| The Racer | |
| The Racer at Kings Island | |
| Location | Kings Island |
|---|---|
| Park section | Coney Mall |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 29, 1972 |
| Cost | 1,200,000 USD |
| Type | Wood - Racing |
| Manufacturer | Philadelphia Toboggan Company |
| Designer | John C. Allen |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 88 ft (27 m) |
| Drop | 83 ft (25 m) |
| Length | 3,415 ft (1,041 m) |
| Max speed | 61 mph (98 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 50° |
| Capacity | 2,640 riders per hour |
| Max G force | 5.5 |
| Height restriction | 4 ft 0 in (122 cm) |
| The Racer at RCDB | |
| Pictures of The Racer at RCDB | |
| Amusement Parks Portal | |
The Racer is a racing roller coaster at Kings Island in Cincinnati, Ohio. Racer held the record for world's fastest roller coaster during the mid 1970s. The ride is about two minutes.
When built in the Coney Mall area of the park, The Racer sparked a "coaster renaissance" and a revival of wooden roller coasters. The Racer is credited with beginning the second golden age of roller coasters.
The Racer is notable for having two mirror image tracks. The cars on both tracks ran the course facing forwards until 1982. In 1982 the trains on the right track of The Racer were reversed to compensate for the frequent closure of the newly released Bat. This change was intended for the 1982 operating season only but due to its popularity the change remained. When the park opened in 2008, the trains on the right were turned around so all four trains are going forward. Due to this change, the two sides are now called Red Racer and Blue Racer. In addition, Racer is also notable to its appearance in season 5, episode 106, of The Brady Bunch, The Cincinnati Kids.
The Racer is one of four wooden roller coasters at Kings Island, the other three being The Beast, Son of Beast, and Woodstock Express. Two other amusement parks also have four wooden coasters: Kings Dominion in Virginia (Grizzly, Hurler, Scooby-Doo's Ghoster Coaster, and Rebel Yell), and Mount Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin (Hades, Zeus, Cyclops, and Pegasus).
Don Helbig (born 1962 in Cincinnati, Ohio) holds the world record for roller coaster riding, having taken nearly 12,000 rides on The Racer.
On June 18, 2007 The Racer was presented with a Coaster Landmark Award plaque by the American Coaster Enthusiasts during their 30th Annual Coaster Con celebration at Kings Island.
Rutherford, Scott. The American Roller Coaster. WI: MBI. p. 109.
Bennett, David. Roller Coaster: Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters, and Corkscrews. London: Quintet Publishing Limited. p. 159. ISBN 0-7858-0885-X.
| Preceded by Cyclone |
World's Fastest Roller Coaster April 1972–April 1976 |
Succeeded by Screamin' Eagle |
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