Intimidator 305

This article is about the roller coaster at Kings Dominion. For the roller coaster at Carowinds, see Intimidator (roller coaster).

Intimidator 305

Intimidator 305 as seen from the Eiffel Tower
Kings Dominion
Park section Safari Village
Coordinates 37°50′15″N 77°26′23″W / 37.83750°N 77.43972°WCoordinates: 37°50′15″N 77°26′23″W / 37.83750°N 77.43972°W
Status Operating
Opening date April 2, 2010[1]
Cost $25,000,000[2]
Replaced Safari Monorail
General statistics
Type Steel
Manufacturer Intamin
Designer Intamin
Model Giga Coaster
Lift/launch system Cable lift hill
Height 305 ft (93 m)
Drop 300 ft (91 m)
Length 5,100 ft (1,600 m)
Speed 90 mph (140 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 3:00
Max vertical angle 85°
Capacity 1,350 riders per hour
G-force 5
Height restriction 54 in (137 cm)
Trains 2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 32 riders per train.
Fast Lane Plus only available (front row access not available)[3]
Intimidator 305 at RCDB
Pictures of Intimidator 305 at RCDB

Intimidator 305 is a steel roller coaster by Intamin at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, United States. Debuting on April 2, 2010[1] as the park's fourteenth roller coaster, Intimidator 305 is located in the Safari Village section near Anaconda. Standing at 305 feet (93 m) tall and reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), it is the second Giga Coaster to be built in North America – the first was Millennium Force at Cedar Point. The $25 million investment was the largest of any ride in the park's history. It is named and themed after NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, the Intimidator.[4]

Intimidator 305 has a first drop of 300 feet (91 m), with a maximum descent angle of 85 degrees.[1] Intimidator 305 features yellow supports with red track. The lift hill structure for Intimidator 305 is unique in that the lift-hill and crest only have two main points of support.[5] The overall height of Intimidator 305 is higher than the observation platform of the Eiffel Tower, making it one of the tallest rides at Kings Dominion.[6]

History

Announcement

Intimidator 305, the first Giga Coaster built since Steel Dragon 2000 in 2000, was announced on Thursday, August 20, 2009. Local news media, then Cedar Fair CEO Dick Kinzel and Dale Earnhardt Incorporated CEO Jeff Steiner, and Dale Earnhardt's daughter Taylor Earnhardt were in attendance to the announcement. The official announcement, led by Kings Dominion Head Manager Ed Kuhlmann, was accompanied by animation videos of the ride and a working model. The roller coaster is themed to NASCAR racing legend Dale Earnhardt.[6][7][8]

Construction

Intimidator 305 sits on the former land occupied by the Safari Monorail which closed in 1993.[9] Kings Dominion broke ground on Intimidator 305 on June 1, 2009. The first pieces of track arrived a few days later. On August 19, the first pieces of steel were put into place.[7] The 305-foot (93 m) lift hill was topped off in November 2009.[5] Construction crews continued to construct the ride throughout the winter and the last piece of track was lifted into place on January 9, 2010.[10] Intimidator 305's first test run was on Sunday, March 14, 2010.[11]

Modifications

Some riders experienced problems due to the G-forces inherent in the ride's original design. Riders reported greying or blacking out after the first drop. Kings Dominion temporarily installed trim brakes on the first drop in order to reduce the speed while a long-term solution could be devised. The brakes were adjusted and positioned by late May 2010.[12][13]

During the following off-season, Kings Dominion replaced three sections of the roller coaster's track, widening the radius of the first high-speed turn to reduce friction and impact on riders. With this improvement, the trim brakes on the ride's first drop were removed, returning the ride to its original speed.[13][14]

Ride experience

Lift hill and sign
The silver train in the brake run, with the old restraints

Intimidator 305 has been described as a mix of both Millennium Force and Maverick, both located at Cedar Point. Intamin designed the ride to feature the high lift hill like Millennium Force. Following the lift hill are low-to-the-ground tight turns and hills, similar to Maverick.[9][15] The ride features six air-time humps and three near-ground-level high-speed turns over 5,100 feet (1,600 m) of track.[4] The most consecutive rides was set in 2011 by Arlington, VA resident Edward Meese, with 8 consecutive rides.

Layout

While the train is being loaded in the station, the catch car of the cable lift is latched onto the middle car of the train. Before the train leaves the station, a recording of Earnhardt's son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., shouting "GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!!!" is played, followed by a loud revving sound. Once the train is dispatched, the train ascends the 45-degree lift hill at 17 miles per hour (27 km/h) to a maximum height of 305 feet (93 m). Once the train crests the top of the lift, the train descends down the 300-foot (91 m), 85-degree drop, reaching speeds up to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h). The drop is steep enough and sudden enough that riders towards the back of the train are thrown out of their seats into the restraints, so that during the 300-foot near-vertical drop they feel as if they're about to fall out of the ride. The train turns right into a 270-degree turn, reaching about 5G's (nearly 6G's before modifications) before ascending the 150-foot (46 m) airtime hill. The train then descends into a high-speed bunny hop before entering another high-speed turn. The train then maneuvers 3 sharp twists before entering the final high-speed turn. The train then climbs another airtime hill, followed by another airtime hill before entering a final twist and then climbing a small, twisty bunny hop into the magnetic brakes.[14][16][17] One cycle of the ride lasts about 3 minutes.[1]

Trains and theme

Intimidator 305 features two trains themed as Dale Earnhardt's black number 3 car. The trains feature headlights at the front of each train as well as advertisement stickers that are found on NASCAR cars. One train is red with the other being silver. Each train has eight four-passenger cars, allowing thirty-two passengers per train. The trains are arranged in stadium-style seating with overhead lap bars fitted with soft, padded over-the-shoulder straps.[15] In early July 2010, the ride received a unique new restraint design. The over-the-shoulder part of the harness now resembles a padded seat belt rather than the typical over-the-shoulder restraints used by Intamin.[14] Some rides that use typical Intamin over-the-shoulder restraints include Maverick at Cedar Point, Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, and Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa.[18][19]

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year20102011201220132014
Ranking 11[20]13[21]12[22]10[23]13[24]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best steel-Tracked Roller Coaster[25]
Year2010201120122013
Ranking 3 No poll43

Incidents

While performing a test run prior to the park opening on July 9, 2013, one of the roller coaster trains became stuck near the top of the lift hill. The train was eventually brought down a week later, and the ride remained closed indefinitely. Kings Dominion later explained the closure through a statement released on their official Facebook page on August 28, 2013, which stated that a problem with the weight distribution on the gearbox caused a part to warp and fail. The replacement part had to be custom-built in another country causing the extended closure. The ride eventually reopened on September 14, 2013.[26][27]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Marden, Duane. "Intimidator 305  (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  2. "The Ride". Kings Dominion. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  3. "New - Fast Lane." Fast Lane. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 June 2014.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Press Release on RCDB". August 20, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Pagel, John. "Complex Build". Kings Dominion. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Intimidator 305 announcement Part. 1". Coastercrew. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Pagel, John. "Are you Intimidated yet?". Kings Dominion. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  8. "Kings Dominions Intimidator 305 Announcement Part 2". coastercrew (YouTube). August 20, 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  9. 9.0 9.1 "Coaster Net - Intimidator 305". Coaster Net. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  10. Pagel, John. "Full Curcuit". Kings Dominion. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  11. "Intimidator 305 testing". Coastercrew. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  12. "Screamscape 1". Screamscape. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  13. 13.0 13.1 "Intimidator 305 improved". Coaster-Net. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 "G-Force magazine - Intimidator 305". G-Force magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  15. 15.0 15.1 "Intimidator 305 Opening Day interviews". Coastercrew. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  16. "Intimidator 305 POV". 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  17. "Track Layout". Kings Dominion. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  18. "Maverick train". Coasterimage.com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  19. "Kingda Ka restraint picture". Amusementpics.com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  20. 20.0 20.1 "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 14 (6.2): 3435. September 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  21. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 15 (6.2): 3839. September 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  22. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 16 (6.2): 3637. September 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  23. "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 17 (6.2): 3435. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  24. "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 18 (6.2): 4647. September 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  25. Hawker, Mitch. "Steel Roller Coaster Poll 13 Year Results Table (19992013)". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  26. "Intimidator 305 is Temporarily Closed". Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  27. Petenbrink, Troy (September 13, 2013). "Award-winning coaster reopens in time for gay night at Kings Dominion". Metro Weekly. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Intimidator 305.