |
| Max Vertical Angle |
50° |
50° |
| Max G force |
3.5 |
3.5 |
| Capacity |
2880 riders per hour |
| Cost |
$10,000,000 USD |
| Height restriction |
4 ft 0 in (122 cm) |
Gwazi at RCDB
Pictures of Gwazi at RCDB |
| Amusement Parks Portal |
Gwazi is a dueling wooden roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida. The name Gwazi originates from a fabled creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a lion. Accordingly, the two sides are named "Lion" and "Tiger". Often, the two tracks are called "yellow" and "blue", (yellow being the primary color of the Lion trains, blue being the primary color of the Tiger trains). It includes almost 7,016 feet of combined track and reaches speeds of 51 m.p.h. Both tracks have similar but nonidentical track layouts.
The roller coaster opened in 1999, a few months after Florida's only other dueling roller coaster, the Dueling Dragons at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure. Gwazi holds the record for most fly-bys on a dueling roller coaster, with six. A fly-by is where the two roller coasters pass each other in opposite directions at high speeds, giving the psychological impression that the two will collide. It is the largest and fastest double wooden roller coaster in the Southeastern U.S.
Due to the Philadelphia Toboggan Company designed trains, which have been known to deliver rough rides on GCI designed coasters, Gwazi was previously known for giving rough (and at some points, painful) rides, similar to ROAR! at Six Flags America. At the beginning of the 2010 season, Gwazi was spotted with what appeared to be Millennium Flyer trains on the track, with water dummies on board. Starting in 2011, the ride has run with the new cars, which were designed to greatly decrease the roughness of the ride. [1]
In 2006, a 52-year-old Palm Springs resident collapsed and died shortly after riding Gwazi. It was determined that the ride (which was functioning properly) had aggravated an existing condition of high blood pressure. See Incidents at SeaWorld parks for more info.
Awards
| Golden Ticket Awards: Top Wooden Roller Coasters[2][3][4] |
| Year |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| Ranking |
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
38
|
43
|
46
|
40
|
DNC
|
| Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster |
| Year |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| Ranking |
30
|
33
|
37
|
40
|
44
|
50
|
51
|
64
|
77
|
|
| Mitch Hawker's Internet Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster |
| Year |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| Ranking |
32
|
42
|
41
|
41
|
50
|
51
|
53
|
71
|
79
|
|
References
|
|
|
| Morocco |
Rock A Doo Wop • Gwazi • Gwazi Flyers • Iceploration (coming 2012) • Myombe Reserve
|
|
| Bird Gardens |
Critter Castaways • Lory Landing • Garden Gate Cafe Entertainment • Walkabout Way
|
|
| Sesame Street Safari of Fun |
|
|
| Stanleyville |
|
|
| Jungala |
|
|
| Congo |
|
|
| Timbuktu |
|
|
| Nairobi |
Rhino Rally • Serengeti Express Train • Curiosity Caverns • Jambo Junction
|
|
| Crown Colony |
|
|
| Serengeti Plain |
Serengeti Safari Tours • Edge of Africa
|
|
| Egypt |
|
|