Lightning Racer

Lightning Racer
Hersheypark
Coordinates40°17′34″N 76°39′11″W / 40.292884°N 76.653171°WCoordinates: 40°17′34″N 76°39′11″W / 40.292884°N 76.653171°W
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 13, 2000
General Statistics
TypeWood – Racing – Dueling
ManufacturerGreat Coasters International
ModelRacing roller coaster
Lift/launch systemChain
 Lightning (Red)Thunder (Green)
Height92 ft (28.0 m)92 ft (28.0 m)
Drop90 ft (27.4 m)90 ft (27.4 m)
Length3,393 ft (1,034.2 m)3,393 ft (1,034.2 m)
Speed51 mph (82.1 km/h)51 mph (82.1 km/h)
Inversions00
Duration2:202:20
Max vertical angle45°45°
G-force3.63.6
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Lightning Racer at RCDB
Pictures of Lightning Racer at RCDB

Lighting Racer is a wooden roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Midway America section of the park. Built by Great Coasters International in 2000, it was the first wooden racing and dueling roller coaster.

The ride

The ride makes use of GCI's 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. 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. Speed is affected not only by weight on the train, but by weather conditions (rain, temperature, etc.), maintenance, the lifts' speeds, and placement of riders on train. Like most GCI coasters, both sides of the Lightning Racer's first drops curve as a way to decrease the chances of nausea, and both coasters contain an on-ride camera, located in the tunnel midway through the ride.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Thunder and Lightning are renamed Mischief and Mayhem, respectively. The ride is also dubbed "Wicked Racer" for the occasion.

Additional information

Lightning Racer is in the Midway America section of the park. It is the most popular attraction in that section, often dispatching full trains on the average day. Despite this, wait times for the ride often do not exceed fifteen to twenty minutes when both trains are running on each track due to high capacity and ease of dispatch. If only one train is operating on each track wait times can reach up to one hour.

When Lightning Racer opened, it was the second GCI coaster to open at Hersheypark after Wildcat, making it the only park in the world to have two GCI coasters.

During its initial season and several seasons thereafter, the ride featured Creed's hit "Higher" as its theme song.

Awards

Lightning Racer is consistently voted a top 25 wooden roller coaster by Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014
Ranking –[1]13[2]11[3]7[4]10[5]9[6]10[7]10[8]9[9]12[10]10[11]11[12]11[13]9[14]11[15]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster[16]
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Ranking
19
24
22
23
23
25
32
32
30
31
34
31
35

Note: Mitch Hawker's poll lists Lightning Racer as two separate coasters (for the Lightning and Thunder sides). Every year the poll has been run, Lightning has received a higher ranking. The results above are for Lightning.

References

  1. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 10–11B. September 2003. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  14. ↑ "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  15. ↑ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll 19 year results table". BestRollerCoasterPoll.com. Retrieved May 23, 2013.